KOS Vegan Protein Powder Erythritol Free, Chocolate – Organic Pea… › Customer reviews

Top positive review

Positive reviews›

5.0 out of 5 starsThe absolute BEST protein powder I have ever had

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2018

Alright, I’ll start off by saying this is the BEST protein powder I have ever had. I have tried multiple brands (big and small, MLM or bought at target) and a lot I have trashed. I have a degree in nutrition and fitness, I’m a wife, a boy mom chef, a very busy online nutrition and fitness professional.

I don’t have time for crappy products. I don’t want to be eating or drinking them, I won’t recommend them to my clients and I certainly won’t give them to my kids or family. Thankfully this product hit the amazing mark in everything.

1. The plant protein sources; pea, flax, quinoa, pumpkin and chia. Pea protein is an awesome source of protein along with the carbs we want. Flax and chia are great sources of omega 3’s (which we all need more of since we are typically high in omega 6 which causes inflammation), Chia seeds are perfect for adding in additional fiber into our diets with very little effort. Quinoa is the perfect mix of protein and good carbs and pumpkin is amazing for our reproductive health – women and men!

2. The awesome enzyme blend; amylase, protease, lipase, lactase, and cellulase. Protease which digests protein.
Amylase digests carbohydrates. Lipase for fats and oils digestion. Lactase which digests dairy products. And cellulase that converts glucose. Who wouldn’t want this in their protein shake?

3. The sweet stuff. Organic agave, Organic Coconut Sugar, Stevia, Monk Fruit. Perfect blend of sweet without being too sweet and a bonus because it doesn’t upset any of the little bellies in my home.

4. The fruit and vegetable blend they have formulated is perfect! It leaves no grit, even with foods like quinoa and seeds being in it. It blends perfectly, super smooth, cooks well, freezes in other foods well, isn’t clumpy, and it’s $39? People pay $200+ for a shake that doesn’t taste half as good and is loaded with things that can cause a lot of GI distress. I would easily pay $200 for this shake. They batch test their own products..no weird, sketchy other company needed. If something is too high – the ditch it!

5. This one is pretty important. Their customer service is amazing! I work in an industry where client relations is SO important and these guys nailed it with their team. They’ve answered tons of questions for me and have been so kind!

I ordered the Vanilla to try first – but I love it so much I know that the chocolate will be just as good if not better! I’ll be ordering that tonight. Happy to say I will never have to try or search for another protein powder again! I will 100% be recommending this to ALL of my clients, family, friends and anyone I know because I love it that much!

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

1.0 out of 5 starsA Fit Medical Student’s Perspective – Not Good. Period.

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2019

My original review was 3 stars – tasted like chocolate pudding. Looks and smells like vomit. Mixes like cardboard. The only way to do it is with a blender. Even then, it’s questionable.

So my updated review is zero stars [if I could] because this stuff interferes with your digestive system in a serious way. I don’t care what good reviews there are about it – as of May 2019, it’s garbage and it isn’t returnable by any convenient means. If you care to, read on. But otherwise, if you’re in the market for a vegan protein powder, good luck finding one that isn’t contaminated or overpriced. Check your diet first before you start thinking the 1-key to your fitness is in a plastic jar. I only opted for a protein powder to see if I could get any more gains in the gym. I didn’t intend to use this as a meal replacement or heavy supplement plan. It was just supposed to be a treat for after a workout to build a little extra lean muscle.

So why is this KOS a POS? Well, I’ll give you some background information and explain what’s going on here that’s so bad.

1. I’m a 25 year old male, 225 lbs and solid muscle. I do P90X (X2 is better) and I swim everyday [except the weekends, which is when I occasionally do a 10-15 mile ride if weather isn’t terrible]. I eat like a horse and sleep like a bear for 8 hours a night – under normal conditions. The last I was sick was in 2016 – and it was food poisoning.
2. I eat everything except red meat. Nothing personal – I just don’t like the taste and quality these days is lower than what the standards try to maintain. I don’t take supplements and I don’t take vitamins. I get my nutrition from whole, healthy vegetables and clean meats (chicken, turkey, salmon, etc.).
3. I am a medical student and know a thing or two about ACTUAL physiology – not the white noise or ‘one-word’ compliments mentioned by other reviewers. It’s not good enough that you ‘are’ something (nutritionist, physical therapist, bla bla bla) – the ‘why’ is what is most important in a review.

So again, why did I purchase this KOS? I thought I was getting a good, clean protein to help get a little extra beef in the gym. Wrong move on my part.

So, here you go.

A. This powder raises your blood pH – which can be a MAJOR problem for anyone, whether you’re in or out of shape.

– My resting heart rate (at 11 am) is around 62 bpm on a bad day. On a good day, between 57-59. 3 hours after drinking KOS (at 8am), the best I could get was 72. That’s NOT good.
– In addition, my respiration had increased noticeably – I felt short of breath, though no chest pain. Anyone with an ounce of physiology knows that one way to reduce blood pH is to increase respiration – because that lowers CO2 in the blood. If my respiration set point increases – my brain is saying to my body, “You’re pH is off, buddy. Better try to bring it back down otherwise it’s curtains for this rodeo.”

B. Bloating and cramping to the max – resultant in potential potassium/glucose dumping in urine and feces (REALLY BAD)

-People with diabetes often urinate more frequently (and at night – nocturia) because their kidneys are unable to keep the glucose from their blood in their system. Usually, this is because their blood sugar is SUPER high (even 2x the normal 100mg/dl can do this). I’ve had nocturia every time I’ve used KOS which tell me my body is trying to dump excess glucose. I don’t have diabetes and my blood glucose is around 90 mg/dl (during a TB titer in Jan, 2019), so this is a major red flag. Inevitably, you lose salts in this process – including sodium and potassium salts. Losing potassium [or having too much potassium] in the kidneys can be fatal. Am I saying KOS can kill you? No, but do you want to risk overtaxing your system to deal with something clearly toxic?
-You’ll have a knot in your stomach for sure – and I actually mean ‘Stomach’. Mine always got particularly noisy after ingesting this KOS stuff.

C. Gains at the Gym? What gains would those be? No Gains with Excess Water! Not to mention Brain Fog.

-During the 1-serving-per-day-for-1-week that I used this stuff, I skipped nearly all my days working out because I felt terrible waking up. No energy, no zest and absolutely no core strength. Brain fog throughout the day and just a general ill feeling. The one day I did exercise (Monday) – my system was totally gassed. I was heavily winded and just plain out-of-steam. Not to mention, light-headedness after a brief bout of cardio with weights (that tells me my heart was trying to overclock itself – hope I didn’t do any damage).
-I still feel terrible, although, less terrible since I have taken a little apple cider vinegar with some apple juice to help my body recover a little bit. Since taking my ACV, I’ve noticed my vascularity has improved (my vessels had sunken down a bit with the KOS) and I’ve frequently urinated (about twice an hour for 3 hours – though I haven’t drank any water). That alone told me my body had excess water – probably around my heart – and since I’ve consumed a natural diuretic, I’m getting back to basics with my system. I’m just in awe that my body went from hero to zero in 5 days using what was supposed to be a minor supplement.

So…I hope my review can provide some clarity on my experience with KOS’s powder. If I were you, I’d find a way to build muscle from protein in a non-processed food – not some chemical powder in a plastic tub.