What is Plant Protein Powder?
What is vegan or plant protein?
What is vegan protein?
What are vegan protein sources?
How is vegan protein made?
What does vegan protein taste like?
Why choose Kinetica Plant Protein?
What is vegan or plant protein?
The terms Vegan and Plant based are often used interchangeably to describe animal free diets however, some people perhaps find them confusing and struggle to understand who consumes what. To clarify, we have outlined the types of animal restricted diets below:
Vegan – a person on this type of diet would exclude all animal products, this would include the consumption of dairy and eggs. Often their views go beyond diet as well where anything created using animal products such as clothing or hygiene goods by way of example are excluded
Plant Based - A person on this type of diet would exclude all animal products, this would include the consumption of dairy and eggs.
Vegetarian – All flesh foods would be avoided but a person on this type of diet may consume dairy and eggs.
Lacto-vegetarian – Milk and dairy products would be consumed but eggs and other animal foods would be avoided.
Ovo-vegetarian – This diet includes eggs but not dairy products.
Lacto-ovo-vegetarian – Includes eggs and dairy products.
What is vegan protein?
Vegan protein is generally made from legumes such as pea and soy or grains and seeds like rice and hemp. For anyone, not just elite athletes, protein is a key macronutrient for muscle growth and recovery. It is important to note that anyone on a plant-based diet can still get an adequate amount of protein via plant-based sources although vegan or plant-based proteins tend to be low in some amino acids and hence the reason why protein sources are combined.
For example, Pea protein is low in the amino acid methionine, but it high in the amino acid lysine. This amino acid may help with supporting the immune system (Ruscigno M, 2016). Many plant proteins are low in essential amino acids, however, by consuming other sources of plant protein from various sources, this can be rectified.
What are vegan protein sources?
Some vegan protein sources include beans, lentils, oats, quinoa, hemp seeds, tempeh, and tofu. Protein can also be consumed from fortified plant milk and almond butter too. These offer a substantial amount of protein based on a serving size. For example, 1 cup of tempeh can amount to 20g of protein while a ½ cup cooked brown rice can offer ~10g of protein.
Research suggests that the protein requirements for athletes on a plant-based diet is not in any way different from that of athletes on an omnivore diet. Sufficient protein through a variety of protein rich plant-based sources ensure protein targets are met. The RDA for protein intake currently stands at 0.8g/kg of bodyweight. However, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 1.2g-2g/kg of bodyweight for athletes. The reason for this is to support training adaptations.
How is vegan protein made?
Vegan protein is made using plant-based sources of protein versus the traditional dairy options such as whey and casein. The proteins are broken down into powders and combined with other nutrients to create an end formulation that works together to support muscle maintenance and recovery along with ensuring great taste and texture. From there, the powder can be added to water, milk, milk alternatives or other baked good recipes to increase protein content to allow the end consumer to meet their protein needs throughout the day whatever way they want to.
Kinetica Plant Protein contains pea and rice protein. Pea protein is made from yellow split peas. This mechanical process allows the pea protein to maintain its fibre content. Rice protein which is another alternative to whey is made by treating brown rice with enzymes.
As pea protein tends to be low in the amino acid methionine, adding rice protein is a good option as this is high in that particular amino acid. Rice protein is low in the amino acid lysine, but pea protein has a significant amount, so by combining these two types of proteins, the amino acid profile is improved.
What does vegan protein taste like?
Vegan, or plant-based protein tends to taste different from standard whey protein. Sometimes they can be a little more difficult to mix and there can be a lingering aftertaste, but it all depends on how you actually use the powder. Adding a scoop of plant protein to a smoothie is a great way to increase your protein intake and get the benefits of vitamins from fruits while ensuring you have a really delicious taste experience.
Why not try this recipe out? 1 scoop of Kinetica Plant Protein Vanilla.
- 100g of mixed berries.
- 20g of almond butter.
- 330mls of milk alternative
- 50g of Greek Yoghurt
- 10g of chia seeds
- ½ t-spoon cinnamon
- Why Kinetica Plant Protein?
Kinetica Plant Protein was created to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Whey. We didn’t want to launch a range that merely satisfied a dairy-free need, we wanted to bring a product that tasted great and mixed easily that everyone can enjoy, vegan or not! Our blend is made up of pea and rice protein. Each 30g scoop contains 23g of protein which we are really proud of achieving. The products come in either Vanilla or Chocolate flavour with our vanilla flavour delivering 2.33g of leucine per scoop and chocolate flavour containing 2.13g. Leucine is an important amino acid for muscle growth.
Kinetica Plant Protein is tested to comply to WADA exacting standards under the Informed Sport testing regime. Product safety is always our number one priority. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of plant protein you can read our blog post called What are the Benefits of using a Plant based protein powder.
About the author.
This blog was written and researched by Kinetica’s Performance Nutritionist Seán Prunty. Having played football professionally both is the UK and Ireland, Seán developed a keen interest on how nutrition can play an important role in performance, recovery, injury prevention and return to play. Seán has delivered workshops to football teams in Ireland on ways to improve sports performance and recovery.
Seán is a qualified Performance Nutritionist, having completed his studies and exams with the internationally recognised and world leading, Institute of Performance Nutrition.
