Athletes who train regularly for hours on end have special nutritional requirements over the average person, in which protein is probably at the top of the list to keep muscle and strength at its highest. Protein is the cornerstone of bodybuilding because it helps your body repair the damaged muscle tissues and prevents muscle breakdown. While vegan athletes can get protein in their diet from many different sources such as tofu, almonds, whole grains, vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, and peanuts, sometimes you need more convenient and easier sources just to bump up the intake.

The best protein for vegan athletes an be found in many forms. Protein can be found in many foods but as supplements it can help bridge the gap making it easier and more convenient to get in those calories and fuel your body for optimal performance. Here are some of the top protein sources you can try as a vegan athlete.

Why should athletes buy protein supplements?

The number one reason to buy supplements is to give your body the required amount of protein, which natural food items may not do or we may just not have the means to get enough in with our schedules. You can get this essential nutrient from food items like beans, lentils, chick peas, tofu, quinoa, pulses, oats, chia seeds, and brown rice. Supplements help you meet any gaps and do so effectively and conveniently. The specific amount of protein varies between athletes, depending on factors like body size, hours of training, and body composition. 

Plant-based protein sources are the best option because they help you build muscles, enhance recovery between sessions, maintain a healthy heart, and keep your cardiovascular health in good condition.

Vegan protein powder 

There are various plant based protein powders, which contain purely plant products like watermelon seeds, brown rice, hemp seeds, green or yellow peas, and soy-isolate. Some have a combination of these substances. Below are some subtypes you can choose from.

Pure rice protein 

Rice protein is an excellent alternative to whey protein and provide the same results, made from rice. These usually contain substances like natural flavors, organic vanilla flavor, guar gum, and syrup solids.

Yellow pea protein

Pea protein is a high-quality plant-based supplement that fulfills your nutritional requirements. Extracted from yellow peas, they are nutritious and contain high protein and essential amino acids like valine, lysine, and leucine.

You can use it for smoothies and shakes. Many vegan athletes prefer this product because it is hypoallergenic and carries a low chance of causing allergic reactions. If you’re on a low-carb diet, this is ideal for you as it has +-0 grams of carbohydrates.

Besides supplying your body with the essential nutrients it requires, this protein powder also helps you increase muscle mass if you work out regularly. A study conducted to determine its efficiency found that pea protein powder builds mass at the same rate as dairy-based protein powders.

Organic hemp

Hemp protein is extracted from the cannabis plant by cold-pressing hemp seeds. Unlike other marijuana products, it does not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound responsible for marijuana’s psychoactive effects. Besides protein, it has 22 essential amino acids that repair muscles and improve cognition. You must choose these while looking to lose weight and looking for low-fat products. Unlike animal proteins, it doesn’t contain cholesterol or saturated fats.

What flavors are available?

Nowadays there are many different flavors to choose from, like banana, vanilla, dark chocolate, red velvet cake, or strawberry. If you like your drink flavorless, you can choose an unflavored product and mix it in with smoothies to create your own flavours.

Protein Bars

Protein bars are an alternative to powders and are suitable when you need a quick boost. You will find these extremely helpful when you cannot mix shakes or for when you just feel like a more filling option or as a little treat. 

Each bar usually contains about 21 grams of protein and can come in various delicious flavours such as dark chocolate, chocolate chips, coconut almond butter, peanut butter, and fudge brownie. They contain ingredients like organic almond butter, brown rice syrup, organic protein blend, walnuts, sunflower seeds, coconut sugar, and cinnamon. Be careful though as many do also contain excess ingredients that may not be organic nd could potentially be harmful to you. Be sure to read the ingredient list.

Pre-mixed shakes

Pre-mixed shakes are another option you can choose from as an athlete on a plant-based diet. They are easy to use, convenient, and easily digestible. You can choose from various flavors, including vanilla, dark chocolate, and classic chocolate. Most of the shakes contain about 20 grams of protein. Before buying a shake for yourself, you should read the ingredients and nutritional information on the label to check the calorie content as some may use coconut milk, which may be higher in calories.

The shakes contain ingredients like pea protein, pumpkin seeds, water, sunflower oil, cocoa powder, pink salt, guar gum, and greens. 

Things to check before buying

You should read the labels carefully to confirm whether the product contains ingredients derived from animals like collagen or gelatin. Has the manufacturer mentioned the ingredients and amount per serving? 

Ensuring your nutrition is on point and your protein requirements are met will help to improve athletic performance, help repair muscle , enable faster recovery, repair tissues, and strengthen your immune system. When you combine these with a good diet and workout regiment, you are on your way to success. 

