Is Vegan Protein Powder Better Than Whey?

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If you have ever considered losing weight or building muscles, it is uncommon to have not come across a dietician or a gym instructor to talk you about the best vegan protein powders. Proteins are an essential macronutrient, more important when you want to build your muscles.

Nutritionists around the world agree that the protein intake has to be calculated against the AMDR index or the Acceptable Macronutrients Distribution Range index. According to this, an average daily intake protein that is between the range of 10 and 35 percent of actual calorific value is considered suitable for an average person.

The protein requirement grows with the amount of activity done

A more active person will require more protein. While whole foods do let us in on a sufficient amount of protein from our daily meals, scientists believe that protein supplements are a better and more practical way to ensure that the body’s requirement of protein is met without any break. 

There are primarily two kinds of proteins:

Whey protein

When casein from the dairy milk is separated from the whey, the by-product, when dried into a powder, gives whey protein supplement. Whey protein is further divided into concentrate and isolate. Concentrate whey protein has a lot of biologically active compounds when compared to isolate and is most ideal for athletes. Isolate protein, on the other hand, is considered to be the purer form of whey protein with 90% or more protein in it. It is also prescribed to those who are diagnosed with lactose intolerance because it contains a negligible amount of milk sugar in it.

Plant protein

For vegan people, there is an excellent alternative in plants for proteins such as brown rice, hemp, soy, and pea protein. Pea protein is hailed to be the best because clinical trials have shown that it is equally, if not a more effective source of protein. It is a boon to non-meat eating athletes. But the question looming at large is if vegan protein powder is better than whey? Let us see the attributes of both. Towards the end, we may be in a good position to evaluate if a vegan protein is better than whey protein powder.

Thing to consider when choosing a protein powder

1. Amino acids

One of the main parameters of checking proteins is the number of amino acids that are present in them. There are nine types of amino acids, and all the nine are present in whey proteins. Amongst vegan proteins, soy, quinoa, hemp, chia, and sunflower are the plants that get nine out of nine, the rest including pea protein fairs rather poorly on this scale. That is one point to Whey proteins.

2. Nutrition and easy digestion

Plant proteins require far less or almost no synthesis and are packed with nutrients other than protein. On the other hand, whey protein has to undergo a host of processing right from separating whey, then heating, micro-filtering, drying, and them powdering before it can reach the consumer. This process can wean away a lot of nutrients from it, also adding more calories in return. We think we can give this one to vegan plant protein. Whilst many protein supplements come in powder form, you can also consume your required intake of protein eating vegan protein bars.

3. Addition of harmful chemicals

Whey protein can never be considered safe and contraindication free because of antibiotics administered to livestock and the food additives that are added to the protein powder in the synthesis stage. Plant protein has more fibers and enzymes intact in them and is known to aid efficient digestion.

4. Impact on the environment

There is already said about the irreversible damage to the environment that the dairy industry is responsible for. Experts have always stressed on alternative sources of proteins so that the non-renewable resources are not further depleted.

Final thoughts

Given the balance of advantages and disadvantages between the two, it is an obvious choice. A lot of people are now slowly turning to vegan protein powder for not just its obvious benefits but also for its delicious taste and easy digestion. Whey protein powder has added sugars that are known to be long term health detriments. Whey proteins are also linked to cases of acute lactose intolerance, and some of the recent studies also link them to heart diseases and cancers
Erica Fredericks

Erica Fredericks

Love to cook and explore new delicious vegan meals. Big believer in spirituality and finding ones inner peace. I don't believe in forcing my views upon another, but enjoy sharing my views on living a healthy and happy life.

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