Pea Protein — Is It Really a Healthier Choice?

A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

For the longest time peas were known as the green mushy things kids avoided. These days, though, they’re making a comeback! With the plant-based protein craze, peas have new life and are often the go to source for plant protein shakes. But all in, is it really our healthiest choice?

Pea protein is typically made from yellow peas, mostly grown in Europe and North America. To make pea protein, a factory separates the protein from the starch and fiber. Key takeaway: this means it is not a whole food, and the fiber in your protein powder probably doesn’t come from the pea. When the factory processes peas they create one of three things: pea protein isolate, pea protein concentrate or textured pea protein. The isolate contains only the extracted pea protein and amino acids; this may be the better choice if you’re looking for a protein packed product. The concentrate tends to have less protein and more added carbs or added carbs and fat; if you’re trying to gain weight, this one might be for you. Texturized pea protein is a little less processed than the others but not used in protein shakes; this one you’ll find in alternative meat products.

Two reasons people love pea protein are its bioavailability and carbon footprint. Bioavailability refers to how much and how…