John Myers
Strength athletes and people who work hard physically need a lot of protein, but even those who prefer a vegan diet should make sure they get enough protein. A plant-based protein powder can help meet the need.
Extra protein from vegan protein powder
In a diet without animal products, protein sources such as meat, eggs, milk, and cheese are not on the menu. The daily protein requirement, which according to the recommendations of the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) for adults is between 0.8 and 1.0 g per kilogram of body weight, must be covered by plant-based food. For breastfeeding women and athletes it can be a little more. As a rule, a balanced diet based on the vegan food pyramid is completely sufficient to absorb these amounts. But you should know which vegan protein sources are best for you. The biological value plays a role here – it provides information about how well the body can utilize the amino acids of vegan protein. It is ideal to combine different sources of vegetable protein and thus increase the value.
These amino acids should be included in the protein powder
If you would like to take additional protein powder, it is worth taking a look at the amino acid profile. Whey protein offers the best composition, but it is made from milk and is therefore not suitable for vegans. Pure vegetable protein powders are often based on pea protein, hemp, soy, rice, and combinations of these raw materials. It is advantageous if the essential amino acids are included – the body cannot produce them itself and must be supplied through food. These include L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Valine, L-Lysine, L-Phenylalanine, L-Methionine, L-Tryptophan, and L-Threonine. The protein building blocks L-arginine and L-glutamine, which are particularly recommended for athletes, can be built up by the organism itself, so that they do not necessarily have to appear in the list of ingredients of the protein shake.
Do athletes need a lot of protein?
Not all athletes need a lot of protein. A balanced, healthy diet is completely sufficient for a normally active recreational athlete, in which only about 10 to 15 percent of the energy requirement is derived from protein. The remaining requirement should be 55 to 60 percent from carbohydrates and a maximum of 30 percent from fat.
A calculation example makes it clear that the protein requirement for muscle building can easily be covered by a balanced diet. If you want to build muscle mass, 2 kg in one year is a realistic goal. Muscle is only 20 percent protein – the rest is mostly water. An additional 400 g of protein must be ingested every year. This corresponds to 1.1 g of protein per day.
The daily recommended intake of protein is 0.8 g per day and kilogram of body weight. At a weight of 70 kg, this corresponds to 56 g of protein. However, the actual intake of protein is higher than this recommendation: On average, women consume 1 g and men even 1.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. A woman weighing 70 kilograms gets an average of 70 g of protein per day, men even 84 g.
Most people consume the additional amount of protein of 1.1 g per day required for muscle building every day anyway, which is why additional food supplements are not necessary at all. The necessary proteins can be easily ingested through food – dairy products, meat, fish, and eggs, among other things, provide a sufficient amount of protein. A balanced mixed diet is also completely sufficient for strength athletes.
Too much protein intake can even have a negative effect on the body. If there is an excess of protein, the body has to break down unusable proteins into urea, which is excreted through the kidneys. Bodybuilders excrete twice as much urea as non-athletes, but produce only 25 percent more urine – the kidneys of strength athletes who regularly eat a high-protein diet and supplement individual amino acids such as arginine are therefore exposed to increased stress.
We also have tips for relieving sore muscles.
Check out what’s in Vegan Protein
When it comes to the composition of the vegan protein powder, you should also pay attention to other ingredients. It is not uncommon for vegan protein drinks to be bursting with artificial flavors and preservatives. Organic protein powder is free of it, but like conventional products, it can contain a lot of sugar. If you would like to use vegan protein powder to lose weight according to the low-carb concept, the high-sugar drinks are extremely unsuitable. If you suffer from intolerance, instead of using all-in-one products with different protein sources, you can use a powder that only contains one type of plant. Rice protein in particular is hypoallergenic.
