Why We Chose Plant-Based Protein Over Whey

23 Dec 20215 min read

WHY WE
CHOSE PLANT-
BASED PROTEIN
OVER WHEY

Whenever people think of protein powder, they almost always think of whey. Whey is a protein made from cow’s milk. More specifically, it’s made from the leftovers of cheese production (uh, yum?). For a long time, whey has dominated the protein powder world so much that not many people know that it isn’t the only type of protein powder out there. But now, we’re seeing more and more plant-based protein powders around – and there’s very good reason why.

Usually made from pea, rice or soy protein, plant-based protein powder differs from whey protein in a number of ways. Alex, one of our (very sporty) co-founders, goes into detail about why he switched from taking whey protein to plant-based protein – and why he’d love you to give it a try too.

I’ll be honest, I used to think whey protein was the only option too. I drank it after a heavy lifting sesh at the gym, or a gruelling 90 minutes on the football pitch, or instead of breakfast. It was pretty affordable and it tasted okay, so I kept drinking it.

But then, around 2014, I started to feel that whey just wasn’t for me any more. I actually began dreading the moments when I had to take my shakes. So, I started looking for alternatives.

While I was at uni in London, I saw a few of my friends having plant-based protein powders – these seemed so alien to me at the time, but I decided to try some. And to my amazement I discovered three things: first of all, I was surprised by how high the protein content of plant-based protein powder could be (this is coming from a guy who thought you had to have at least three steaks a day to get your protein fix!).

Secondly, I was also surprised that some plant-based proteins actually tasted good. Like, genuinely delicious. But most importantly for me, plant-based protein just suited my lifestyle better – I started enjoying my shakes again. I’ve never looked back to whey since.

To this day, I stand devoted to plant-based protein powders. Honestly, for me those dairy shakes are simply *whey* out of date, you guys. I started Heyday with my solid belief that plant-based protein is truly the right choice for living life your way. With our Heyday plant protein powders, I’m super psyched for you all to make the switch like I did. You’ll be so glad you did.

Our other (also very sporty!!) co-founder, Karn Chatikavanij is equally devoted to plant-based eating. A vegetarian since she was 18, she came to realise you can easily and deliciously get all the protein you need from plants.

I was an accidental vegetarian. When I started university, it was my first time doing my own grocery shopping and cooking. At the supermarket, I often found myself subconsciously staying away from the meat section because all the uncooked meat looked and smelled quite weird to me. I guess it was sort of the first time I really became aware of what meat was like before it was cooked and prepared for you on a plate! I also didn’t like the way meat felt, and couldn’t bring myself to cook it. So, gradually, I stopped eating meat. Even at home I began to find meat much less appetising.

Then, after about a year of not eating meat, I noticed my body had changed quite a lot, and I was told that I was deficient in vitamin B12 and iron – nutrients that are mainly found in animal products. Because I was an accidental vegetarian, it meant I was quite bad at it.

I was recommended by a lot of people to start eating meat again, and I almost did. But then, I was given another reason to give up meat. The world had started waking up to the huge environmental damage that the meat industry was causing, and after reading countless articles and watching several documentaries, I decided I wanted to stick to my plant-based diet. But I had to make it work for me nutritionally.

So I started looking seriously into eating plant-based: following a bunch of plant-based influencers on Instagram; collecting recipe and meal inspiration from blogs and Pinterest; listening to audiobooks by plant-based health gurus, and finding advice from vegan fitness trainers. It turns out that the plant-based world has so much to offer. People always think your diet becomes much more restricted when you don’t eat meat, but there are far more varieties of plants you can eat than meat. And contrary to popular belief, many of them contain even more protein than meat on a weight-to-weight comparison. I started having a lot of fun getting creative with my plant-based meals.

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Why We Chose Plant-Based Protein Over Whey