Benefits of Pea Protein Powder- A Muscle Building Superstar

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Are you working your butt off at the gym every day? OR, maybe you’re doing some other training you love and not seeing the results you feel you deserve for all your hard work?

If this is you, it may be time to consider the reasons for this. Why not start by giving your body everything it needs in order to build strong, lean muscle mass through a good quality plant protein supplement?

Pea protein powder is a muscle building superstar due to its unique nutritional and amino acid profile. It’s also completely plant based, making it a healthier choice than animal proteins.

Plant proteins are more alkaline than their animal counterparts and therefore help to lower chronic inflammation in the body. This is a good thing when you’re training hard and putting tension and tears into your muscle. It will mean quicker recovery and less aches and pains in the days after exercise .

Benefits Of Eating More Alkaline Foods

fruits and vegetables

Keeping your body healthy by eating an alkaline, plant based diet will help to keep chronic inflammation in the body to a minimum. Less chronic inflammation is hugely helpful to those in training as your recovery time will be quicker and you will be less prone to injury.

It is now understood that this type of inflammation may the underlying driver of certain diseases. Therefore, it’s easy to see the benefits of getting enough plants and plant based proteins into your diet for this reason alone, even if you’re not a massive exercise fan (though regular exercise is vital to over-all health).

Eat pea protein alongside other superfoods

Eating other antioxidant rich superfoods, along with your pea protein supplement, is very important in terms of you obtaining a complete amino acid profile.

Pea protein is almost complete in itself and lacks only a couple of amino acids. But, fortunately they are ones that the body already produces along with some other conditional amino acids. This is the reason it is superior to many other plant proteins and a good choice on a plant based diet.

Although it is slightly on the lower side in methionine, this can be easily corrected by using rice protein along with your pea protein (about a quarter rice to 3/4 pea will give you a complete amino acid profile).

Complete Protein Combinations

beans and rice

To get all the nutrients you need, you can also incorporate or rotate pea protein with other vegan protein powders such as omega 3 rich hemp, pumpkin, sunflower or quinoa. Alongside this, if you also eat a well-rounded, antioxidant rich plant based diet in general it will give you a huge advantage in the health and fitness stakes.

Your main diet will always be the biggest contributor to your health, therefore you must pay very close attention to this alongside taking any supplements.

Many experts do now agree that you don’t necessarily need all the amino acids in one meal to get your full amino acids profile. It is now understood that the body can recycle protein throughout the day, so you don’t have to worry too much about this.

Eat whole foods plant based for the highest benefits

If you eat a whole foods plant based diet, you will naturally be getting all the protein and nutrition you require to stay healthy.

It’s worth remembering that great health is never down to any one thing, rather a culmination of lifestyle choices applied on a long term basis. There are no short cuts or quick fixes, and anybody who tells you otherwise is probably trying to make a quick buck out of you.

Other Benefits of Pure Pea Protein 

1. IMPRESSIVE AMINO ACID PROFILE

  • Pea protein has an impressive profile of all the BBCA’s.
  • Pea protein’s amino acids are well known for decreasing the breakdown of muscle tissue after exercise.
  • Decreased muscle breakdown means quicker recovery time, which in turn means you are able to train more often and reach your goals faster.

2. WEIGHT LOSS

  • Is pea protein powder good for weight loss? Well, if you want to burn fat and build muscle fast, then you must NOT neglect your protein intake. Muscle burns almost 3 times the amount of calories than fat just to sustain itself. And, so it stands to reason, the more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn, even when you’re doing nothing. 
  • You should aim for between 1-2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight daily. For example, a person weighing 70kg should aim for between 70-140 grams of protein per day depending on their needs and goals. For weight loss, fat burning and muscle building, you should aim for the higher end of this scale (going somewhere in the middle to start off with if you’re not sure).
  • Another reason why eating a high protein diet keeps you slim is because protein is both low GI and low carbohydrate. Eating a low GI diet helps to keep your blood sugar stable which in turn stops your body from so readily storing fat.
  • Read more about eating low GI diet in this post about starting a healthy diet plan.
  • Eat high protein foods, along with healthy fats but lower carbs, on days you’re not training. And, higher carb meals on days you are training to give you the extra energy you need. It’s also important to keep a focus on your protein intake on training days. Ideally have a high protein shake within an hour of a workout (this is an optimal time as your muscles are in high protein absorption mode right after a exercise).
  • Pea protein also lowers levels of ghrelin – a hormone your stomach secretes to signal to you that you’re hungry. This hormone contains peptides and these peptides delay stomach emptying, thus delaying the secretion of ghrelin and sustaining your feeling of ‘fullness’ for longer. These same peptides also stop you from over-eating.

