Dairy protein alternative-Pea Protein

Are you doing one of the many diets that currently are popular? Having a hard time getting all your nutrients in? Often times, we turn to protein shakes to help us stay on track and of course the convenience factor is good too. However, in the earlier days protein shakes only consisted of whey protein but today there are so many options including pea protein.

Pea protein has many benefits. The PDCAAS or protein digestibility corrected amino acid score for pea protein is 0.89 out of 1. The closer the value is to 1, the more complete of a protein it is in terms of amino acids that are available. Typically, pea protein is made from yellow (split) peas that milled into powder, purified by removing the carbs and leaving behind the protein that you will take. Pea protein has most of the essential amino acids except for methionine which means you need to either supplement with another protein that has it or with animal meat. The full list of 9 essential amino acids follows below and you can find out what each amino acid is good for on many available websites on Google. 

Amino Acids: 9 Essential Ones

1. Histidine

2. Isoleucine

3. Leucine

4. Lysine

5. Methionine

6. Phenylalanine

7. Threonine

8. Tryptophan

9. Valine

So why should you take pea protein? It can help with satiety and may help with weight loss and as with other proteins, if you are full and your stomach doesn’t empty too fast then you will eat less so pea protein helps give you this full feeling. Plus, it may help you with hearth health and blood sugar regulation. Since it does have a good amino acid profile, it can be used post workout to aid with recovery and to increase muscle mass (thanks to the leucine content). Not to mention, if you are allergic to dairy or feel bloated after taking whey protein, taking this alternative will minimize those challenges. 

Where do you find pea protein? Right now, as shopper you will see it in many sports nutrition products, cereals, energy bars, etc. as well as in the gluten free aisle. Of course, you can always buy it on Amazon and Walmart too. My favorite product to take is Vega’s Vanilla Protein and Greens. Check out the label as it is so healthy and it actually tastes great. Unlike whey protein that is limited in flavor choice, pea protein powder can be found in flavors such as chai too. Another reason I like pea protein is if you are doing the keto diet, plant proteins tend to have low carb amounts and provide a great way to get in your protein without overloading yourself with animal meats.

Disclaimer: this is an opinion post and should not be taken as an endorsement or lack of for any product by me or my employer.