GAIN MUSCLE

Top 7 Best Grass Fed Whey Protein Powders [2023 Reviews]

by Nader Qudimat
Updated December 31, 2022

When you’re looking at whey protein powders…

The last thing you want is a contaminated protein powder with lead and heavy metals.

However when it comes to healthy and clean protein, you’ll appreciate a grass fed source of whey protein.

BEST OVERALL
ProteinSeries 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate by Transparent Labs

Made from American Cows, Whey Protein Isolate is a fully transparent grass fed whey from Transparent Labs.

It's a whey isolate and only contains 0.5g fat and 1g carbs per serving.

Ingredients: ​120 Calories, 28g Protein, 2g Carbs, 0mg Cholesterol
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BEST TASTING
Farm-Fed Whey by Axe and Sledge

Farm-Fed Whey Protein uses a nice mix of protein, carbs and fats.

With 22g protein, 3g carbs and 0.5g fat, this is a nearly perfect farm fed protein powder.

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It may seem unnecessary...

But when you know your protein source is coming from grass fed cows...

You’ll not only have a peace of mind but you’ll also be doing your body a favor.

Especially because the typical cow is pumped with hormones and are fed unhealthy foods. 

The problem is that cows on most farms are fed corn and soy. 

However this is unnatural for cows and can lead to many health related issues. 

There are advantages to choosing grass fed cows but some argue that it is stripped away when it's processed into protein powder.

Is it worth choosing grass fed?

You'll find out in the guide below. 

If you feel better knowing you’re getting your protein from grass-fed cows then you’ll probably like grass-fed protein powders. 

Best Grass-Fed Whey Protein

BEST CHOICE

Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Whey Protein

INGREDIENTS:

30 Servings, 32g Serving Size, 120 Calories, 28g Protein, 1g Carbs, 140mg Sodium, 1g Natural Strawberry Flavoring, 200mg Sodium Chloride, 200mg Stevia

Transparent Labs is a Ohio based company that has been selling top quality supplements for years now. 

They have seemingly grown from zero to where they are now overnight but really, it took them years to get where they are. 

Without depending on Amazon, or third party sellers, Transparent Labs sells their supplements straight from their own site.

Here are all of their grass fed protein powders:

Since it's a grass fed protein, the concentrate version may be a tad bit more healthy because it’ll have the healthier fats that grass fed cows tend to have. 

The protein is sourced from local American farms, which is supposed to be one of the cleanest sources.  

In the isolate version of this protein, it contains 28g protein, with absolutely no fat or carbs.

However with the concentrate version, it contains 28g protein along with 6g carbs (3g sugars, 1g fiber), along with 2g fat. 

But if you’re lactose intolerant (especially because it doesn’t contain any digestive enzymes) or if you’re looking for a grass fed protein powder without carbs or fats, go for the isolate version. 

The concentrate version contains 3g cocoa, 2.76g chocolate flavoring, 400mg sodium chloride and 125mg stevia for flavoring. 

It’s a completely natural protein powder without any artificial ingredients, and it comes from grass fed cows.

While it isn’t vegan, it is considered to be vegetarian.  

Although the carb content is a bit high, it’s acceptable for something that doesn’t depend on artificial ingredients or fillers. 

And their isolated version is cleaner with it’s macros.

The grass fed isolate is 54$ per bag, and the concentrate is 45$.

These are the prices after using our discount code FITFREK

All in all, with completely transparent labels and all natural ingredients.

Transparent Labs protein powders are great choices for those who want to use clean grass fed sources. 

It also uses cold, minimal processing to keep as much of the good stuff as possible from the grass fed whey.

Isolate Flavors:

  • Cinnamon Pastry
  • Strawberry
  • Mocha
  • Cereal Splash
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter
  • Milk Chocolate
  • Salted Caramel
  • French Vanilla

Concentrate Flavors:

  • Strawberry
  • Mocha
  • Cinnamon Pastry
  • French Vanilla
  • Milk Chocolate
  • Salted Caramel

Use discount code FITFREK.

Just a warning though, Transparent Labs uses equipment that makes products that contain shellfish, nuts eggs, wheat, peanut oil and tree nuts.