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Healthy muscle growth and recovery is important for everyone, irrespective of whether you are associated with sports or not. But of course, it is most important for bodybuilders and athletes. You should note here that protein, which is one of the three macro-nutrients of your body (the two other being fats and carbohydrates), plays a significant role in muscle growth.

How Protein helps in Muscle Growth & Recovery?

Scientifically, protein is a series of amino acids, combined together as a chain. The links, holding these acids together, are known as peptide links. Amino acids are the primary source of nitrogen in your body. Having a proper nitrogen balance is mandatory for proper muscle repair and growth.

However, increasing the intake of protein, while being on a resistance training program, helps to make the lean muscle mass stronger. Since muscle tissues are continuously in a process of being replaced and repaired, you should take adequate amount of protein to speed up this process of muscle recovery.

Natural Sources of Protein

The usual sources of protein include cheese, egg, milk, chicken, fish, seafood, poultry, pork, beef, lamb, nuts, soy etc. Since nominal amounts of protein are found in starchy and fatty foods, these are usually not included as much, in the diets of bodybuilders (for protein), especially when they are undergoing bodybuilding training.

What are Protein Supplements?

Though there are a number of natural sources of protein, usually bodybuilders and athletes prefer to supplement their diet with protein supplements for optimum results. These bodybuilding supplements are full of protein and nutrients, and are especially designed to assist athletes and bodybuilders achieve their daily protein requirement. Different types of bodybuilding supplements exist, that help in muscle recovery as well as muscle growth and they include protein bars, protein powders, meal replacements, weight gainers etc.

These bodybuilding supplements usually contain 20 to 30 grams of protein per serving more than those typical sources of protein, and are full of minerals and vitamins as well. They are available in different flavors like fruit, peanut butter, or cookies and cream, to name just a few.

How do they work for Muscle Recovery?

Most protein supplements provide your body with the required nutrients to generate amino acids that are essential to build muscle tissue. Though you can use the right foods to get the results, protein supplements, in addition to a well balanced diet, offer effective results more efficiently and quickly.

Most bodybuilders and athletes undergo rigorous physical activities that require protein levels higher than what a normal person would have. So, they benefit from the intake of protein supplements as these products increase their protein intake, and give their muscles more time to recover, in addition to helping them grow faster as well.

Why use Protein Supplements?

• Most of the hardcore athletes make it a point to consume at least 5 to 8 meals of protein daily. Cooking or preparing the food containing this much amount of protein will take a huge amount of time.
• These bodybuilding supplements are really convenient and easy to use as they hardly require any refrigeration or maintenance, and you can carry them on the move as they are absolutely portable.
• While helping in muscle recovery to a great extent, these supplements are quite cost-effective too.  In fact, when compared to popular protein sources like beef or salmon, protein powders are comparatively less costly.
• Most importantly, protein supplements help you to maintain proper protein timing, which is absolutely essential to maximize muscle recovery and muscle growth. They enable you to have a slow digesting or a fast digesting protein meal, as per your requirement.

Some popular types of Protein supplements for Muscle Recovery:

Though there are plenty of these supplements available in the market, some of the ones with clinically proven records include:

• Test Freak. This happens to be one of the popular supplements for muscle growth as it contains ingredients like Trigotest, which is an excellent Fenugreek extract, in addition to zinc, anti-aromatase compounds, Testofen etc. The testosterone boosting ingredients in this product encourage testosterone to bind to androgen receptors on muscle tissue, thus stimulating the body’s muscle-building mechanisms. The intake of this product also encourages an increased rate of protein synthesis and formation of new muscle fibers.
• Amino Freak. This is an effective supplement for muscle growth with a unique amino acid formula. This contains clinically-proven dosage of amino acid and L-Carnitine, and speeds up the process of muscle recovery. It also helps reduce muscle tissue damage after exercises by up to 10%. Moreover, it uses a special technology which prevents amino acid degradation in your stomach. Its patented element, Astragin, helps increase amino acid absorption by 62%.
• Anabolic Freak. Though it is a testosterone booster like Test Freak, it has a completely different formula. This product provides your body with clinically-proven dose of D-Aspartic Acid (DAA), which supports natural testosterone production. This supplement also provides estrogen and cortisol support ingredients. In order to achieve maximized results, it is advisable to have both Anabolic Freak and Test Freak alternatively, in a cycle of 30 days.

To get the best possible results, you need to be careful about the usage of these supplements. It’s best to consult your an expert such as a personal trainer or doctor before using such bodybuilding and protein supplements.

Bio: This post was written by James Hundson fitness expert. I research & write reviews on health, fitness, muscle recovery , healthy supplements, exercise, weight loss, massage, yoga, diet, alternative medicine, sports, and much more.

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