The value of vegan protein
It is often said that the value of vegan protein is not as "high" as that of animal protein. Even authors of renowned magazines and fitness trainers share this opinion. It is therefore not surprising that many people are unsure and prefer to use whey protein.
In the following 2-3 minutes, we will dispel this myth. First, we will explain what the term "value " actually means and then show that plant-based protein can actually be better for the body than animal protein.
When is a protein valuable?
The term"value" refers to the basic building blocks of proteins: The amino acids. You have probably heard of amino acids and asked yourself: What are amino acids?
It's actually quite simple! Every protein consists of different amino acid chains. There are a total of 21 different amino acids. Of these, 8 are essential, i.e. they cannot be produced by the body itself and must be obtained from food.
The essential amino acids include
- Isoleucine
- leucine
- lysine
- methionine
- phenylalanine
- threonine
- tryptophan
- valine
Now to the value: the more amino acids a protein contains, the more valuable the protein is. Animal protein contains all essential amino acids and is therefore considered very valuable (index approx. 104).
So what is the value of vegan protein?
As already mentioned, the value of a protein depends on the amount of amino acids contained in the protein.
At the beginning of this article, we mentioned that many magazines and fitness trainers say that vegan protein is not as valuable. This accusation is not out of thin air. After all, vegan proteins on their own (e.g. pea) do not contain all the essential amino acids.
But how can we claim that vegan protein is just as valuable as animal protein? It's all in the mix! There are many different plant-based sources of protein (e.g. peas, hemp, rice, linseed & chia seeds, soy, pumpkin & sunflower seeds, etc.). These different protein sources in turn contain different amino acids.
By combining the individual types of protein, a so-called multi-component protein is created. This now contains all amino acids due to the different components and is therefore just as valuable as animal whey.
If you are looking for a high-quality plant-based protein, you should always choose a multi-component protein!
Why is plant-based protein better than animal protein?
Now you know that plant-based protein can certainly keep up with animal whey protein in terms of value. But why should it be even better than animal protein?
Advantages for the body
In contrast to animal protein, plant protein also contains numerous other healthy substances such as minerals and fiber.
Pea protein, for example, contains large amounts of the micronutrient iron. Flaxseed protein, on the other hand, contains important fats(omega-3 & omega-6 fatty acids).
Another advantage of plant-based protein is its high tolerability. This means that people with lactose intolerance can also consume protein shakes without hesitation. In addition excessive consumption of milk (over 250ml per day) can lead to inflammatory reactions in the body.
Benefits for the body
It is no secret that animal husbandry releases enormous amounts of greenhouse gases. Around 20% of global CO2 emissions are caused by animal husband ry. Ruminants (cows) are primarily responsible for this. According to the medical journal the negative impact of whey protein on the environment is 5 to 10 times higher than that of soy and other vegetable proteins.
In addition, cows are often kept in factory farms. In conventional farming, an adult bull only has around 2.7 square meters ofspace at its disposal. In factory farming, calves are separated from their mothers immediately after birth. In addition, the cows often suffer injuries to their legs and udders.
Especially in times when climate change is one of the biggest problems facing humanity, it is extremely important to use plant-based alternatives!