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UNIQUE FLAVORS 

Grass-Fed Whey Isolate by Axe and Sledge

INGREDIENTS:

30 Servings, 28g Scoops, 100 Calories, 22g Protein, 3g Carbs (3g Sugars), 0.5g Fat, 4mg Cholesterol

Axe and Sledge makes supplements for the hardest workers. 

And they do excellent work formulating supplements while maximizing it's potential.

Seth Feroce is a IFBB bodybuilder who founded Axe and Sledge as a hardcore and unique supplement brand.

Grass-Fed Whey Isolate is grass fed and it contains decent macros that makes it a great choice.

In every scoop, there’s only 28g of powder with 100 calories, 22g protein and 3g carbs.

While the carbs are a little bit higher than average compared to other whey isolates, it makes up for it by having delicious flavors.

The carb source here makes it a great addition for muscle building, and a great post workout supplement to have.

And all their supplements are high quality, including this one.

Use coupon code FITFREK.

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TRUSTED 

Promix Grass-Fed Whey Protein

INGREDIENTS:

97 Servings, 34g Serving Size, 67 Servings, 135 Calories, 25g Protein, 5.9 BCAAs, 3g Carbohydrates, 1.5g Fat, 180mg Glutathion, 50mg Cholesterol, 50mg Sodium

Promix is a well trusted brand that uses third party tests to prove it’s nutritional content.

They make this whey protein from grass fed cows in the farms of Northern California.

While they aren’t organic certified, they third party test everything from impurities, to allergens and heavy metal contamination.

Organic certification is expensive and will just increase the cost of the product.

Promix has been selling this grass fed protein for several years and they make high quality supplements that are free from GMOs and are mostly natural.

No hormones or harmful substances are used in the cows that this whey protein is made from. The cows are bred on clean fields, free of pesticides and are located in Northern California.

Usually, there has to be a downside to all this if it’s all natural and made from grass fed cows, but really we haven’t found anything other than it’s a bit chalky in texture but it can mix easily even in regular protein bottles.

In every serving there’s 25 grams of protein, 5.9 grams of BCAA’s and only 120 calories.

Being completely free of chemicals, there’s going to be variance of color in every protein batch due to the natural change of the grass quality throughout the seasons that the grass fed cows eat, but this is normal.

Since it doesn’t use artificial flavoring or anything other than 3 extra ingredients besides the protein, there might be some inconsistency with flavoring but overall it is a worthy choice of a natural, grass fed protein powder.

As a bonus, it tests for it’s glutathione content, which is found at 180mg per serving. This is an anti-age, antioxidant that is healthy to have.

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GOOD CHOICE 

Muscle Feast Hormone Free Grass Fed Whey

INGREDIENTS:

90 Servings, 100 Calories, 19.1g Protein, 1.7g Fat (1.2 Saturated), 1.2g Carb (Sugar), 47mg Cholesterol, 47mg Sodium

Muscle Feast is an excellent brand that we have nothing but positive things to say about it. 

And we’re not the only ones.

With a 100% score on Labdoor for the concentrate version, and certified pure for the isolate, this proves to be an excellent choice for quality. 

Labdoor is a site where they test supplements for impurities.

By weight, the isolate version is 90% protein, making it one of the purer protein powders by weight. 

The amount of fillers in this protein powder is very minimal and it's actually one of the protein powders that has the least fillers that we've seen so far. 

It only has 4 extra ingredients, not including the whey protein itself and it is mostly for flavoring and texture. 

Muscle Feast has one of the cleanest protein powders we've seen. In fact, this protein powder was made by a married couple for their young son who was disappointed by the lack of quality supplements available.

They built this company to make the cleanest supplements and they've done that so far.  

The isolate is very low in sodium and cholesterol, with only 41mg and 1mg respectively, it virtually has nothing but the protein itself. 

In the concentrate, there’s only 96 calories, which is made up of 18.3g protein, 1.2g carb, 1.8g fat and under 50mg for both cholesterol and sodium. 

Muscle Feast is made with purity and health in mind, without sacrificing for flavoring or extra unnecessary ingredients. 

