Legumes, soy and plant protein
Pea protein on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 75 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), isolate powder, dry, for around 380 calories. One scoop, about 30 g (1.1 oz), gives roughly 22 g of protein for 114 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from pea protein alone you would need about 40 g (1.4 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How pea protein sits on a GLP-1
Pea protein isolate is the workhorse of the plant powders: about 75 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), so a 30 g (1 oz) scoop is around 22 g, with more leucine than most plant proteins and a decent iron content. It mixes thick, tastes earthy, and can be gritty in water. On a GLP-1 the thickness is the thing to manage, because a thick shake fills a small stomach faster than a thin one. More liquid and a blender fix most of it.
When your appetite is small
Mix it thinner than the tub says. One scoop in 300 ml (10 fl oz) of soy milk or water, blended rather than shaken, drinks like a milkshake instead of a paste, and 22 g goes down in a few minutes. Unflavoured pea protein also stirs into soup, dal or mashed potato, which is where it earns its keep on a savoury day.
Three ways to prepare it
Blended thin with fruit and soy milk
A scoop, half a banana, 300 ml of soy milk and ice in a blender. The fruit covers the earthy taste and the blender removes the grit.
Stirred into a bowl of soup or dal
A scoop of unflavoured pea protein whisked into a mug of hot soup adds 22 g and thickens it slightly. Do it off the heat so it does not clump.
Baked into a batch of protein pancakes
Half oats, half pea protein, an egg and soy milk. Six small pancakes at about 8 g each, frozen and reheated one or two at a time.
What to eat it with
Banana, cocoa, peanut butter, oats or coffee in a shake; soup, dal or mash in a savoury bowl. Pea protein blends best with rice protein, which fills in the amino acids it is short of, and most vegan blends are built that way.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pea protein | about 75 g | 380 kcal | this page |
| Plant protein blend | about 72 g | 380 kcal | See the page |
| Whey isolate | about 90 g | 370 kcal | See the page |
| Soy milk | about 3.3 g | 50 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, isolate powder, dry, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Pea protein or pea protein isolate in all three countries, sold on its own or as the main ingredient in vegan protein blends. The scoop size varies between brands from about 25 to 40 g (0.9 to 1.4 oz), so the protein per scoop on the tub ranges from about 18 to 30 g.
Questions people ask
Is pea protein as good as whey for building muscle?
Close, not identical. A scoop of pea protein carries a little less leucine than the same scoop of whey, so a slightly bigger serve, or a pea and rice blend, evens it out. For someone who cannot use dairy, it is the plant powder we suggest first.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.