Plant Protein Powders vs Whey: Which One Works Best?

Brian Strickland  00:06

Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Nutrition Made Simple, a video series where we take a look at topics surrounding natural health and then we break them down into easy to understand and actionable steps that pretty much anyone can take. And for the month of April, we're actually going to be talking about plant based foods or a plant based diet. And today, we wanted to look at plant proteins specifically, and kind of compare some of the different ones what to look for.

Plant Protein Powders vs Whey

And to start out, and maybe the question that we get the most is how do they compare to whey protein? So here with me, I've got Ed Jones, founder and owner of Nutrition World. And Ed to get started, let's go ahead and talk about that question. How do plant proteins compare to whey proteins as far as absorbability and performance?

Ed Jones  00:57

What a great question. Because, you know, the thing is, and I've been doing this almost 42 years, we didn't have plant proteins till I'm guessing maybe 12 years ago. And when they first came out, the problem was that they did not have enough amino acids to actually be efficient. And that when I mean efficiency is build muscle or burn body fat or supply the brain with the amino acids. They were modest at best, because the technology wasn't really there to combine the right types of plant proteins to make the right types of amino acids. But today, and I will say that it may not be 100% equal to whey, but I'm guessing as close to 90% plus as far as efficiency. And you know, they come with all different kinds of formulas and types of food. But I'm a huge fan of plant based proteins for those people who is compatible for and who don't want to use whey protein.

Brian Strickland  01:55

Yeah, and some people obviously can't do whey, there's some sort of allergy or intolerance. And so plant proteins are a really good choice. Now, most of these are going to have some sort of amino acid profile in addition to the protein, right?

Essential Amino Acids

Ed Jones  02:10

They will because we have to have what's called essential amino acids. If you lack one of these amino acids, they can't convert to the things we want. And so much of our health is built on the proper level of protein. We don't need tons of protein, but what we do need needs to be quality protein. And many people as they as they actually eat less protein, or they're not digesting it. Well. I know we did a Nutrition Made Simple on enzymes and so sometimes that may be a necessary thing. But if you don't want to eat protein foods, it's so easy today to just do your drink. Like my breakfast drink. I've been doing it for four years. I only eat one breakfast a week, and I kind of enjoy that. But the other six it's so easy just to drink this stuff and made properly, it's good tasting.

Different Kinds of Plant Protein Powders

Brian Strickland  02:57

Yeah, absolutely. So let's talk types of plant proteins. There are several to choose from anything from pumpkin, to pea, to brown rice. I mean, there's there's a ton of different options. In your opinion, is there something that people should be looking for? How do they compare to one another? Is there one that's better than the other?

Ed Jones  03:20

Well, I probably in valuing pea protein better than most. And when pea protein first came out, because it was kind of the first real plant protein not counting soy that was always been around. We've always had soy protein. But pea seems to be a clean ingredient if it's raised properly. And that means less pesticides and digests pretty well. Now we'll have to say occasionally, the plant proteins don't like me as much as my whey protein or my keto drink, but everybody's different. And you got to try to see what works for you. But you know, we're in an age where we want to embrace more plant foods. And so this is actually counts like you are eating plant foods, because it is. And I think it's more about trial and error. The thing is, the first pea proteins were not really efficient, and they did not digest well. This was 10 to 11 years ago. Now they are. I mean this brand, Truvani is one of the cleanest proteins ever made. Of course anything we offer at Nutrition World, we've checked out so fully, and we want to make sure that it has you know, everything is good that it can be and we get rid of anything that doesn't. But I do say we need to blend it in something that needs to be cold, one. Always use cold water or a cold almond milk or a cold something right. And that makes such a difference with a blender not a spoon.

Brian Strickland  04:44

So yeah, there are a ton of different options as far as plant proteins go. The bulk of these are going to be some sort of blend. Some are single source like a pea protein. I know we've got another one that's a paleo option that's like a pumpkin and something else in a blend. We also have a Garden of Life, which is a almost all plant based. They do have whey products, but these are organic, non GMO. And the bulk of what we have is going to be non GMO and organic. And they're going to be low carb, they're going to be most of them are sugar free. They're sweetened with some sort of natural sweetener, like monk fruit or a sugar alcohol. And honestly, they taste really good. Personally, I've used this Plant Fusion one a lot. And in my opinion, it's probably the best tasting one that I've tried, but the others are very good as well, especially if you're doing what you suggested, blending them with some sort of nut milk. Or if you're doing a vanilla flavor, you can pop in some frozen blueberries, and even with the chocolate ones I'll do frozen avocado chunks, that thickens it up and adds a little bit of fat in there as well. So that's another really good option. Any last words on plant proteins that you want to share? 

Ed Jones  06:07

Again, I'm a huge fan of the right protein for the right person. But you know, if you've listened to me much that I've really, at least I begin my day with a keto type of powder. Well, I do use whey protein, but we don't have to. I've got plenty of people who didn't want the way. So what we use is one of these four. Now you have to add fat to this to make it a protein with a keto kind of leaning. So I use MCT oil or coconut oil, and I'd basically blend it in the blender. A plant proteins can be made into a keto lifestyle if you want. And I think you should do that even if you don't do keto, because we need more healthy fats. And then this is the great protein so you've got the perfect combination for everything.

Brian Strickland  06:46

Yeah, absolutely. Well, we hope that was helpful, everyone. We're going to be focusing on a lot more plant based stuff throughout the month. But if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out and let us know and we'll see you next week on another Nutrition Made Simple.

Ed Jones  06:59

Thank you, everyone.