Have you heard of Pea Protein Supplements? I didn't until I was walking through the health food store recently and came across the product. There was an informational flier next to the product so I picked it up and started reading about why pea protein might good for us. Since I first ran into it, pea protein has been showing up everywhere. There is even pea protein milk now! Is pea protein as good as whey protein? How about soy? Let's look at some of the research and see what we can discover.
What is Pea Protein?
Pea protein is simply the protein from peas. Peas are members of the legume family , which also includes beans, peanuts and soybeans. As is mentioned in this review, adding pea protein to processed foods is growing exponentially worth almost 35 million by 2020.
Currently pea protein can be found in wide range of products such as
- Milk
- “meat” products (“Beyond Meat”)
- “chicken” products (“Beyond Meat”)
There are also a variety of pea protein powders too.
How Much Protein Do Peas Have?
Gram for gram, they contain more protein than a cup of milk (11g vs 8g for milk). Given that some people may have milk allergies, this makes pea protein an attractive option.
Pea protein has a high biological value (BV) which basically has to do with how well the protein is absorbed and used by the body. Eggs are usually given a BV of 100%. Pea protein, is about 65%. Regardless of the percentages, pea protein is absorbed pretty well and as such can contribute the protein needs of the body. That’s great.
Among all the things being said about pea protein, there was something that I did not see – namely how does protein that comes from peas
While the protein in peas is not complete (its missing a couple of amino acids) that does not necessary mean its inferior to cows milk. The idea of complete vs incomplete protein is pretty much falling by the wayside these days as new research suggests as long as you are getting enough calories from good sources, it's ok if you are eating incomplete proteins.
Thats because all those incomplete proteins assemble together – in you – to make complete proteins.
Pea Protein and Exercise
One interesting study was published in 2015 in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. It was titled, pea protein oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training: A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial vs. whey protein.
Here is a summary of the study:
- The study lasted 12 weeks and involved 161 men (average age 22)
- Men either revived a placebo, pea protein or whey protein
- Men either took a placebo 2x per day or 25 grams of whey protein 2x per day or pea protein 2x per day.
- The men lifted weights 3 times per week.
Results:
- Pea protein caused more muscle hypertrophy in the biceps compared to placebo
- Between pea protein and whey protein there was no differences. So they appeared to be as good as each other
Now, some things to mention is that the type of pea protein used was called NUTRALYS, which is made by a french company called Roquette. Also, the maker of the pea protein (Roquette) funded the study but they took no part in the study so I don't think that matters.
Based on this study, pea protein would appear to be as good for muscle hypertrophy as whey protein, when combined with a strength training program.
What's The Best Pea Protein?
Ultimately I think this comes down to personal preferences. The study I summarized above used a product called Nutralys but since that is made by a french company, I'm not sure if it will be available in the US. Personally I think all pea protein supplements would work the same. As long as they are quality made and provide the same amount of protein used in the study (50 g per day) I don't think there would be a difference.
Here are all the pea protein supplements on Amazon to compare prices.
What do you think?
I use Arbonne Vegan Protein Shakes – Chocolate, Vanilla and the Pure Protein boost with no additives other than the Pea, Rice and Cranberry protein. I am a consultant – full disclosure – but I’ve used this for myself and my family for many, many years. The entire Arbonne Nutritional line is amazing with not only the things it has but also the things it doesn’t. Especially, no soy and gluten free!!! Are you familiar with our products?
Hi Sally, yes I have heard of them. Here is my review of the Arbonne essentials shake. Glad you are enjoying their products.
I use Miessence Certified Organic Complete Protein Powder, it uses bio fermented pea protein, along with brown rice, sacha inchi, and luo han fruit. I am a rep, full disclosure and all.
It’s this one:
http://www.koshervitamins.com/Bluebonnet-Kosher-Super-Earth-Organic-VeggieProtein-Complete-Balanced-Vegan-Protein-with-Brown-Rice-Yellow-Pea-Chia-and-Quinoa-Chocolate-1-LB
I use BlueBonnets chocolate pea protein powder and love it. It doesn’t have that string stevia flavor and RAW brands are very chalky unlike Blue Bonney.
Sarah, thanks for the heads up on Blue Bonnets pea protein – and chocolate is even better 🙂
Interesting post. I’ve been using Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder which uses “13 raw and organic sprouts” (I literally gag sometimes getting it down) and was curious if it was just as good as whey. I saw another blog post saying they (plant vs animal protein) were equally beneficial. Not sure if what I’m using is comparable to Pea Protein, though.
Based on the texture and less than desirable taste of Garden of Life, and your comments here, I will probably switch back to whey.
Liz, unless you are a strict vegetarian, I see no problems with whey protein. Pea protein does contribute amino acids to the diet which can be beneficial but they would have to be combined with something else to add to the amino acids that its lacking. Most people probably wouldn’t have a problem doing this since I’m sure they are eating other things that would likely do this. But for those, who might not be eating the best, I wanted to point out that pea protein alone is probably not the best substitute. I’m most concerned with older adults, concerned about eating well but who might not be getting all of the nutrition they need. Thanks for the feedback on Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein. I haven’t yet tasted it.
Hi Joe, I just discovered your site and am binge reading! My husband and I have been using Garden of Life RAW Protein powder and really like it. I’m betting Liz had tried the Garden of Life RAW MEAL which is DISGUISING! It tastes like vomit…really, really bad stuff.
That being said, I did finish the container of it I had given to me because I thought anything that tasted so bad had to be SOOOOO good for you. But their protein powder is fantastic and you should give it a try.
Krissie, thanks for the suggestion. I may try some of that and thanks also for the heads up on the Raw Meal – I’ll be staying away from it now that you told me what it tasted like!
Glad you found my site and are enjoying it. Happy binging 🙂
While I’m not a strict vegetarian any longer, I do adhere to a predominantly vegetarian (even vegan) diet.
I use a protein powder that includes pea protein along with other vegetable and seed based proteins and love it. I found that when I used whey (animal) based protein products my body reacted by getting more acidic or an upset stomach.
But I would definitely recommend a pea based protein powder that includes other forms of protein.
Judy, have you calculated your RDA for protein (your body weight x 0.4 gives you the answer). That will give you a baseline idea of your protein needs. Since you exercise you probably have a higher need for protein (e.g. 0.6 grams per lb).
Remember that protein from vegetables is not as usable (i.e. less bio available) than from non-vegetable sources (my rule of thumb – if the food had a mother, its a good source of protein 😉 ) Since rice never had a mom, rice protein is an incomplete protein like pea protein is.
If your getting most of your protein from vegetable sources increasing that a wee bit might be a good idea.
Joe, I’ve used pea protein in an unflavored, unsweetened soy-free supplement. I add to soups and broths, and occasionally hot cereal, to boost the protein content, particularly if I’m not using milk, since I typically do not eat a lot of protein. Because I get soy from other sources (tofu, tempeh, edamane), I prefer to avoid this source of protein in a powdered drink mix.
Would you also consider rice protein incomplete? Although I don’t use this a lot, there are times when I don’t want the dairy, including whey.
I do eat meat and fish but not on a daily basis, and supplement because, I often don’t get a sufficient amount of protein. I have a client who is a vegetarian, and I suspect the same is true with her.