Is Vegan Protein Powder Good For You?

Similar to animal-based protein powder, vegan protein powder has a wide array of health benefits and is good for you. To get the most benefits out of your chosen vegan protein powder, it’s important to find one that is high-quality, non-GMO, pharmaceutical grade, and has no added ingredients and no emulsifiers or gums. Let’s look at the pros and cons of vegan protein powder, how it compares to animal proteins, and how it can benefit your overall health.

Is Vegan Protein Powder Actually Healthy?

While “healthy” is subjective, vegan protein powder—especially if it’s high quality—has numerous health benefits and can be healthy for you! There is a belief that vegan protein powder does not have all essential amino acids, but there are some—like Nourify® PLUS—that do contain all essential and even branch-chain amino acids, which add to the overall benefits of protein intake! Some health benefits of vegan and plant proteins and powder are:

It helps you build muscle.
It helps you balance your meals - when you don’t have a solid balance of protein, carbs, and fat, your body is hungry shortly after a meal. Adding high-quality vegan protein powder as a meal replacement or an addition to a smoothie or recipe can make your meals more complete, leaving you more satiated and satisfied.
It’s high in iron - Nourify® PLUS chocolate protein powder contains 4.2 mg (23% daily value) in one scoop and 8.3 mg (46% DV) in two scoops. Iron is imperative to your overall health. It is a mineral that helps your body make hemoglobin—which is a protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Iron also helps your body make myoglobin and some hormones.

Ingredient Sourcing and Manufacturing

It’s important to choose a protein powder with ingredients that come from high-quality sources. Many companies and manufacturers source the ingredients for their protein powder from China. However, since there are fewer safety regulations around food sourcing in China, the soil quality is poor, allowing heavy metals, contaminants, and bacteria to make their way into the powder itself.

For Nourify® PLUS, we source our pea protein from an organic farm in Canada, and our brown rice protein from a high-quality farm in Southeast Asia. Sourcing from these high-quality, reputable farms allows our protein powders to be free from heavy metals, bacteria, toxins, and other contaminants. We also use yellow peas instead of green, which have a higher protein content, mild flavor, and lower glycemic index.

Whey Protein vs Vegan Protein (Pea, Rice, Nut, and Soy Protein)

There are a few differences between vegan protein powder and whey protein:

Whey protein is isolated from whey—a milky liquid that is a byproduct of making cheese.
Vegan protein is derived from plant sources like nuts, rice, legumes, peas, or soy.
Whey protein and vegan protein powders boast about the same amount of protein.
Whey protein is considered a complete protein because it has all nine essential amino acids, leucine, isoleucine, and valine (branched-chain amino acids).
Vegan protein is often lacking in branched-chain amino acids, and typically only soy protein is considered complete.
Whey protein contains lactose, which can lead to stomach upset if you’re lactose intolerant or otherwise sensitive to dairy.
Vegan protein can contain common allergens like soy and gluten, but others are soy, dairy, and gluten-free.

What Are the Disadvantages of Vegan Protein Powder?

As we’ve stated above, one disadvantage of vegan protein powder is that some of them lack essential and branched-chain amino acids, causing them to also lack health benefits even if you consume "enough protein." Additionally, some vegan protein powders contain gluten or soy, both of which are inflammatory and can cause digestive issues. However, these disadvantages are heavily based on the brand and ingredients in each vegan protein powder. Nourify® PLUS is gluten, dairy, and soy-free, contains no additives, and has no emulsifiers. For this reason, it’s crucial that you do research on protein powder before you make a purchase to ensure it’s high-quality, pharmaceutical-grade (meaning it’s rigorously tested for heavy metals and other contaminants), organic, and contains no problematic ingredients for your dietary standards.

Can I Build Muscle with Vegan Protein and its Essential Amino Acids?

Leucine is an essential amino acid that helps your body synthesize protein, regulate metabolism, and control your appetite. It is also crucial for building muscle! Vegan protein powders that are made from pea and rice proteins tend to be higher in leucine and therefore may be more beneficial when it comes to building muscle. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) make up three—Isoleucine, Leucine, and Valine—of the nine essential amino acids and account for 35% of the essential amino acid content in your body. BCAAs are imperative in muscle building because they help:

Increase muscle growth
Decrease soreness after physical activity
Improve energy and reduce fatigue after exercise
Prevent muscle waste and breakdown from exercise

Nourify® PLUS is made primarily of pea and rice protein, making it higher in leucine than other vegan protein powder options. If building muscle is your current fitness priority, it’s important to have a healthy blend of protein, carbs, and fats, which Nourify® PLUS offers!

Is it Good to Drink Plant-Based Protein Powder?

Ultimately, as long as it aligns with your fitness journey and dietary restrictions, there are few long-term side effects of drinking vegan protein powder. In fact, there are actually long-term benefits of doing so like: improved digestion, weight management, boosted metabolism, and overall gut health. Consult with your healthcare professional if you have concerns before adding a vegan protein powder to your health regimen.

Conclusion

Vegan protein powder has a multitude of health benefits, similar to animal-based protein powder! Plant-based protein powder can help build muscle, improve gut health, balance meals, improve digestion, and so much more. But it is crucial to find one that is pharmaceutical-grade, third-party tested, organic, and contains no added ingredients, gums, or emulsifiers. Nourify® PLUS:

Boasts 10-21 grams of protein per serving
Is dairy, soy, and gluten-free,
Contains all BCAAs
Contains one billion probiotics with digestive enzymes
…and so much more.

Ready to take your health to the next level? Grab yourself Nourify® PLUS vanilla or chocolate protein powder to experience good taste, high-quality protein, and optimal health.