- Are you looking for different sources of protein?
- Does the type of protein you eat matter?
- Does rice protein help build muscle?
Brown rice protein powder has many benefits for health and fitness, for all diets and lifestyles. It provides a convenient source of protein for vegetarians and others who follow restricted diets. Being allergen -friendly, it may also make an excellent choice for individuals with dairy, soy and/or gluten allergies. Like other protein sources, brown rice protein can assist in weight loss or weight management, with the advantage of being very low fat and low calorie.
Rice protein can lead to fat loss and lower cholesterol. It can also help with recovery and gains in muscle when taken after exercise.
Excellent Amino Acid Profile
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and rice protein contains the 9 essential amino acids, that is amino acids that cannot be created within the human body, thus need to be supplied by the diet. Despite differences in the amino acid profile to other protein sources, it has been shown to be as good as whey at building muscle, strength & aiding in exercise recovery.
Low in Heavy Metals
Not all rice proteins are created equal and the benefits usually outweigh the negatives. All plant foods have some levels of heavy metals that are naturally occurring including spinach, avocados, peanut butter, asparagus and even kale and lettuce. This includes rice protein.
Vegetarian and Vegan
Brown rice protein powder provides a supplemental source of dietary protein for vegetarians and/or vegans who cannot use animal proteins. Due to advances in protein extraction methods, brown rice protein can successfully be separated from the grain or starch. Since protein is an essential macro-nutrient often lacking in vegetarians, protein powders with rice protein can help insure you are getting the nutrients your body needs.
Allergen-Friendly
Some individuals cannot eat egg, milk and soy-derived protein due to allergies. For example, the milk proteins such as whey, casein, lactoferrin can cause severe allergic reactions that result in effects ranging from nausea, diarrhea/vomiting to even anaphylactic shock. Brown rice protein powder may be an alternative. It is a naturally free of gluten, the wheat, rye and barley protein that some manufacturers add to powders or products.
Muscle Recovery & Strength
Muscles are structures made mostly from protein. Intense physical training or simply every day activities cause muscle to breakdown. The body uses dietary proteins to provide the amino acids for rebuilding your muscles. For recovery from workouts try 30 to 50g of protein. While the proteins of brown rice are more slowly digested than whey or egg proteins, brown rice still contains all of the necessary amino acids. Rice protein may facilitate gains in muscle, power and strength in athletes performing weight-bearing exercises 3 times a week.
Thermic Effect of Protein
Proteins have a “thermic” effect, meaning that they create heat in the body through the process of digestion. Since proteins take a lot of energy to digest, you burn more calories after eating a meal high in protein. In fact, up to 30 percent of protein’s calories get burned through its digestion.
Blood Sugar
Dietary protein has another important effect on your weight loss efforts. Blood sugar will spike in response to carbohydrate based foods thereby causing the pancreas to secrete the hormone insulin to facilitate the storage of circulating nutrients. Large insulin spikes that result from high or simple carbohydrate-containing meals (e.g. white rice, white bread or sweets) may trigger fat storage and may lead to insulin resistance. This can also lead to subsequent drastic drops in blood sugar which result in fatigue. Consuming or combining protein with a meal helps to regulate this blood sugar and insulin effect to potentially prevent body fat storage.