Pea Protein Powder Or Whey Protein Powder, Which Is Healthier

[Joseph Maynor]

I'm moving away from whey, maybe without good cause.

I'm currently using a brand called MRM Veggie Elite Performance Protein.

Edited August 2, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[zazed]

It's a good question, and i had the same question when i went vegetarian/vegan, and whey is actually not that unhealthy as far as i found. It's not a typical animal protein in that regard. Even the china studies and such, that say casein is bad and can cause cancer, don't really apply to whey, which is free of casein.
Also interesting to note is "The protein in cow's milk is 20% whey protein and 80% casein protein, whereas the protein in human milk is 60% whey and 40% casein". For me this implies whey is actually more suited for humans since human milk has a lot more whey in it. But that is just my bro-science, which proves nothing.  

Whey protein is also a waste-product of the cheese industries, so its a bit more ecological than eating actual meats/milk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein  
It can even prevent cancer some statistics show (which may mean nothing at all):

Quote

Various experiments showed that tumour prevention by dietary whey protein was accompanied by increased glutathione levels in serum and tissues as well as enhanced splenic lymphocyte proliferation, phagocytosis and natural killer, T helper and cytotoxic T cell activity. Whey protein components, β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin and serum albumin were studied infrequently, but results suggest they have anticancer potential. The minor component lactoferrin has received the most attention; it inhibits intestinal tumours and perhaps tumours at other sites. Lactoferrin acts by induction of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, modulation of carcinogen metabolising enzymes and perhaps acting as an iron scavenger. Supplementing cows with selenium increases the content of selenoproteins in milk, which on isolation inhibited colon tumorigenesis in rats.
http://www.eurekaselect.com/58974/article

That's not to say pea protein is bad http://www.today.com/health/pea-protein-it-new-soy-t10501. From a pure health perspective it may perhaps be the safer more certain choice. But... the amino acids are be a bit incomplete, so if muscle gain is your primary goal, whey will be undisputed king i'm afraid.

In the end, i think it doesn't matter that much. And training will overcome the little difference between whey/pea protein.
You could buy some vegetarian BCAA's, if you want to keep going vegan, and have similar benefits as from whey. Since the BCAA's is mostly what is missing in vegetarian diets/powders.

The only reason I switched back to whey from Soy protein, is because there was a specific blend that contained extra L-glutamine, creatine, HMB, dextrose, oats, together with the whey, that was ideal for me for a post cardio workout, mainly because of the carbs, glutamine and creatine. And i'd rather not have all those different bags lying around, having to mix them. It also ended up being cheaper also premade. If i could buy it with soy or pea, i really would. Since I eat vegan for health reasons mostly, it was also a good way to get quality proteins in me easily, although i lose my 100% vegan badge  

Also, now i'm hungry for pea soup  

Edited August 2, 2017 by zazed
added anti cancer quote

[pluto]

Plant-Based is always healthier for the human body. We are genetically closer to apes than anything else.

I use a combination of either Brown Rice and Pea and or Hemp protein after my heavy training sessions

Never felt bloated or sick after switching to plant protein and foods.

 

You can simply go on google images and type "plant vs whey protein" You will see a lot of reasons why and also if you can click the individual links for further research.

Edited August 3, 2017 by pluto

[Siim Land]

Whey protein itself is the most bioavailable source of protein in the world - it's biochemically very similar to mother's milk. It's very good for you. T

HE HUGE PROBLEM IS THOUGH, practically all whey protein products are contaminated with other additives, extra sugar, artificial sweeteners and also they also have a lot of potential toxic metals. The same may apply to plant based powders. So, it's brand that matters more than a general comparison.

In the case of 100% organic and clean whey vs 100% organic clean pea protein, then it would be whey that wins in terms of bioavailability.

You'd also have to know what your purpose with consuming the protein is. If you want to build muscle or recover from workouts, then whey is obviously better. If you want to use it as a meal replacement without spiking your blood sugar or insulin, then a plant based approach is better. 

