A vegan, who, because of his beliefs, won’t eat anything from an animal, has a very low-protein diet. Even milk and eggs, which were not taken by force, were left off the menu. Even so, it’s important for every vegan, not just athletes, to eat right and get enough amino acids for a healthy life and body. Bill Pearl, who won “Mr. Universe” more than once in the 1950s and 1960s, was a great example of a bodybuilder who didn’t eat meat. The athlete showed that you can get in shape without eating animal proteins.
Vegan Protein Features
There are a lot of foods that have enough protein per 100 grams, but not all of them are used to make good dry products. Vegans can only get protein from plant foods, so food and sports nutrition technologies have made it possible to make protein shakes from soy, legumes, grains, and plants that are high-quality and full of amino acids and vitamins. Some of them have a low amount of amino acids, are hard to digest, or it’s just not worth it for companies to get protein from them.
Pros and cons of protein for vegetarians
Advantages: The only good thing about vegetable protein for athletes is that it can be used instead of animal protein. If you don’t eat well, you can’t get the full set of amino acids (building blocks), so vegetable protein makes up for these needs in some way.
Disadvantages: Vegetable protein has a low amount of amino acids and is hard to digest (50–70%).
What types of plant proteins are there?
Pumpkin protein and rice protein can be found in vegan products, but they are not very common. This is because companies don’t see a reason to make them, or they add them as an extra ingredient to more complicated supplements.
Pumpkin protein and rice protein can be found in vegan products, but they are not very common. This is because companies don’t see a reason to make them, or they add them as an extra ingredient to more complicated supplements.
Here are some of the most common types of vegetable protein:
- Soy has amino acids that are the most like those found in animals. But, unfortunately, this product has a low protein bioavailability, so only about two-thirds, if not half, of the protein is absorbed. During the production process, feed soybeans are used to make soy protein isolate, which is as free of fats and carbohydrates as possible. Some of the bad things about soy are that it has phytoestrogens and can be genetically modified.
- Pea is an isolated pure protein. Only 1.6 grams of fat per 100 grams of raw material is in the beginning. Compared to other plant sources, this is less. The product has been cleaned up to get rid of things found in legumes that bother the digestive system. Up to 98% of this kind of protein can be used by the body. About 90% of the 100 grams of the product are made up of pure protein. One of the problems is that it tastes bitter.
- Rice has all of the amino acids that can come from plants. Rice is easy to digest and has fiber, minerals, and B vitamins (1 g per 100 g of rice). It is less common in sports nutrition brands and more common as an extra ingredient in more complicated supplements.
- Hemp is a protein that comes from hemp seeds. It doesn’t make you feel high and only has 50% protein per 100 grams. Vegan protein has a lot of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, fiber, amino acids, and BCAAs. The product is taken in well.