Here are the ingredients for isolate:

  • 89 Calories
  • 24 Grams Protein
  • 0.2g Carbs 
  • 0.2g Fat 
  • 1mg Cholesterol 
  • 41 Sodium
  • 5% Magnesium / Potassium .3.3.
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PURE WHEY

Naked Whey Protein

INGREDIENTS:

76 Servings, 120 Calories, 25g Protein, 3g Carbs, 2g Fat, 90mg Potassium, 50mg Cholesterol, 45mg Sodium

Naked Whey has gained a reputation for being simply whey protein without the extra fillers or unnecessary ingredients. 

It promises to have only one ingredient, protein. 

This protein comes from 100% grass fed cows, meaning the milk that this protein is processed from is completely clean and the cows are not injected with hormones. 

The cows are raised on small farms in California and they are not subject to small spaced and they roam free on clean fields, free of pesticides. 

Naked Whey is free of additives, coloring, and artificial sweeteners.

Meaning this grass fed protein powder is as close as natural as you can get.

And the unique part of this protein powder is that it’s cold processed, which is a rare thing to find. 

Cold processing helps preserve amino acids, natural nutrients and minerals, so it’s as whole as you can get to natural protein without altering it. 

While it seems to be an organic protein powder, it doesn’t have the certification.

This would make it more expensive and it’s keeping the costs lower for both you and the company to not have it certified. 

There’s another version of this whey called Less Naked whey, which has more extra ingredients to help flavor it.

It’s the same protein, with grass fed whey, but it has natural vanilla flavoring and coconut sugar.

 
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ALL NATURAL

Raw Grass-Fed Whey

INGREDIENTS:

90 Servings, 97.5 Calories, 21g Protein, 2g Carbs, 1g Fat, 109 Potassium, 52 Cholesterol, 40mg Sodium

Raw makes excellent grass fed whey but it comes at a price. 

It is USDA organic certified. 

This means that the USDA regularly inspects the farms, and the processing to ensure high standards are followed. 

While this is great, there are no GMOs, additives, gluten, soy, or any chemicals for that matter, but it makes it one of the more expensive choices. 

And it doesn’t even come with a scoop or flavoring. 

This isn’t necessarily a negative thing but typically protein powders are bought for convenience and having a healthy choice would make it more expensive since USDA certification isn’t cheap. 

Raw Grass-Fed Whey is made from Jersey cows that roam freely across clean fields. 

Every 25 gram serving contains 21 grams of protein,  2 grams sugar, and 1g saturated fat. 

The other nutrients include 15% RDI of calcium, 3% potassium and 2 percent sodium, and 17 percent cholesterol. 

This is a whey concentrate, meaning it has more fat than isolate, which is what you want from a grass fed whey since the fats contain the healthy benefits that come with this type of protein. 

While this is completely unflavored, it still tastes decent and mixes quite easily.

It reminds us of full cream milk that’s been watered down.

Mixing it with milk will make it taste better. 

Raw Grass-Fed Whey is an excellent whey that has absolutely no artificial ingredients, no soy, gluten and the company provides a full analysis of their protein powders on their site.

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GREAT CHOICE

Grass-Fed Whey Protein by BulkSupplements

INGREDIENTS:

112 calories, 30g protein,  0g fat

If you've never enjoyed the taste of a natural grass fed protein, then you need to try out Grass Fed protein by BulkSupplements. 

This protein is one of the most enjoyable.

The taste is rich and creamy, and very smooth.

BulkSupplements is a trusted company and they've been making supplements with high standards.  

Grass Fed protein is easily mixable and doesn't foam like regular whey. 

All in all, this is a great grass fed protein for the price and one to try if you want to switch things up.

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What Is Whey Protein?

Whey is processed from milk, it is the liquid part that’s separated from the milk.

It contains small amounts of lactose, even lactose intolerant can handle whey, specifically whey isolate.

All whey is rich in BCAA’s and proven to increase muscle protein synthesis, increases endurance, decreases appetite.

You've undoubtedly heard about the benefits of grass fed protein sources, from whey to dairy, beef and chicken against the conventional grain-fed kind.

Aside from grain-fed and grass-fed, there’s also organic whey.

But here we’re putting the spotlight on grass fed whey.

Nutritional Quality Grass Fed Whey vs Traditional

There's quite a difference between grass fed whey vs conventional protein powder.

The difference starts with grass fed cows because they are treated better, not only with their space but also with their foods.

Grass fed cows have a organic diet, full of grass without being injected with steroids or hormones.

