From mensfitness.co.uk
Want to eat less animal products but don’t know if you can get enough protein? We asked an expert how effective vegan protein options really are
Nowadays there are so many different protein options available, it can be difficult to know which to choose. On the up side, the various alternatives mean it’s becoming increasingly easy to ensure you’re getting enough protein, all the while avoiding animal products. But there is still a debate on whether you can achieve the same results on vegan supplements and food alternatives.
According to expert nutritionist, personal trainer and Men’s Health business owner, Joshua Clamp, you can get equivalent gains on a vegan diet, but you need to put a little more effort into making sure you’re having what you need.
“When it comes to the actual protein of food, vegan foods or plant foods – it’s the whole diet context that matters,” says Josh. “An individual food may have less protein or may be less bioavailable, so you need to be more careful that you’re matching your protein sources and getting enough of all your essential amino acids.”
“You can do it – it’s manageable, and it produces the same results if you do it effectively. You just need to put more care into it.” But what about when it comes to protein supplements on a vegan diet? Are they as effective? We found out.
Are vegan protein supplements as effective as animal proteins?
“They’re both very effective,” says Josh. “Whey is marginally more effective at increasing muscle protein synthesis than soy, due to its amino acid profile. However, increases in lean mass can be seen with both soy and whey, particularly in the short term – and when overall protein intake is adequate (when combined with resistance training); this means it’s still a good option for vegans.”
“I think whey as a gold standard is a good quality protein,” he says. “Obviously you can get different kinds of whey – you can get whey concentrate, whey isolate, (which is basically more refined versions of the same protein, meaning it has a bigger impact) – and you have the same thing with soy.”
“People can argue about the specific amino acid profile or bioavailability, but when you look at the actual protein matched randomized control trials, the results are the same as long as you’re matching the total protein that you are taking,” says Josh. “Maybe it needs a slightly higher portion of the soy protein, but we’re talking grams! It has the same effect in terms of the outcome.”
But what about results within vegan protein? “Within that there’s a spectrum,” says Josh. “If you are breaking it down in terms of other plant proteins, the quality of that protein reduces slightly. You may find pea protein or hemp protein separately, but if you have them together they complement each other in terms of their amino acid profiles,” he explains.
“That’s often why in history you see some kind of pulse or bean with rice or a grain across many cultures and cuisines – you have a grain protein which lacks some amino acids, and a bean protein which lacks different amino acids – but together they make a complete protein,” he explains.
And what about soy – is it healthy?
There have been some murmurs that you should be careful how much soy you have, and that it can contain lots of hormones. But is there any truth to this? “Too much of anything can be a bad thing,” says Josh. “[You can have] too much water!”
“In terms of the amount that people eat generally, whether it’s soy protein, tofu, seitan, or soybeans, the amounts of phytoestrogens that you’re taking in are negligible – so small that they’re not gonna have a real physiological impact,” reassures Josh.
“Yes, they are present, and yes, if in particular circumstances where someone is consuming a lot and they have a particularly high sensitivity, or there’s other factors at play, then it might be worthwhile not having loads – but that’s not to say that it’s bad because soy contains phytoestrogens,” he says.
“The whole narrative of which I’ve heard so many times that soy gives you man boobs is a load of rubbish!”
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