What's in a Nothing Naughty protein powder?

Our mission at Nothing Naughty is to provide you with quality products that support your health and well-being. Ensuring our products are made with safe and nourishing ingredients is one of our commitments to you as a brand. We also know ingredients can be confusing with a lot of conflicting information out there so we thought we’d give you the rundown of the ingredients that make up our protein powders and how they are of benefit to you!

First and foremost, our protein..

Whey Protein / Whey Protein Isolate

Nothing Naughty whey protein is sourced from NZ grass-fed cows and is considered to be the most popular type of protein due to its excellent amino acid profile, and creamy, neutral taste. Whey protein, especially whey protein isolate, is found to have the highest bioavailability of all proteins, meaning it is the form of protein best absorbed and used by the body for muscle repair and growth. Whey Protein Isolate is formed when regular whey protein undergoes further refinement, leaving it with a higher percentage of protein with less carbs, sugar, and lactose per 100g as compared with regular Whey.

Plant Proteins

Our top two best-selling plant proteins are Lean Bean, and Pea Protein. Our Lean Bean Protein is sustainably sourced from Australian Fava Beans and our Pea Protein is sourced from French Golden Peas, both of which have no commercially available NZ supply. As a general consensus, Lean Bean is considered the best-tasting plant protein due to its soft, fluffy texture and mild taste being most similar to that of Whey Protein. Pea Protein is our original plant-based protein and is still hugely popular, with a slightly earthier taste and slightly stronger amino acid profile than Lean Bean. It should be noted that plant-based proteins have a lesser amino acid profile and lower bioavailability than whey protein, meaning that a larger amount of plant-based protein needs to be consumed in order to absorb the same amount of protein into the body.


Guar Gum

Guar Gum is derived from legumes called guar beans. It is a common food additive used to thicken and bind various food products such as yoghurt, ice cream, and gluten-free baking. In our protein powders it helps to bind the ingredients together and create a smooth consistency when blended or shaken with liquid!

Besides its useful thickening and binding properties, studies have also found Guar Gum to possess a range of health benefits. The high fibre and prebiotic properties of Guar Gum promote digestive health and it has also been found to slow the absorption of sugar, leading to a reduction in blood sugar levels.

Natural Flavour

While added flavourings don’t add nutritional value they are a key component for creating delicious tasting protein powders! We opt for natural over artificial flavourings in our products which means they are extracted from natural sources such as fruits, vegetables, and plants, rather than synthetic materials. Natural flavours may have small amounts of added ingredients such as preservatives and enzymes in order to protect the flavours from oxidising and going bad.

Natural Sweeteners - Thaumatin & Stevia

Thaumatin and stevia are our choice of natural sweeteners which blend together nicely to provide just the right amount of sweetness without all the added sugar. Thaumatin is sourced from katmfe fruit, found in the rainforests of West Africa and is considered to be a protein rather than a carbohydrate! It has a very concentrated form of sweetness being 2000-3000 times sweeter than sugar which means only the tiniest amount is needed in our powders! Thaumatin is also thought to possess natural energy boosting properties whilst also having no impact on blood sugar levels or body weight.

Stevia is derived from the leaves of the stevia plant, most commonly found in South Amerca. It has zero calories and similar to thaumatin is 200 times sweeter than regular table sugar, meaning only a small amount is needed to add sweetness to our powders. Stevia has no effect on blood sugar levels or insulin response making it a top choice of sweetener for diabetics. Studies have also found stevia to be beneficial for oral health as it is non-acidogenic (does not cause cavities) and is supported by many dentists.


We hope this blog has helped you to better understand our ingredients and how our protein powders are of benefit to you! If you have any further questions surrounding our protein powders or any of our products please don’t hesitate to reach out via our website contact form or social media!

The team at Nothing Naughty 🙂