Protein is an important macronutrient for both muscle growth and fat loss. Protein is required to build muscle and maintain a healthy weight. If you are trying to improve your health or lose weight, the Best Plant Based Protein Powder can be effective. However, many people have trouble finding high calorie protein sources that are also vegan-friendly. This article provides some great options that will push your muscles to the limit!
Why Vegan Protein Sources?
If you’re interested in adding vegan protein sources into your diet, this article should provide some good options: they’ll offer high calorie protein while being easy on the body (no meat).
One thing to consider is that protein is of the most important macro-nutrients for gaining muscle, in addition to the daily recommended requirements (REM). If you’re looking for sustainable muscle gains and a lean body, protein intake should be about a gram per pound of body weight (1g/lb). For example, if your body weight is 150 pounds, then about 125 calories a day would be perfect for building muscle.
Another good reason to make protein a priority is that it’s beneficial for our health. The Institute of Medicine recommends that everyone between the ages of 0 – 70 get 56% of their calories from carbohydrates, 25% from fat and 20% from protein. The key is to make sure you are getting enough calories from protein-rich sources.
Top 5 Vegan Protein Sources:
1) Quinoa
Quinoa is one of the best vegan protein sources, with a great amino acid profile (including all 9 essential amino acids). It has 8 grams of complete protein per cup! Quinoa is also high in fiber, so it will help to fill you up and keep your insulin levels low. These factors make quinoa a great choice for anyone looking to bulk up or lose weight without drastically changing their diet.
2) Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are another high-protein vegan source. Chia seeds provide about 4 grams of complete protein per tablespoon. This type of protein is also naturally low in calories, so if you’re looking to lose weight, chia seeds can help you maintain your lean muscle while limiting calorie intake at the same time.
3) Hemp Seeds (Hempseeds)
Hemp seeds are a great source of complete protein and have a very high calcium to magnesium ratio. If you’re serious about bulking up then hemp is one of the best choice out there because it is capable of building lots of muscle mass! Hemp has been used for energy and building muscle since ancient times. This is what causes so many people to shy away from hemp, as it is not as common or talked about as other plant-based protein sources. Hempseeds are great because they taste good and have all 21 amino acids.
4) Soy Protein
Soy protein (soybeans) have a high amount of complete protein. Soy protein is a staple in many weight loss programs because soy is an excellent source of the fat-burning, testosterone boosting hormone, androgenic albinism (AA). If you’re looking to lose fat, soy can be your best friend. The hormone that soy contains in abundance are known as phytoandrogens. All plants contain them, but some more than others.
Soy protein has been shown to be the best type of protein for building lean muscle mass. Research shows that soy is a very powerful tool for stimulating muscle protein synthesis, which means that it is capable of increasing production of new muscle protein in the body.
5) Hemp Hearts / Hemp Seed Flakes / Leins / Lins/ Linseeds
These are all forms of hemp seed (hemp hearts, hemp seeds and flakey hemp seeds), and they are perfect for anyone looking to build muscle mass. Hemp seed flour has been used since the days of ancient Egypt as a food source.