Vegan Pea Protein: All you need to know

Whey protein is the undisputed king of protein powders, and it is by far the most popular form of powdered protein supplement.

Malta is no exception. Whey protein in Malta is the most prevalent and in-demand form of supplemental protein. Local gym freaks, fitness enthusiasts and non-athletic health conscious individuals alike take whey protein.

If Whey Protein is the best, why should I even care about Vegan Pea Protein?

Those on a vegan diet might wish to consider a vegan protein supplement. This is because whey protein is ultimately an animal-sourced protein and therefore cannot be vegan.

However, even if you are not vegan, there are a number of reasons as to why you might wish to supplement with a vegan protein powder, such as pea protein or soy protein. Keep reading to learn more.

Is Pea Protein easy to digest?

Pea protein powder is both gluten-free and allergen-free. In this respect, pea protein powder is superior to any other type of protein powder, whether animal-based or plant-based.

Furthermore, pea protein does not contains the typical ingredients which people are intolerant to or allergic to. For example dairy, eggs, nuts, soy and wheat. You don’t have to worry about any of these with a pure pea protein supplement such as NOW Pea Protein powder.

So who should take Pea Protein then?

Pea protein has the greatest appeal among athletic and health-conscious vegans who wish to enhance their dietary protein intake.

Pea protein powder is also an excellent alternative for people who wish to introduce variety in their protein intake. (e.g. by alternating or mixing whey protein and pea protein).

In addition, there are those who wish to avoid milk-derived proteins. These include casein and whey due to a potential allergy or intolerance to dairy products. For this reason, pea protein is particularly advisable for people who tend to suffer from digestive issues, and/or those who may experience bloating and gas with whey protein.

Does Vegan Protein promote fat loss?

Vegan pea protein powder makes it easier for you to achieve a sustainable calorie deficit in order to lose fat. Vegan pea protein can also preserve muscle mass thanks to the muscle-sparing effects of a high protein diet.

Whenever you are in a calorie deficit on a high protein diet, your body will preferentially gravitate towards breaking down and metabolising your stored body fat for its energy requirements, instead of breaking down muscle.

A NOW Pea Protein shake can help fuel your workouts to burn even more calories. Thereby, helping you achieve the calorie deficit you require to reach your desired body weight.

As we’ve previously advised when discussing Whey Protein for Fat Loss, you should remember that the more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns at rest. Now Pea Protein helps prevent muscle breakdown during workouts, while helping muscles to recover, repair and grow after workouts. The resulting increased lean muscle mass up-regulates your basal metabolic rate, making it easier for your body to achieve a calorie deficit for weight loss.

Pea protein also tends to act as a natural food thickener, which should help you feel fuller for longer, thereby reducing appetite and facilitating fat loss.

Is Pea Protein a complete protein?

This is a hotly debated topic. Technically, pea protein contains all nine essential amino acids (EAAs). However, it’s not strictly an entirely complete protein since it does not have sufficient amounts of one of the EAAs, namely methionine+cysteine.

Since pea protein only falls short on one of the nine EAAs, you will still be able to attain all the benefits. As long as you use it as part of a balanced diet containing whole food protein sources.

From a muscle gain perspective, the most important EAAs are the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). In particular leucine, which has been shown to be a key driver of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and as such is the most anabolic of all the amino acids.

Although the highest leucine content is found in whey protein, pea protein contains only about 25% less leucine per gram of protein than whey protein. Therefore, you can achieve maximum MPS using pea protein. This can be done by consuming a little more pea protein to achieve the optimal level of leucine per serving.

Research shows that approximately 3g to 4g of leucine per meal is needed to promote maximum MPS. A single scoop of NOW Pea Protein, whether flavoured or not, provides 2g of leucine.

Therefore, if your objective is maximum muscle building, you should simply take 1 ½ to 2 scoops of NOW Pea Protein for your post-workout protein shake. As well as any other protein shakes you may take as a meal replacement.

Is it true that Vegan Pea Protein tastes bad?

Yes, the taste of pea protein alone is not always great… some pea proteins taste rather awful actually! Pea protein also tends to have a chalky texture, which is not for everyone.

However, NOW offers alternative vegan pea protein options of outstanding quality and consistency. For this reason you don’t have to worry about taste:

• An unflavoured version which does not have any taste. It can be used to add vegan protein content to shakes, bakes and more;
• Two delicious flavoured pea protein powders, namely Creamy Chocolate and Vanilla Toffee, that simply taste great!

NOW Pea Protein contains only pure, organic pea protein isolate made from non-GMO yellow peas. It is literally made only from pea protein isolate, which means that it is as pure as a vegan protein powder can get.

Last but not least… pea protein is an environmentally responsible choice because it is a plant-based, earth-friendly and sustainable source of protein!

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