Plant-Based Protein Supplement

livingbythesea

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Aug 29, 2019
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england
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  1. Vegan newbie
I am a newbie to a plant-based lifestyle, I exercise regularly and used to take whey based proteins. I was wondering if anyone had found any good plant-based proteins that don't have that pea/bitter after taste?
 
First off, Welcome.

Before I answer that question....

Not just newbie vegans, or even more experienced vegans, but lots of regular people overestimate the amount of protein a person requires for good health. The meat and dairy industry do their best to keep people misinformed but the billion-dollar supplement industry also provides lots of false facts.

There are online calculators that help estimate the amount of protein. But a coefficient is one of the handiest ways to go. You multiply the coefficient times your weight in pounds to get the required amount of protein in grams. There is some debate on the exact size of the coefficient but almost everyone puts it somewhere between 0.3 and 0.4. But at my gym, most of the guys think the number is at least twice that.

Oh. you are in the UK. the coefficient for kilograms is between .72 and .86.

Another way to calculate it is that protein should make up between 10 and 30 percent of your calories. I shoot for 20%. Sixty percent carbs, and 20 percent protein and 20% fats. A good thing about using percents is that if you are an athlete you need more calories and protein. As you eat more calories - and multiply it by 20%, your protein goals go up automatically.

Recent studies have looked at protein absorption rates and utilization. They indicate that optimum protein absorption is when meals contain no more than 30 grams of protein. Twenty to thirty seems to be ideal. Many of the protein supplements already have 20 g. So some of the excess is not going to be absorbed or utilized. Besides being a waste of money, the breaking down of protein produces nitrogen wastes. the kidney has to work harder to get rid of all the nitrogen wastes.

So vegan or not you probably don't need a protein supplement. Usually, people meet their protein goals with just a lot of good food.

If you do decide to use a protein supplement, you probably only need to use about half of the recommended amount. I have yet to find a vegan protein powder that isn't vile. but by just using half a scoop and mixing it with lots of other good things it can be almost palatable.

Try this
Blend one glass soy milk, plus a banana, 2 tbsp peanut butter, one tbsp ground flaxseeds. That is about 17 grams of protein right there. and it tastes pretty good, too.

I have a canister of protein powder. I use it when I inadvertently skip a meal - just to help make up the protein. It tastes pretty bad but by just adding a half scoop to my banana smoothie it is sort of OK.

I've heard good things about Garden of Life Greens and Protein Powder, it has good reviews on Amazon. I think that is the one I will try next.