When choosing the protein source for our vegan balls it was important to us that it was as natural and beneficial to the body as the whey protein we are using in our other balls.
After a lot of research we decided that both pea and brown rice protein would be great choices and here is why...
For a start surprisingly, they contain more protein than whole milk when compared in their raw form per 100g! [i][ii] Another important benefit is that like whey, they are both not too difficult for the body to digest, unlike many other plant proteins, meaning that they can get to work quickly in the body which is important for post exercise repair. In fact, studies have shown that both types of plant protein are as effective in supporting muscle growth and repair as whey protein when consumed alongside resistance training.
One of the main reasons for this is that pea and brown rice protein contain almost all of the essential amino acids that the body can’t make itself and so we must get this from food, including; leucine, isoleucine and valine all of which are particularly important for muscle repair and growth. [iii][iv]
It was really important to us that our vegan protein balls contained all nine essential amino acids like our whey product. We knew however that this would be difficult to achieve using only one type of plant protein as most plant sources cannot provide them all when used on their own.
This is the case for both brown rice protein and pea protein individually as they do not contain all nine essential amino acids. Pea protein only contains small amounts of methionine and cysteine and brown rice protein has only low levels of lysine. Together however they do provide a complete protein source with all nine amino acids present at the required level, so it made perfect sense to use a 50/50 combination of the two. [v]
The final element that sealed the deal for brown rice protein and pea protein is that neither contain allergens which means that everyone would be able to enjoy them, regardless of their dietary requirements.
To find out all you need to know about protein, check out our FAQs here.
References
[i] https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/296118224
[ii] https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/252207566
[iii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4307635/
[iv] https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-12-86
[v] https://vegfaqs.com/pea-protein-amino-acid-profile/
