Has anyone tried Vega?

Has anyone tried Vega? If so what kind of results did you notice?

I have some Vega protein powder at home right now. I liked it. I have the berry flavor hemp protein. I think it is 25g of protein per serving.

It has somewhat of a gritty consistency but it can easily be blended with fruits and made into a smoothie. I just took it with cold water and it was just fine.

I enjoy it and think it is a good product. I took in shakes for 43 consecutive days before giving them a little break. I don't take in protein shakes everyday. I like food too much and sometimes I'm also lazy and just don't make the drinks.

But it is good stuff, I'd say give it a try.

I'm starting to use more Vega the more I learn about it. Now, I think it is one of the best things you can put into your body. I've spent time with the creator of it, Brendan Brazier (Author of Thrive) and learned a lot about it.

I suggest you check it out. You should be able to find it on www.myvega.com or www.brendanbrazier.com. I know it sells in over 1,000 stores across Canada (where Brendan lives).

It is awesome stuff.

Hi Rob.

Of course you advocate it, you said you get your share from the profit

No seriously, is it possible to purchase it in the internet and get it send here to Germany? I'd really like to try that! How much is in one can and how much does it cost?

I'd really like to try that! How much is in one can and how much does it cost?

The other day I went to the local organic health food store here and saw that they were charging $80.00 Canadian (so $60.00ish American) for a not-so-large container of the stuff.

Definitely too rich for my blood now but maybe when I land decent job I'll get into trying the stuff out. After reading the ingredient list it looks like it's a super-potent form of protein!

The other day I went to the local organic health food store here and saw that they were charging $80.00 Canadian (so $60.00ish American) for a not-so-large container of the stuff.

 

!

My thoughts exactly...

i dont like it when high level athletes exploit their position to make money. the 'i use 'x product' and it makes me super strong/fit/lean/cut' (delete as appropriate) gets on my nerves. anyone else feel the same?

jonathan

Hey guys,

I may have explained before, or maybe not.....Vega is a formula that Brendan Brazier used for years on his own on quest to become a better athlete.

He is one of the few people I know who became Vegan for health reasons, nothing to do with animal rights. He was a good athlete, experimenting with different diets and food combinations. He discovered veganism and became a professional athlete. He studied nutrition (and wrote his own best-selling book) and basically invented his own supplement that he used for maybe 4 or 5 years before deciding to make it a product that others could buy and use. So he put all the things together and named it Vega.

dont like it when high level athletes exploit their position to make money. the 'i use 'x product' and it makes me super strong/fit/lean/cut' (delete as appropriate) gets on my nerves. anyone else feel the same?

Jonathan, this is funny you mention this because it could not be further than the truth Brendan stayed with me in my apartment for a while this summer so we got to know one another.

I noticed he was eating Vega all throughout the day, each day, preparing for an up coming race and I causually said, "you know it's funny you are using the product that you promote, because so many athletes don't, they just market it." He just kinda looked at me and almost laughed and said, "of course I'm going to use it, I invented it for myself."

And my buddy Daywalker.........

Of course you advocate it, you said you get your share from the profit

I don't get any profit share or anything like that. Brendan sends me some as I am one of their new sponsored athletes. I don't know if I'm officially sponsored, but I used vega preparing for my contest in April, (a gift for my birthday Brendan sent) and wrote some testimonials that SeQuel (the company that sells Vega) is going to use in an upcoming Brochure, along with photos. So I personally get free Vega, but that is a reward to my hard work and success as a vegan bodybuilder and for no other reason.

I also get lots of sample packs that I send out to anyone who orders a Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness t-shirt. (Sorry for those who ordered in the past and didn't get them...Brendan came to visit in June and sent me all the samples just recently in late July).

I know I saw some faces at the cost. I don't know the exact cost, but I do know it is more expensive than most, and probably superior than most.

I do have brochures and samples now that I will be sending out with all future t-shirt orders.

