NorCal Organic Blog

Our Favorite 4 Whey Protein Shakes We Can't Stop Drinking

October 04 2017
There's a reason you always hear about the importance of protein after you've worked out. It repairs and builds muscle fibers, and as a bonus, it also keeps you feeling fuller longer. Whey protein is especially helpful because it digests and reaches your bloodstream faster, and it contains amino acids that aren't found in many plant-based protein products.

This Healthy 27-Year-Old Died After Using a Common Bodybuilding Supplement

October 03 2017
Supplements may be easily available, but that doesn’t mean they’re risk-free. Matthew Dana, a 27-year-old New York State Sergeant who died in August, overdosed on a supplement called kratom, according to a recent autopsy, calling into question how safe these types of pills really are.

What's the Deal With BCAA Supplements?

August 25 2017
There are a lot of questions surrounding branched-chain amino acids, or BCAAs.
Do they really work? Yes. Do you need to take them after you workout? Maybe.

Here's How You Should Eat to Maximize Your Muscle Gains

August 17 2017
People have become obsessed with the "gains window," a supposed magical time period right after you exercise where calories don't count and everything is anabolic, meaning that your body needs fuel to build and repair tissue.

The Easiest Banana Bread You've Ever Made

August 10 2017
We bet you didn't think of putting protein powder in your baked goods. And although this banana bread doesn't pack a ton of the muscle-building nutrient, it does help you get more into your diet—we recommend about 30 grams per meal.

The Amount Of Protein That Will Max Out Your Gains

July 25 2017
There’s a reason you see guys at the gym pounding a protein shake when their workout’s in the books: Adding more protein to your diet can enhance your muscle gains from weight training, a new review and meta-analysis from the British Journal of Sports Medicine concludes.

The Salad All Beer Lovers Should Try

July 18 2017
Beer in your salad? Sounds too good to be true. But trust us, this is one case where you can have your cake and eat it too. This beer-infused dressing gives basic spinach and arugula salad a sweet-and-sour kick, making it easier to fill up on the leafy greens that provide your body with a host of vitamins and minerals.

How is Source Organic Whey Protein Made?

January 02 2015
Rumiano Cheese CompanyWhat makes Source Organic Whey stand out to compared to other organic whey proteins? The name says it all. How we SOURCE our whey is the most important part. Unlike other organic whey proteins we tell our customer exactly where our whey comes from. We work directly with the family owned and operated Rumiano Cheese Company and the local dairies in and surrounding Crescent City California.  The pastures, soil, and weather in and around Crescent City make for arguably the best dairy farming conditions in the United States. With well over 300 days/year of green pastures, these cows are truly pasture fed.

Milk from the family dairies arrives at the Rumiano Cheese factory and is heated in large vats to meet FDA pasteurization requirements. There is NO raw organic whey  due to FDA limitations and feasibility of production.

Renin and cultures specific to the cheese being made are added to the vat of milk. Once the curd is set the curds are cut and the liquid whey is filtered out of the vats and into the whey processing plant. The cheese curds are then pressed into block or rounds of cheese.

The liquid whey is passed through a series of filters which filter the solid whey particles form the liquid. When nearly all the water is removed the whey is sprayed into a drying container which fills directly into large bags. The large bags become smaller bags of Source Organic Classic Whey.

For Source Organic, the whey is blended with less than 1% organic sunflower lecithin which coats each particle of whey to allow the whey to dissolve more easily in water.

From farm to you we have the shortest distance of farm fresh milk to whey.

Many thanks to the cows, farmers, and the Rumiano family.

Thanks for reading!

Raw Whey and Raw Dairy? Can I or Should I Buy Raw Whey Protein?

December 22 2014

We are often asked if Source Organic Whey Protein is raw? What is truly raw whey protein? First let’s define "raw."

It is generally accepted that raw food that is not heated above 117 degrees (48 degrees Celsius). The term raw is often used in the natural and organic food industry but there is NO industry certification for raw, each company that claims their product is raw does so on their own accord. Many companies use what I would consider deceptive wording to infer their products are raw. For example, Raw Organic Whey, would lead me to believe that their whey protein is raw and organic. Raw Organic Whey is NOT raw, although they do not make this clear on their website. Where does Raw Organic Whey come from?  There is no information on sourcing and we know from this post that USDA organic does not mean that the whey is necessarily from the US or that the cows are pasture fed.

So what if you want raw organic whey? There are no companies producing raw organic whey protein. Unfortunately there is no process currently available that would allow for large scale, safe, repeatable production of raw organic whey protein. Selling raw organic whey online would be ILLEGAL per FDA regulations. Agree with this or not, it is the law.

The only way to get raw whey would be to start with raw milk and separate the curds and whey, this would result in a raw liquid whey, which then could theoretically be dried into a powder (below 117 degrees). Remember, to produce 1 lb of whey protein you need 100 lbs of liquidwhey. For a DIY delicious and fun raw cheese and raw whey recipe try this.

So how is Source Organic Whey made? Check out our next post!

Thanks for reading!

What Does USDA Organic Mean? What is Organic Whey?

December 17 2014

Today there are many organic whey proteins available. When Source Organic Whey Protein started in 2011 there were less than 5 brands in the US and I knew where and how each one was produced. Currently there are many brands of organic whey protein, and few if any brands are transparent in where they source their organic whey protein. So how does a consumer know where their whey is coming from?

The USDA Organic standard defines the following in regards to organic agriculture: "standards cover the product from farm to table, including soil and water quality, pest control, livestock practices, and rules for food additives."

The USDA Organic Seal on a whey protein DOES NOT tell you: 

  1. Where your whey protein comes from. Many organic whey protein companies now buy from huge dairy conglomerates overseas and don't know anything about how the cows are fed or raised. 
  1. What the dairy cows eats on a daily basis. The USDA clearly defines what the cows can't eat to meet organic standards, but what they do eat varies greatly. Very few organic-dairy cows get to graze on nice green pastures 300+ days/year like our dairy cows. To raise and care for cows the right way, big companies wouldn't be able to get the margins they need. And since they are all about margins, only the minimum organic standards are met in the most cases. 
  1. How the farmers take care of their animals. The American Humane Association goes beyond the USDA guidelines and sets a higher standard for animal care and wellbeing. Source Organic is the only whey protein certified by the American Humane Association.

In conclusion, ask some questions! Look at the organic whey protein brands and see if you can trace exactly, all the way to THE FARM where your organic whey comes from.  At Source Organic you can! We know our farmers and are proud to work with them!

Thank you for reading! 

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