Tuesday, March 26, 2013

How to Choose the Best Plant Based Protein

By Carly Kollmeyer


Protein powder is great way to add more protein to your diet but until recently, most protein powders were animal based. Vegans and vegetarians were unable to reap the benefits of protein supplementation. As more and more people choose to remove meat from their diet, more and more companies are producing plant based protein powders. These vegetarian protein powders offer a variety of health benefits such as the ability to build and maintain lean muscle and increase overall health.

Plant based protein supplements usually contain a variety of plant based proteins. Popular vegetarian sources of protein include hemp, pea, cranberry, brown rice, and mushroom protein. Protein powders containing a variety of vegan protein sources have a greater nutrient profile and offer a variety of enticing health benefits.

Plant based protein powders offer a variety of health benefits. Research suggests that plant based protein powders may have the ability to help build and maintain lean muscle, boost energy, increase metabolism, boost the immune system, and even aid in weight loss. Some ingredients found in vegetarian protein powders (hint hint mushrooms!) have even been associated with the ability to decrease the chance of developing chronic disease.

When it comes to supplements, it is important to read labels. Choose a protein supplement that is free of gluten, whey, soy, dairy, egg, lactose, and wheat. The best vegetarian protein powders will be USDA certified organic and will not contain any artificial ingredients or synthetic nutrients. Artificial ingredients are likely to do more harm than good.

Vegetarian protein powders should be freeze dried or processed without high heat and chemicals. Low heat processing allows all of the precious nutrients to stay intact. To find the best protein, look for a supplement that contains 15g of protein per serving and is made up of at least 50% protein by weight. Vegetarian protein powders should also be low in calorie and carbohydrate.

To sum things up, vegetarian protein powders should be completely plant based and should contain absolutely no artificial ingredients. The best protein powders will be USDA certified organic and completely gluten-free. To find the best vegetarian protein powder, simply follow the guidelines provided by this article.




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