I mix it up with strawberries, bananas and either juice or water in a blender and it's probably the healthiest smoothie ever made

-Robert

ok, so he uses it himself, but then he can probably afford to as it cost $65 dollars a tub. that is for 15servings. that is $4.33 a serving. how can anyone afford that? it works out at $1580 a year if you took a serving a day. i appreciate that brendon brazier has to make a living and that Vega is good stuff, but it is beyond the means of almost anyone.

is there no way than brendon can lower the price so that normal people can afford it? i mean soy protein is about $18 for 2lb here and there is still a decent profit margin on that....

other people who wish to emulate brendons success do not have the same chance if they are on a normal income - the best gift he could give to the movement is to sell Vega cheaply so that there are more high level athletes.

this may all be a little ideological though....

jonathan

Hello,

Just thought I’d clear a few things up myself. I did formulate Vega; it’s not something I just endorse. I’ll admit that $80 Canadian is much too high. There should never be a store in Canada that sells it for more than $75, that’s suggested retail. Most sell it for $67, that’s standard. Here’s one selling it for $69.99 CDN:

http://www.aviva.ca/shop/products.asp?itemid=2309&catid=268

A serving is 500ml, a pint. So it’s really quite large, most people will be full on ½ a serving.

Its price is also a reflection of attention to detail and quality. It’s certainly not just a protein. It eliminates the need for several products. Many people have indicated that they no longer want to take several pills a day. It eliminates that need and provides food-sources nutrients in a convenient form. It also has 2.5 grams of maca which is an excellent vegetable for the adrenal glands to provide energy by nourishing the adrenals as opposed to stimulating them which refined sugar and caffeine does. I used to buy all of these foods separately and blend them together – now that was expensive and time consuming. However it was worth it since my performance improved dramatically.

Also, where else can you get a ready-to-eat nutritionally complete meal with 25 grams of protein from five sources (hemp, pea, rice, flax, chlorella - synergistically combined to create a “flat line” amino acid profile), 7 grams of essential fatty acids, 9 grams of fibre, enzymes, probiotics and a berry complex from antioxidants for lest than $5? A starchy muffin and a coffee cost that. I’m certainly not suggesting that everyone must consume Vega to be healthy or perform well, but as with all premium foods – especially in a convenient form – the price will be higher than some. In Canada many health food store workers are reporting that one of its biggest selling features is that it is considerably cheaper than buying all of what it replaces. One can certainly take the time to make healthy meals, but not every one has that option – Vega is one solution.

As far as supporting athletes such as Robert by providing them with product; it’s something I’m happy to do. As a professional athlete I appreciate how long it takes to get to a high level. It’s a way for me to give back to sport in general. When I see someone like Robert who puts so much time and effort into his training and promoting a vegan lifestyle, I like to be a part of it and support it however I can. Plus of course it helps spread the word about Vega.

I know I’m going on here but…

You may be interested to know that it’s been reported that between 70%-80% of regular Vega users have replaced their whey-based meal replacements or protein drinks. I’m sure I don’t need to explain the environmental implications of that. Not to mention the “real cost”, referring to the amount of energy needed to produce the ingredients. Hemp (the number one ingredient in Vega) is an extremely efficient crop and is the 2nd most efficient way to produce protein known. It is followed only by chlorella, an algae from Japan that quadrupeds every 24 hours and is 70% protein. One bottle of Vega contains 42.5 grams of it. It’s being studied by NASA for astronaut nourishment during extended space flight since it does not require soil to grow, just water and sun. No soil also means it does not stretch out already “tired” arable land further. Meaning that it is also not subject to low nutrient levels produced by over farming – big bonus. Anyway, its monetary cost is in sharp contrast to its “real cost.” I write about this in detail in my book Thrive: A guide to optimal health and performance though plant-based whole foods. (the Vega formula was actually based on my book http://www.brendanbrazier.com/book/index.html ).

By supporting the kind of agriculture that I have chosen to do by formulating Vega, it will bring the future cost of these “undervalued” crops down, so will actually make them more available. Yes, this is still a ways in the future but within 25 years these high-end ingredients will be cheaper than the “artificially” cheeped commodity prices charged for soy and whey. Big companies would not take a chance because the margins are so low, but I did. Someone had to do it.

