When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
If you're active, trying to gain muscle mass, or eating a plant-based diet, it can sometimes be hard to hit your daily protein with whole foods alone.
While 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (e.g. 56g per day for a 154-pound person) is adequate for most adults, that number nearly doubles (1.2 to 1.6g per kg, or 84-112g for the same person) to build muscle mass and properly recover as an athlete.
Let's be clear: The more nutrients you can consume from whole foods, the better. But supplementing with high-quality protein powder can help you reach those higher daily protein goals, easier.
However, there are still a lot of protein powders using artificial sweeteners and other questionable ingredients. Others, meanwhile, aren't going through safety testing or disclosing results — some are adulterated (aka cut with cheaper fillers to reduce manufacturing cost, and not actually all protein).
While there's no set definition of what qualifies as a "natural" protein powder, the three sports nutritionists I interviewed for this piece generally agree a natural protein powder is different in that it doesn't have artificial ingredients, fillers, or irritants, goes through minimal processing, and was farmed and manufactured with a low environmental impact.
At the end of this guide, I go into more detail about what exactly defines a natural protein powder and what you should look for in a quality supplement. Otherwise, read on for the healthiest, best-tasting natural protein powders.
Our top picks for natural protein powders:
Best overall: Naked Whey Protein - See at Amazon
Best organic: Garden of Life Organic Whey Protein - See at Amazon
Best plant-based: Vega Sport Plant-Based Protein Powder - See at Vega Sport
Best casein: Naked Micellar Casein Protein Powder - See at Amazon
Best customizable: Gainful Protein Powder - See at Gainful