Health Recommendations
14 science-backed picks — plus independent purity rankings for proteins, oils, water, cocoa & coffee.
Lab-tested purity rankings
Separate tables below summarize independent studies (Clean Label Project, Consumer Reports, NAOOA/industry authenticity). Numbers come from published methodologies — reformulations and new harvests can change future results.
Protein powders — purity & heavy metals
Plant-based and chocolate-flavored powders averaged far higher cadmium and lead in CLP data; whey/isolate and non-chocolate flavors skew cleaner. Organic powders averaged ~3× more lead than conventional in CLP’s aggregate statistics (often driven by plant proteins).
Clean Label Project — Protein Study 2.0 (2024–25) — Ellipse Analytics (ISO/IEC 17025): arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury via ICP-MS. “Clean Sixteen” = non-detect for all four metals.
| # | Product | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puori PW1 Protein | Whey — Clean Sixteen (ND metals) |
| 2 | Wellbeing Nutrition Whey Protein Isolate | Unflavored — ND metals |
| 3 | Isopure Zero Carb Protein | Unflavored — ND metals |
| 4 | Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides | Unflavored — ND metals |
| 5 | Ryse Jet Puffed Marshmallow | Clear whey isolate — ND metals |
| 6 | Premier Protein 100% Whey | Vanilla Milkshake — ND metals |
| 7 | Bulk Supplements Whey Protein Isolate | Isolate — ND metals |
| 8 | Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey | Vanilla — ND metals |
| 9 | Ritual Essential Protein | Pregnancy & Postpartum — ND metals |
| 10 | Wicked Protein Cherry Limeade | Clear whey — ND metals |
| 11 | Nutrabox 100% Whey | Mango — ND metals |
| 12 | Garden of Life Certified Grass Fed Whey | Vanilla — ND metals |
| 13 | Dymatize ISO100 Hydrolyzed | Gourmet Vanilla — ND metals |
| 14 | Cellucor Whey Protein | Vanilla — ND metals |
| 15 | Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey | Vanilla Ice Cream — ND metals |
| 16 | GNC Pro Performance 100% Whey | Banana Cream — ND metals |
Extra virgin olive oils — lab polyphenols & purity context
Ranked by verified total polyphenols (cardioprotective “dose”). For adulteration: a 2024–25 NAOOA industry study of ~190 samples reported no undisclosed blending in the top 15 national brands (~85% market share); two niche brands showed adulteration. Olive oil is rarely published in consumer heavy-metal leaderboards the way cocoa or protein powders are.
Independent lab certificates & NAOOA industry testing — Polyphenol figures from brand lab reports / high-polyphenol databases; NAOOA Sept 2025 press summary on authenticity sampling.
| # | Product | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SP360 Organic EVOO | 1462 mg/kg polyphenols (HPLC) · Greece · Koroneiki |
| 2 | Pamako Premium EVOO | 1222 mg/kg polyphenols · Greece · Koroneiki |
| 3 | ONSURI Arbosana | 968 mg/kg polyphenols · California · Arbosana |
| 4 | PJ KABOS | 858 mg/kg polyphenols · Greece · Koroneiki |
| 5 | November Ultra Premium | 847 mg/kg polyphenols · Tunisia · Chetoui |
| 6 | Opus Oléa | 674 mg/kg polyphenols · California · Arbequina / Koroneiki |
| 7 | Zero Nutrition High Phenolic | 582 mg/kg polyphenols · Greece · Koroneiki |
| 8 | Vallesur | 554 mg/kg polyphenols · Spain · Picual |
| 9 | Citizens of Soil | 526 mg/kg polyphenols · Greece · Koroneiki |
| 10 | Odysea | 480 mg/kg polyphenols · Greece · Koroneiki |
Bottled water — heavy metals (arsenic emphasis)
Consumer Reports does not publish one static “top 10 safest waters” scorecard for all metals; investigations show most brands comply with federal limits while a few SKUs attracted scrutiny for arsenic. Prefer brands that publish annual water-quality reports and nondetect arsenic.
