About six years ago, just before I turned 50, I was getting dressed one morning. I was putting on my usual "ready for tennis at any moment" outfit—favorite skirt, white tank top, sun cover long sleeve, visor, those perfect socks that took me years to find, and my shoes. But this morning, my skirt was tight. Super tight. Something had to be wrong. I’d been having this problem with most of my clothes lately, and I was the last to know that they were all tight. The very last to understand the reason—I had gained weight.
I was eating the same, working out, lifting weights, eating healthy, and not too stressed—except for the weight, which was definitely stressing me out. I ended up being about 12 pounds above my pre-menopause weight. Surprise! It couldn’t be true, but it was. So, I started doing research, diving deep. I’ve worked with women for decades on health and fitness, yoga, and more. I knew I needed more protein because, as it turns out, when we enter menopause, we just need more.
At this point, I could go into all the changes we need to make to our exercise programs, but for now, I’ll stay focused. I was only getting half the protein I needed, so that was my first step: tackle this protein thing and things would get better. So, I bought one. It made me bloated and gassy. Fail. I tried another one—same result. Tried another one—way too sweet, too many ingredients that would hurt more than help. I did about a dozen of these experiments and couldn’t find anything that worked.
So, I called my friend Alexis, who’s a gluten-free vegan baker, to ask her opinion. She recommended brown rice protein powder. She told me it keeps you full longer, has tons of fiber, and doesn’t cause inflammation. She even offered to mix some up for me. And guess what? She did, and I drank it, and I felt great. OMG, finally.
I had some worries about brown rice. I’d heard it has high levels of arsenic. But here’s the deal: Brown Rice Protein Powder is different from brown rice itself. The extraction process usually removes most of the arsenic. The Brown Rice Protein Powder XO Jacqui uses is tested for arsenic, and we’re in the clear.
Some say it’s chalky—and it can be, which is why we formulate our blends with compatible ingredients that help with that chalkiness. If you’re sensitive to that, I recommend starting with the Vanilla Greens. Check out our recipe page, or reach out to us with any questions.
One thing we didn’t do on purpose was add sugar. We do have monk fruit in our mix. Monk fruit sweetener is sugar-free, has no calories, and doesn’t change blood sugar levels, making it a popular option for people with diabetes. It’s also a good source of antioxidants and doesn’t cause cavities. However, some manufacturers mix monk fruit sweetener with other products like inulin or erythritol to reduce its sweetness. Ours does not have inulin or erythritol. We just use a very tiny amount—your blood sugar will thank you.
All of this to say, our blends, when first conceived, were tested daily by Alexis, me, Kristen, Huyen, Johanna, and all of our friends. We drink it daily, and we really value your feedback. Please let us know how we can do better. Email me directly at jacqui@xojacqui.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
xo/Jacqui