That’s it for now…

Brendan

thankyou for posting brendon, its nice to hear where you coming from.

i appreciate that for some people it has helped lower the cost of their supplement bill, and that also it has helped others cut out whey.

but the problem is that many people are on a seriously tight budget (it already costs a lot of gym membership/sports equipment/all the extra food you need) and it is beyond the means of many people. myself included. i can only afford 1 (maybe 2) scoops of cheap soy protein a day (im only taking more at the moment because a friend gave me 2kg of pea protein and 1kg of soy protein for free) and my daily food, which usually totals at least 5000cal, comes to no more than 7dollars.

if i took vega also (i would get through a full portion too, being a big bastard!) it would practically double my food bill.

whilst i acknowledge that you need to make a living, and that some of the ingredients are expensive, can you not sell it more cheaply, so that everyone has a chance to use it? alternatively, using the expertise you have from creating vega, maybe you could formulate a more basic mix, that maybe didnt contain all the different ingredients, but was along the lines of a few different types of protein, some fatty acids and whatever else.

something like that might prove useful to serious athletes too - for instance, if they are in a period of high volume training they could supplement vega once a day(to get all the vitamins etc) but the more basic stuff several times a day (for fuel).

just a thought.

jonathan

If it was more affordable I would definitely use it regularly. I cannot afford $65.00 bucks a pop either.

Hi,

I'm new to posting on this forum, but have been reading for awhile.

I just had to sign-up to respond to Brendan Brazier's post about vega. Awesome! I don't know much about nutrition, but I do know about the economics of agriculture and am interested in becoming 100% vegan for the very reasons that Brendan talks about in his post. He is absolutely right about supporting these 'new' efficient crops such as hemp and chlorella - that's the only way they will reach commodity status as Brendan mentions. For him to merely put his name on the-same-old soy protein would accomplish nothing. Hat's of to him for thinking long-term! No doubt larger companies will see the success of vega and try to mimic it - that's great because that's the shift we as environmentalists are dreaming about!

PS. I've just ordered your book Brendan, can't wait to read it!

Cheers,

Andrew

Hey.

Thanks for the information, esp. Brendan!

I know Vega's not just a protein, and i very much appreciate your ideals, but my purse is tight at the moment...

And my buddy Daywalker.........

 

I don't get any profit share or anything like that.

Hm... sorry, Robert. I apologize because sometimes i make it not clear enough when i'm being ironic (especially in the internet). I thought you'd notice the -smiley and the beginning of the next sentence being "No, seriuosly..." ...

Sorry, please remember that English is a foreign language to me.

Daywalker

Hey Buddy,

No problem, I was just explaining, becuase I didn't want others to think that I got something out of it. I get Vega whether people from here order it or not. I used it and won my last bodybuilding contest and the people with Vega and Sequal Naturals thought it would be great to share my testimonial so they sponsored me with Vega Supplements, which has been great!

So no worries buddy, I was just trying to explain. I'm also glad that Brendan hopped on here to explain further because there is always a Big Picture that we often overlook. For example we choose not to buy organic foods because they are more expensive, yet we don't support the industry to help bring the costs down. That is just a small example, there are many others, where we just miss the "Big Picture" and only think of the immediate step in front of us. I think veganism in general, is about the Big Picture and how choices we make NOW affect the FUTURE. I know that most people here know that as well, we just maybe don't stress it enough.

Anyway, I'm off to go eat again, thanks for posting, glad you were able to take time from moving to come back and say hi

Take care,

Robert

Thanks Andrew, appreciate it.

Jonathan, yes making an additional basic formula is something I'll seriously considering for the future. Thanks

Brendan

I just bought some of the berry flavour Vega - the large size - for $60.00.

With all the other prices for it thrown around on this thread, it seems like I got a good deal!!!!

I am going to the gyem now to have an awesome workout and then I am going to use the vega as my post workout shakes.

By supporting the kind of agriculture that I have chosen to do by formulating Vega, it will bring the future cost of these “undervalued” crops down, so will actually make them more available. Yes, this is still a ways in the future but within 25 years these high-end ingredients will be cheaper than the “artificially” cheeped commodity prices charged for soy and whey. Big companies would not take a chance because the margins are so low, but I did. Someone had to do it.

The way things are looking, it may be sooner than 25 years, considering the burgeoning rise in sales for at least one "undervalued" crop, namely hemp:

http://www.globalhemp.com/News/2005/September/hemp-food-sales-grow.html

http://www.globalhemp.com/News/2005/September/winnipeg.html

Of all the superfoods, I'm most excited by hemp, which Richard Rose, founder of HempNut, Inc. and soyfood innovator/developer since the 80's has referred to as the "soybean of the new milennium". In my own personal experience, by adding hemp seeds to my diet I was able to go from 184 lbs. to 197 lbs., maintaining the same waist size (34") while performing the exact same training regimen I've been following for a couple of years now. Truly an astounding food source!