Consumer Reports independent testing — ICP-MS style metal testing; CR recommended bottled water arsenic ≤3 ppb where federal cap is 10 ppb.
| # | Product | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Many national brands (non-carbonated) | CR & retailer testing often finds nondetectable or very low arsenic — check each brand’s water-quality report |
| 2 | Most sparkling waters (CR 2020 round) | Heavy metals below legal limits; arsenic typically below CR’s 3 ppb guidance — PFAS was a separate issue for some carbonated brands |
| 3 | Starkey Spring Water (Whole Foods) | CR measured ~9.49–9.56 ppb arsenic — below EPA 10 ppb but above CR’s 3 ppb recommendation (scrutiny, not necessarily illegal) |
| 4 | Historical: Peñafiel (Keurig Dr Pepper) | Withdrawn from market after CR-linked reporting on elevated arsenic — illustrative of volatility by batch/source |
Cocoa powder — lead & cadmium (Consumer Reports)
Cocoa is almost pure cocoa solids, so metals track solids content. CR (2023) found at least one metal of concern in 16/48 chocolate products; in the cocoa powder subset, Dutch-process Droste was highest for lead, while Navitas performed best overall in their tests.
Consumer Reports — October 2023 chocolate product suite — Triplicate samples averaged; lead & cadmium compared to California MADL reference points; mercury/arsenic not main drivers in CR’s chocolate work.
| # | Product | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Navitas Organics Organic Cacao Powder | CR: best cocoa tested — ~77% of lead MADL & ~17% of cadmium MADL per 1 Tbsp serving; brand publishes third-party metal testing |
| 2 | Other “natural” cocoa powders (CR panel) | Most had detectable metals; none exceeded cadmium MADL in CR’s suite — lead varied by brand |
| 3 | Hershey’s Cocoa — Naturally Unsweetened 100% Cacao | CR: lead above CR threshold per serving among natural cocoas tested |
| 4 | Droste Cacao Powder (Dutch-process / alkalized) | CR: highest lead in entire 48-product study — ~324% of lead MADL per 1 Tbsp; cadmium not the main issue |
Coffee — heavy metals & overall contaminant load
CLP tested Pb, Cd, As, Hg via ICP-MS — metals detected in every coffee but below EU per-serving benchmarks in their study. Regional pattern: lowest average heavy metals from African origins; highest from Hawaii (volcanic soil). Bags/pods tended to beat cans on phthalates; dark & light roasts had less acrylamide than medium. Rows below are the Clean 16 set (alphabetical display — see PDF for composite ranks). Love Grown is cited by CLP as a certified partner.
Clean Label Project — Coffee Study (~57 SKUs, 2024–25) — 7,069 analytical data points including metals, pesticides, phthalates, acrylamide, glyphosate/AMPA.
| # | Product | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 365 Whole Foods Market — Caramel | Medium roast · bag · organic · CLP Clean 16 |
| 2 | Cameron’s — Vanilla Hazelnut | Light roast · bag · CLP Clean 16 |
| 3 | Counter Culture — Forty-Six | Dark roast · bag · organic · CLP Clean 16 |
| 4 | Dunkin’ — Hazelnut | Medium roast · bag · CLP Clean 16 |
| 5 | Eight O’Clock — Original Roast | Medium roast · bag · CLP Clean 16 |
| 6 | Fabula — Dark Roast | Dark roast · pod · organic · CLP Clean 16 |
| 7 | Great Value — French Roast | Dark roast · pod · organic · CLP Clean 16 |
| 8 | Groundwork — Organic Ethiopia | Light roast · bag · organic · CLP Clean 16 |
| 9 | Illy — Classico | Medium roast · can · CLP Clean 16 |
| 10 | Kicking Horse — Three Sisters | Medium roast · bag · CLP Clean 16 |
| 11 | Nespresso — Diavolitto | Dark roast · pod · CLP Clean 16 |
| 12 | Newman’s Own — Special Blend | Medium roast · pod · organic · CLP Clean 16 |
| 13 | Peace Coffee — Birchwood | Medium roast · bag · organic · CLP Clean 16 |
| 14 | San Francisco Bay — Organic Rainforest Blend | Medium roast · pod · organic · CLP Clean 16 |
| 15 | Seattle’s Best — Post Alley | Dark roast · bag · CLP Clean 16 |
| 16 | Starbucks — Colombia | Medium roast · pod · CLP Clean 16 |