Plant Protein V’s Animal

Is pea protein powder better than whey protein?

There is a common misconception that plant proteins don’t have the same muscle enhancing effects as animal, but this is simply not true.

I have tried and tested this for myself over the last two years since following a plant based diet (and I mean doing it healthily in terms of getting the right amount of nutrients and combining the right foods together). I now have the best muscle tone I’ve ever had!

And as further evidence, you only need to look at some of the plant based athletes and body builders out there to see that this is true.

Take superfood powder shots

You could also consider taking a shot of super food powder for added antioxidants and phytochemicals. And, to be double sure you’re getting everything you need. Combine this with plenty of exercise and a mixture of pea, rice and hemp proteins (focusing mainly on pea).

An in depth study from the ‘Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition’ has proven that pea protein is just as good as animal when it comes to muscle building. Plus, you’re still getting all the aforementioned benefits of a plant based protein.

These super muscle growth effects from pea protein are due to it’s high levels of the specific muscle building amino acid l-arginine. This amino acid is higher in pea than in other plant protein sources. So, this is another reason to use a high ratio of pea if you are looking to specifically build muscle mass.

PEA PROTEIN NUTRITIONAL PROFILE PER 30G SERVE

  • 100 Calories
  • 23 Protein
  • 7g Carbohydrates
  • 0.3g fat
  • 6g fiber
  • 200 IU Vitamin A
  • 5 IU Vitamin E
  • 400 IU Vitamin D
  • 5 Micrograms Vitamin K

PEA PROTEIN SIDE EFFECTS

Pea protein, unlike some other proteins, is actually the best tolerated by the gut and the least likely to cause bloating and other problems.

But, do take into account that eating more than around 30 grams of protein in one sitting is for most people a waste. The body can only assimilate around 30 grams in one hit, so do bear this in mind when weighing out your protein powder.

Conversely, the protein requirements of a beginner body builder who is going hard at it are actually higher than somebody who has been lifting weights or exercising for a long time. This is due to the fact that the body becomes more adept at recycling protein the fitter it gets.

So, there’s no need to consume or exceed (and indeed it could be detrimental) more than the recommended amount of protein for your body weight per day.

Which is the best pea protein powder to use?

man drinking protein shake

Always get your supplements from a reputable company and brand. And, always buy organic pea protein powder where possible.

Think of it like this: If it’s something you are going to be consuming every day, you will most certainly want it to be pure and without GMO or chemical residues. These toxins can build up in your system over time, and may eventually start to cause you problems down the line.

There are many other proteins apart from pea that you may want to use; or at least alternate with. It really is a good idea to rotate them so you get a good array of ALL the amino acids. You could even think about buying a blend as they often have the advantage of added green superfoods, probiotics and digestive enzymes to aid digestion and absorption.

Important Information

It is always a good idea to keep foods varied and balanced. Don’t use the same protein powder (be it pea or any other) on a continual basis or over a long period of time. The body works best with variation as it means a better array of nutrients. Another reason why it’s good to buy a pre-made blend, OR blend your own.

Here is a list of some of the highest quality and best reviewed protein powders available on the market today. We have been through hundred of reviews to source the best quality and the best tasting (taste can be a big factor for some people).

You should take your time to pick something that will work well for you and your own particular situation and needs. They are all very different. Some are especially for muscle builders, some for weight loss and some are meal replacements in themselves. Make sure you pay close attention to this.

