7 Best Protein Powders For Vegetarians and Vegans
Off late Vegan or Vegetarian diet has been a rage globally. The ones following Veganism or a plant-based diet are concerned about their protein intake.
Day in and out they deal with questions like - Will I meet my daily protein requirement with protein-rich foods? Is it even possible to attain the suggested protein limit without ingesting meat or dairy? What are the other ways I can get protein?
All these questions are legitimate. Though you can get ample protein from food products like peas, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, and nuts, will you always have the time to make every single meal nutritious? Here’s where vegan or vegetarian protein powders come into the picture.
Apart from all time reigning Whey protein, protein blends made from pea, hemp, soy, rice, vegetables, and fruits are fast gaining popularity too. These provide an almost same amount of nutrition, protein, and amino acids like whey.
Before we plunge into exploring 7 Best Protein Powders For Vegetarians and Vegans, let’s first understand what comprises of a Vegan diet.
What is a Vegan Diet?
Veganism can be defined as a way of life that aims at excluding all forms of animal exploitation, whether it is food or clothing. Thus, a vegan diet is devoid of all animal products, including meat, eggs, and dairy. People opt for Veganism for ethical, environmental or health reasons.
Different Types of Vegan Diets:
- Whole-food vegan diet: The diet comprises of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
- Raw-food vegan diet: The diet comprises of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds or plant foods cooked at temperatures below 118°F.
- 80/10/10: Also known as low-fat, raw-food vegan diet or fruitarian diet, the diet-plan limits fat-rich plants like nuts and avocados and relies on raw fruits and soft greens.
- The Starch Solution: Similar to the 80/10/10 diet, this regimen focuses on cooked starches like potatoes, rice, and corn.
- Raw till 4: In this diet, raw food is consumed until 4 p.m.
- Junk-food vegan diet: In this diet, an emphasis is laid on mock meats and cheese, fries, desserts and other processed vegan foods.
Vegan Diet and Protein Powders – 3 Facts you need to know
1. Vegan protein powders can meet the needs of everybody from athletes to bodybuilders alike.
A mixture of plant-based proteins can provide required amino acids needed to boost muscle growth. Food products like quinoa are wholesome in every aspect because they’re a complete protein source and match up to meat.
2. It is not necessary to consume Vegan protein powder in a shake.
It’s essential and advisable that you feed your body apt nutrition throughout the day and complement it with a proper exercise routine. You need not have six meals, rather three meals with adequate nutrition could do the trick.
3. Vegan protein powder is more sustainable than any animal-based one.
Scientists agree that plant-based diets are sustainable and environmentally-friendly than animal-based products.
Let ’s meet 7 Best Protein Powders for Vegetarians and Vegans.
1. Soy protein powder
A 28.5g serving of Soy Protein Powder provides 110 calories, 1g fat, 2.1g carbs, 23g protein.
Soy is a byproduct of the soya bean and is a rich source of isoflavones, fiber, and all the amino acids needed for muscle growth. Rapidly digestible, it offers a smooth consistency when added to foods and shakes. Soy-based protein powder is lactose- and gluten-free.
2. Hemp protein powder
A 3 tablespoon serving provides 90 calories, 3g fat, 9g carbs, 15g protein.
The hemp protein powder is made from the hemp seed and is power packed with amino acids, omega-3s and omega-6s. Easily digestible, it is an ideal pre-gym supplement. Remember that hemp is rich in fat and calorie. Thus, if you are looking at losing weight, go for whey or casein powder.
3. Whey protein powder
A 26 gms serving provides 80 calories, 0.3g fat, 18g protein.
Complete whey protein powder is a combination of the isolate and concentrate, because they work in tandem to create muscle synthesis. However, isolate is a pure protein with a low-fat content, plus and less lactose—which makes it a better option for the ones with lactose intolerance.
4. Casein protein powder
A 33 gms serving provides 120 calories, 1g fat, 3g carbs, 24g protein.
Casein a byproduct of the cheese-making process and makes up 80 percent of the protein in cow’s milk. Though it is not for vegans, the ones following a lacto-vegetarian diet can add it to the menu. Since it is slow digesting, Casein protein powder is ideal if you are consuming before going to bed. The protein powder is recommended for muscle build-up because, it prevents muscle breakdown while sleeping, and helps in recovering from the next workout.
5. Brown rice protein powder
A 34 gms serving provides 120 calories, 4g carbs, 25g protein.
To complete brown rice protein, pair it with supplements rich in tofu, quinoa or beans. The brown rice protein powder comes with its own set of benefits like high in fiber, gluten-free, lactose-free and plush with B vitamins, which stimulate muscle metabolism and growth. Plus, this protein supplement is labeled as hypoallergenic. Hence, there are minimal chances that it might irritate your digestive system.
6. Mixed protein powder
A 41 gms serving provides 150 calories, 3g fat, 6g carbs, 30g protein.
You can mix multiple types of plant protein powders to get a variety of nutrients in one glass. Made out of a combination of sprouts and beans, like quinoa, millet, buckwheat, garbanzo beans, lentils, bean sprouts, and flaxseeds, a melange of protein powders can give you loads of vitamins, fatty acids, and fiber.
7. Now Sports Pea Protein
A one level scoop serving provides 24 grams of protein and 120 calories.
Made from non-GMO yellow peas, pea protein is rich in branched chain amino acids (BCAAS) and is known to have an optimum biological value when compared to any protein source. Though the protein digests easily, its taste has received a mixed review.
Which protein would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.