I totally missed this thread when it started.

I have to say that Vega is a superior quality supliment and full meal replacement. It offers so much more than a soy protein isolate and I can actually digest it.

Sequel Naturals hooked me up with a whole box of supliments for the C'ville vegetarian festival. I had no idea at the time they were worth so much $$$. I gave out several cases of Vega bars, a dozen or more vega powder sample packs and several stacks of brochures.

People were really excited about this supliment, I think it really fills a high end niche market. The prices aren't really out of line with other high end whey based stuff such as EAS Myoplex meal replacements, $4 a serving for whey, cholesterol and sugar!!!

Unfortunately, this supliment is pretty much out of my price range as well. It would be cool to see the price come down. On the other hand, there are plenty of people out there who can afford it. How many people in my office show up every day with a $4 coffee from Starbucks? Heck, if I didn't eat so damn much food, I could afford the supliment. I just can't afford both, so will have to go with the food.

If the money isn't an issue, give this one a try.

Vega is HUGE! I've been a sponsored Vega athlete for a few months now and knew that Vega was sold in 1,000 stores across Canada but I didn't realize how big it was until this weekend.

I spent two full days working at the Vega Booth at the Taste of Health Festival in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Many people tried Vega (the powder) for the first time, but most I spoke to were already regular users of Vega.

The Vega bar (raw food energy bar) just came out. The official launch is next weekend in Toronto, but we had hundreds of bars on hand to give samples out to people and sell many boxes of them. The Vega bars are great! I know not everyone likes the taste of the meal replacement powder. Some love it, some like it and others hate it. But the bars are totally good! Everyone loved them, and I ate so many of them this weekend, and I'll be taking a few boxes home with me too

Brendan Brazier is a pretty big time athlete in Canada, he's all over the radio, newspaper, magazines, and many forms of media. He's actually quite shy and very soft spoken as you'll see in our movie, so I was the high energy, funny, muscular Vega representative at the booth. They have me in brochures and posters coming out in a few weeks so that is cool too.

It was cool to be in the city where Vega was created (by Brendan) to see all the hype and buzz around this vegan nutrition supplement.

They are a little spendy but probably the highest quality products out there as well. Brendan likes everything to be the top of the line, highest quality nutrition and I'm sure that is what you'll find when you read the ingredients.

Check out www.myvega.com and get some bars, they are great!

-Thin Thin Vega Him

I must try this so-called vega.sounds rad

Robert,

You mentioned how well Vega is being marketed and sold in Canada but how is the reception of the product coming along in the U.S.? Vega may be a bit of a tough sell in the States because many of it's principal ingredients--maca, chlorella and especially hemp barely register with consumers here. Canadians will almost certainly have more familiarity with hemp for one, as it is grown there, but in the U.S. we're struggling with reintroducing it and attempting to make it a marketable agricultural commodity. Educating the public that hemp has the desired 1:3 ratio of Omega 3:6 fatty acids, complete amino acid profile and highly digestible globulin edisten protein, superior in all respects to whey or egg white protein would be fine if one didn't have to deal with the THC issue and the erroneous perception that it is marijuana's evil twin.

Chlorella is not as well known as Spirulina in the U.S., but I believe the former to be superior in its de-toxifying properties and nutritional profile.

Maca is gaining some some slight acceptance in the U.S. beyond the "nature's answer to Viagra" tag but it will take some time for Americans to understand that it is the adaptogenic and adrenal gland nourishing properties that are the true standouts. It is truly a wonderous food from the Andes.

Vega is a highly visionary product that Brendan has developed, certainly, but something that for the majority of U.S. bodybuilders, focused on whey, creatnine, fish oil, Coenzyme Q-10, glutamine, etc. will need time to accept. With your help, perhaps you can assist in creating a paradigm shift in body building nutrition. Your enthusiasm will surely pay off here.

If I had to change one thing about the Vega formula, I would substitute xylitol for stevia, because it tastes like sugar (but with none of the harmful effects of sugar) and has both anti-oxidant and anabolic properties. (Xylitol is derived from birchwood as is so natural that the human body produces it in very small amounts). Preparing foods with stevia is tricky due to its bitter, licorice-like flavor and is definitely an acquired taste--though I do use it and along with FOS and xylitol, they are the only sweeteners I use. I'm guessing that stevia may be the reason why some object to the product's taste.

Michael