 

[Socrates]

@Joseph Maynor The pea protein is healthier. A by product of milk is not healthy for you because you are not supposed to consume another species milk.

@Siim Land Bioavailability has nothing to do with health. In terms of health, the animal products lose every time.

 

 

[pluto]

Whey being more bio-available than hemp? yeah i don't buy how an animal by product can be more than plant when we are pretty much plant-eaters by nature.

Again with the image below says it all and not once could anyone disagree with it because its right in front of us.

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by pluto

[Loreena]

@Joseph Maynor  Do you really need protein powder ?

[AleksM]

Pea protein powder.

Most whey products are made from diary products, also they contain artificial sweeteners, check the contents. It's really hard to find a protein powder made from plants + natural sweetener in my local area (only hemp protein for example but it's expensive). So whenever I buy protein powder I buy Pea protein - natural flavor.

[JustinS]

https://www.amazon.com/Sunwarrior-Warrior-Organic-Protein-servings/dp/B07176RL5T/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502123350&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=sunwarrior%2Bwarrior%2Bblend%2Braw%2Bprotein&th=1

This is the good stuff. 

Ingredients:

Proprietary Protein Blend (Raw Organic Pea Protein, Raw Cranberry Protein, Raw Organic Hemp Seed Protein), Medium Chain Triglycerides from Coconut

[Psychonaut]

I got a high quality whey protein from Irish grass fed cows. It took me quite a while to find a protein powder that is plain and has no added sweeteners or flavours. It costs double the price, but I think it's worth it.

I have tried rice protein and it taste nasty and has a grainy consistency. 

I'm not further bothering with plant proteins. They don't have the full amino acid profile so why bother?

[pluto]

On 8/8/2017 at 2:32 AM, Psychonaut said:

I got a high quality whey protein from Irish grass fed cows. It took me quite a while to find a protein powder that is plain and has no added sweeteners or flavours. It costs double the price, but I think it's worth it.

I have tried rice protein and it taste nasty and has a grainy consistency. 

I'm not further bothering with plant proteins. They don't have the full amino acid profile so why bother?

Of course they do lol you have been misinformed. Soy or Pea does for example or they have hemp/pea or pea/brown rice ect.. There are many good ones out there, yes some of the older ones are grainy but you shouldn't judge based on one poor product they are much better nowadays if you know your sources and besides its not like you don't get rest of amino acids from diet, come on its time to think more critical its a big year of change!

Edited August 10, 2017 by pluto

[Ricky Walt]

On 03/08/2017 at 8:46 PM, Siim Land said:

Whey protein itself is the most bioavailable source of protein in the world - it's biochemically very similar to mother's milk. It's very good for you.

That's not true.

Cows milk is biochemically engineered (by nature) to match the DNA structure of cows, and therefore it's maximum absorption only ever happens for cows. Same story with mothers milk, which matches humans and can most easily be absorbed my humans. There is literally a plethora of academic studies that support this.

imo pea protein is the way to go. The average whey protein % is somewhere in the range of 25% - 45%, while most pea proteins, especially the unrefined ones come in at a whopping 70%-80%.

[pluto]

The latest information i have gathered from the nutrition experts i know or follow currently say a mixture of "Pea & Hemp" protein seems most optimal for our bodies. I believe Soy is also Excellent, especially NON-GMO organically grown soy but many people say other things so there is a lot confusion with soy going around and nothing too solid yet.

[Ricky Walt]

I haven't done excessive amounts of research into soy but some of the things I have discovered in a cursory glance is that the soy bean contains some compound that mimics estrogen. i.e. it isn't estrogen, but the human body mistakes it for estrogen and in response to the intake of soy, balances out the perceived increase in estrogen by increasing a number of other hormones (not testosterone unfortunately). Soy has come under criticism for this, but the thing is that the amounts we are talking about here are very small. We talking the kind of quantities here that are irrelevant. Even so, our pro meat colleagues still choose to jump on the bandwagon and used this as a point of argument.

All this is very technical though so I don't know how practical it ends up being