CONCLUSION

Pea protein can work well for body builders due to it’s fantastic amino acid profile. Never consume more protein powder than is advised on labels.

Always rotate your proteins for best results.

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14 thoughts on “Benefits of Pea Protein Powder- A Muscle Building Superstar”

  1. Hiya! Who new that Pea’s had that much protein in them!! Wow! Really useful to know as we are *trying* to become vegan in our household so any extra ways to get protein in is a big plus.

    1. Hi Jo, thats great news about trying to change over to the vegan lifestyle. I promise you you will never look back! You may be interested to read my other posts about this as it will give you a good guide on plant based eating and food combining. and

  2. Pea protein! who knew? I love peas in food, and of course I love split pea soup, but I will be honest and say that peas are a “sometimes” food for me. I can see how having the powder would make them more of a regular thing. I force myself to drink collostrum and hydrolized protein powders every day, so it would be easy to add this into my routine. Thanks for another excellent article!

    1. Hi Penelope, glad you enjoyed the article and yes pea protein is one of the best all round protein supplements you can take for all the reasons mentioned in the article. I’m not really up on those two that you take but I’m going to look into them. Do you take them for a specific reason? I’d be very interested to know.

  3. I really thank you for this post. I went to the gym a lot last year but I never took any supplements. I noticed that I have a lot of joint pain now and then. I bet I have some sort of inflammation problem because it is not constant. I am going to use some kind of supplements next year because I am getting older.

    1. Hi Ronnie, thanks for reading, and yes I would definitely recommend some extra supplements and a plant based diet if you want to lower inflammation and have much less joint pains. It really works, I rarely get aches and pains anymore, even after a hard workout. The best thing you can do right now is to start taking Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements as they will specifically help that problem. Actually, I wrote a whole article on Glucosamine that you might find helpful. I will post the link

  4. A very informative write-up on pea protein powder, which I never knew existed. The problem I have with protein powders is the chalky taste. Does the Swanson powder you recommend have this taste or actually taste like peas? What do you recommend to mix with this particular brand to mask the taste if it’s unpleasant? Thanks in advance!

    1. Hi there, I’m glad you found the article helpful. Yes, you should totally get back on those avocados as they really are just SO fantastic for so many reasons. I eat one every morning and it really helps stop sugar cravings for the rest of the day, so brilliant for keeping weight under control.

    2. Hi Valerie, I understand what you mean about that chalky pea taste and some of them do taste worse than others. I always use this one, but I blend with a bit milk such as almond or coconut and usually a banana for sweetness, AND my personal favorite raw cacao powder. But you can use normal cocoa powder as long as it’s proper sugar free cocoa (well that’s if you want to keep it as healthy as possible). This way you will have a chocolate milkshake effect.

      I think the strong cocoa masks any flavours of the pea. Also, another great addition if you want it to be more filling and creamy is half a ripe avocado. And another great tip is to cut into slices ripe bananas and freeze them in a plastic container so you can pop a few chunks straight into the blender. Frozen bananas go all gooey and ice-creamy when blended and a really go great in your smoothie.

  5. Great Post Stefanie! I know protein is necessary to intake especially if you are working hard at the gym. But pea powder protein in new to me. I will share this article with my friend as she goes gym regularly so she can take appropriate amounts of protein. Thanks for the article.

    1. Hi Sarah, thanks for reading, and yes, do show your friend this article as if she goes to the gym a lot then she really will need to take appropriate amounts of protein. Especially if she wants to shed fat and build muscle.

  6. Superb article with great benefits that are really explained in an easy and understandable way. Peas are an underestimated food item as far as health benefits are concerned. Thank you so much for explaining all this. I, after reading a lot of articles from your website, have become a huge fan of your articles and writing skills. great work….:)

    1. Hi Sarah, wow thanks, what a great compliment! I’m so pleased that you find my website interesting. Yes, I have a pea protein powder shake everyday for breakfast and it absolutely fill me up for hours. It’s great stuff, especially as I train a lot. Not many people understand the true benefits of peas and the amazing qualities they have.

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