The protein that they produce is high in nutrients like iron, CLA, and amino acids.

They also have higher contents of PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids).

Both of these types of fatty acids are shown to be helpful for reducing the risk for heart diease, reducing high blood pressure and improving fat levels in blood.

 

Grass-Fed Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of grass-fed whey:

Pros

  • High cla content (healthy)
  • High in omega 3 fatty acids 
  • Healthier for the planet

Cons

  • Healthy parts are in the fatty parts, that are removed
  • Omega 3 are oxidized when they are consumed
  • Small difference but still healthier. 
 

Grass-Fed Dairy vs Regular Dairy

Grass fed sounds like the solid choice.

But is it?

Grass fed beef and milk contain benefits in the fat.

Processing the milk removes the fat. 

The amino acid profile is left after processing, and even if cows have the healthiest diets, it doesn't change the amino acids.

Grass fed cows are perhaps treated better, but processing removes the added content that make it special like omega 3's and CLA [1], [2], [3]. 

Fat-free protein powder, like concentrate, is especially no different when it comes to grass fed choices. 

Grass fed concentrate has the most fat, but is it really healthier?

Consider this, each scoop has around 3g of fat and 5 percent of that is polyunsaturated fatty acids like omega 3's, nowhere near the levels of fish oil. 

Omega 3 probably won't be used by the body because the protein powder must be kept in the fridge, covered, in the dark or it would be oxidized during shipment and consumption and processing. 

Oxidized omega 3's have no effect on health, positive or negative. 

CLA is what's left, a healthy trans-fat.

However one study found grass fed dairy to only have 2 percent CLA, higher than regular dairy but per scoop of whey concentrate, you'll only have 0.06 grams of CLA. 

And the proper recommended dose is around 3g. 

The other thing is that cows are crowded in concentrated animal feeding operations that are mass fed in feedlots. 

They are fed either grains of soy or corn and are injected with antibiotics to be free of diseases. 

They are also commonly injected with hormones and steroids to increase growth and meat output. 

Grass fed cows are free roaming, eat naturally grown grass but the downside is that this is more expensive for farms to maintain because of the land and work required. 

These types of cows don't require antibiotics to avoid disease nor are they injected with steroids, which are both harmful to humans in dairy products.

 

Protein Processing: Cold vs Hot

When it comes to the manufacturing practices, you'll see a few terms being tossed around. 

Some include:

  • Cold processed 
  • Undenatured 
  • Cold processed
  • Low temperature drying techniques
  • Micro-filtered
  • Ultra-filtered
  • And more

The typical consumer knows some type of filtering or processing is good to see.

But there's a difference between heat and cold processing that makes a big difference in the nutritional value.

Some countries require heat to be used in processing dairy related products, however heat processing destroys chemical properties and can make protein form into a cluster. 

Studies have found heat processing to alter the taste of protein powders as a study showed an increase of sulfur flavor in whey as well as higher contents of aldehydes and ketones, and sulfur compounds. [4]

This is why some grass fed protein powders state whey was made without acid or bleach processing.

Heat processing leads to lower amino acid content along with the reduction of many nutrients.

And cold processing has just as effective treatment for harmful pathogenic microorganisms [5].

And on top of that, flavor is better when it's cold processed [6].

So... Which Whey Do You Go?

Grass-fed doesn’t have a negative or positive impact on our health. 

Since the fat is removed, and there’s little CLA or omega 3’s in the fat that’s left for whey concentrate, the choice comes down to whether you like knowing you’re getting your whey from happier cows.

Grass-fed is a tad bit healthier, but there’s minimal to no difference on health. 

Pasture fed cows are commonly fed in crowded farms and are given antibiotics as well as hormones to help increase beef content and production.  

It comes down to supporting the farms that treat cows better that are able to free roam instead of crowded feedlots. 

The protein is the same between grass fed and regular whey. 

Since fat is removed, so is omega 3 fatty acids, cla and vitamin E, as that's the healthier aspect of it. 

They will both get the job done.

by Nader Qudimat

Forged by the iron and cold steel, Nader takes his knowledge and hulks it up into this site.

Having to be stuck as a 110lb skinny guy in the early days, he has had no choice but to keep improving himself until he cannot.

Click here to check out his 12 year transformation: Natural 12 Year Transformation

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