{"id":3356,"date":"2021-01-26T12:08:13","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T12:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/?post_type=health&p=3356"},"modified":"2021-04-27T17:25:10","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T17:25:10","slug":"rice-protein-powder","status":"publish","type":"health","link":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/health-fitness\/vegan-protein-powder\/rice-protein-powder\/","title":{"rendered":"Rice Protein Powder"},"content":{"rendered":"
Rice is probably better known as a source of carbohydrates than as a good source of vegan protein<\/a>. And though white rice contains only around 4% protein and brown rice somewhere between 5% and 9%, this can be increased significantly when it is processed into plant-based protein powder.<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll delve into rice protein. We\u2019ll explain how rice protein is made, how it compares from a nutritional perspective to other protein powder options and whether you can make your own homemade protein powder from the rice in your food cupboard. First though, let\u2019s take a look at the possible benefits and drawbacks of rice protein powder.<\/p>\n MyProtein's Brown Rice Protein is made entirely of brown rice, with no added flavouring or any other ingredients. Their website even boasts that it is hypo allergenic.<\/p>\n Each scoop provides 23g of protein per serving.<\/p>\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n One of the main advantages of rice protein over all those that are made from animal-derived ingredients is that rice is a lot more environmentally friendly. From a vegan perspective, clearly, the fact that no animals are harmed to produce rice protein is a big plus. But how does it stack up on the protein front?<\/p>\n Well, pretty well, truth be told. There are various rice protein powder products on the market and some of them pack in 80g of protein per 100g of powder, which is comparable to most other vegan protein powder<\/a> and indeed non-vegan options, such as whey protein.<\/p>\n Delving into the makeup of the protein content of rice protein powder and it holds up well compared to most plant based protein powder<\/strong>. The only amino acid that rice protein lacks in sufficient quantity is lysine. This is not a major problem for a couple of reasons: Firstly, lysine is not one of the branched-chain amino acids that are often the focus of those seeking to build muscles, and secondly, you easily gain extra lysine by mixing rice protein with pea protein, or indeed from your diet. Quinoa, lentils, many soy products, and various seeds and nuts are all good sources.<\/p>\n A more significant point to note is that rice protein powder contains a significant amount of leucine, which is one of the BCAAs and one that is key to muscle growth. Though it still falls a little short of whey protein on the leucine front, it is not far behind. And, clearly, vegans or those with milk<\/a> allergies will be giving whey the swerve anyway, so this is a very good alternative to whey.<\/p>\n One of the big plusses of rice protein for many people is that it contains nothing that people tend to be allergic to. Having said that, those with very severe allergies should always heed any cross-contamination warnings if the rice protein has been made in an environment that handles milk, eggs or anything else to which you might react badly. For most people though, rice protein is great on the allergen front: it is gluten free, dairy free, soy free and contains no nuts.<\/p>\n One of the main downsides of rice protein powder is the flavour. Unlike the more subtle flavours of pea protein powder<\/a> and, to a lesser extent, hemp protein powder<\/a>, many people find the taste of rice protein to be somewhat chalky or even bitter. This drawback can be masked to an extent if you are mixing the powder into food or shakes with strong flavours or if it comes with flavour added. But there is little doubt that many people find it the least palatable of the protein powders derived from plants.<\/p>\n Another downside of rice \u2013 at least compared to some other plant sources of protein, such as peas or hemp \u2013 is that its production uses a fair amount of fresh water and creates a significant amount of methane (as the flooding of rice fields results in anaerobic fermentation in the soil). The amount of methane is vastly less than that produced by cattle, however, so when measured on potential environmental harm, rice is still far better than the likes of whey protein.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Protein powder made from rice doesn\u2019t quite offer what would be termed a complete protein as it falls a little short when it comes to one of the essential amino acids: lysine. Pea protein, on the other hand, is lacking in cysteine and methionine. Luckily, pea protein provides a good dose of lysine and rice protein is high in cysteine and methionine. So, you might be asking, why not combine the two?<\/p>\n Why not indeed. That\u2019s exactly what many protein powder producers have done, either with just pea and rice protein or with even more extensive plant protein blends that incorporate some other vegan protein sources too (sometimes to boost things like omega fatty acids, as are contained within hemp protein).<\/p>\n Of course, there is no reason why you cannot simply create your own blend from a mix of your favourite powders, but be sure to measure the amounts so you can easily calculate how much of the various nutrients you are consuming and you don\u2019t take in more of anything than you would like or would be useful to you.<\/p>\n So, if a particular pea protein has a recommended serving size of 30g and the rice protein you choose has a recommended serving size of 20g, you should combine 15g of the former with 10g of the latter to get what should be more or less a recommended serving of the combined powder. Or you can just buy a premade plant blend if you want to save the hassle.<\/p>\n Here we list the nutritional data from a popular rice protein powder and a popular whey protein powder.<\/p>\nBest Rice Protein Powder (April, 2024)<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n MyProtein:\r\n \r\n Brown Rice Protein\r\n <\/h3>\r\n
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Rice Protein Powder: Pros & Cons<\/h2>\n
Lysine & Leucine<\/h3>\n
Generally Good for Those with Allergies<\/h3>\n
The Taste<\/h3>\n
The Environment<\/h3>\n
Rice & Peas: A Match Made in Protein Heaven?<\/h2>\n
Rice Protein Powder Nutritional Values<\/h2>\n
Rice Protein Isolate Nutritional Data<\/h3>\n