Pea Protein vs Egg Protein
9 min read

Pea Protein vs Egg Protein: Everything You Need to Know

Best Protein Powder Clean Lean Protein Diet & Nutrition Education Egg Protein Pea Protein Product_clean-lean-protein Protein Powder Protein Powder Comparison Vegan vegan protein

When adding a protein powder to your nutrition regimen, you have the choice of a plant-based or animal-based protein. While there are additional options out there, let’s compare pea protein (the base of Nuzest’s protein products) as a vegan choice to egg protein as a vegetarian, yet animal-based choice. It helps to take a look at these protein powders side by side to see which one is best for your own needs and goals. Read below to help you settle the pea protein vs egg protein debate.

Table of Contents

What is Egg Protein?

Like other animal products, eggs provide a healthy source of protein, with both the white and the yolk acting as protein sources. Nonetheless, egg protein powders tend to be made up of egg whites alone, so the protein composition is different from eating a natural egg. This type of protein powder gives you an animal-based protein that fits a vegetarian lifestyle but not a vegan one.

What is Pea Protein?

The pea protein in Nuzest’s line comes from European golden peas, also known as yellow split peas. The soluble pea protein is extracted from the peas and made into a plant-based, vegan protein powder that’s easy for your body to use. That's because it's simple for your body to digest this type of protein, and it's very bioavailable. If you're not familiar with pea protein, get a more in-depth picture with this guide.

How Do They Compare, Nutritionally?

Egg white protein and pea protein can both give you about 16-25 grams of protein per approximately 100-calorie serving. Whole eggs contain 6 grams of protein along with 5 grams of fat. Both pea protein and egg protein are lower in fat, cholesterol, carbs and sugars than some other proteins; good sources of potassium and calcium; and gluten-, dairy- and soy-free. Egg white protein fits keto and Paleo diets. Both types fit a vegetarian diet, while only pea protein is vegan. These both give a quality source of protein even if you’re not on a specialty diet.

pea protein

Pea vs Egg Protein: Which is Better?

Egg and pea proteins are both sources of vegetarian protein, and both provide complete protein with the full amino acid profile. Egg protein gives optimal amounts of the essential amino acids, while pea protein offers slightly lower levels of methionine. Nonetheless, pea protein is a complete protein that fits a vegan diet, and it’s easy to make up for the methionine in your diet. Research published in Amino Acids showed that pea protein isolates are one of the plant-based sources with the highest protein content, at 80 percent. In this study, pea protein isolate had a higher protein content than oat, corn, hemp, and lupin protein isolates, and was higher than the 51 percent protein content found in egg protein isolates.1

However, the protein content of pea and egg protein isolates has varied depending on the study. Pea protein isolate also meets the WHO/FAO/UNU amino acid requirements with 30 percent amino acid content, while certain other plant-based proteins do not. This is comparable to egg protein isolate with its 32 percent amino acid content, which is on the lower end compared to other animal-based proteins. Other research found that pea protein worked better than other proteins, including albumin like that found in eggs, at creating satiety before a meal, especially when taken 30 minutes in advance.2

Is Egg Protein a Complete Protein?

Because it’s an animal-based product, egg protein gives you a complete protein source that includes the nine essential amino acids your body needs. You don’t need to add anything else to egg protein to get a complete protein for your diet.

Is Pea Protein a Complete Protein?

Pea protein is a vegan protein source that gives your body all the essential amino acids it needs. It has less of the amino acid methionine than required, yet this amino acid is simple to add to your diet through other vegan food sources such as rice, nuts, sunflower seeds, soybeans, or oats.

Benefits of Egg Protein

Egg protein is beneficial because it provides a complete source of protein while still fitting a vegetarian diet. Eggs give a high-quality source of protein. They are highly digestible and filled with nutrients, including B vitamins that help stimulate energy production.3 However, egg allergies are common, which is a downside of egg protein for impacted people.

Benefits of Pea Protein

Pea protein has so many benefits, and even better, is an environmentally conscious protein that fits a vegan or plant-based diet, which takes less of a toll on the planet than animal-based protein. It avoids the problematic nature of the egg industry. Conventional eggs are produced from chickens in ethically questionable and unhealthy conditions, while pasture-raised eggs are not cost-effective. According to a study published in Food & Nutrition Research, pea protein was effective at creating satiety, comparable to whey protein.4 The study also found that this plant-based protein was quickly bioavailable to the body. Also, pea protein is a good choice for people with an allergy to eggs, which is one of the most common allergies.5

How Do the Tastes Compare?

Pea protein tends to have a neutral taste most people don’t notice, especially when it’s mixed with other flavors or within other food recipes. The taste of egg white protein varies. Some egg proteins are made to have no taste, while some people complain that some types have a bitter or otherwise unpleasant flavor.

Which Do I Choose?

Both pea and egg proteins offer a complete source of protein that fits a vegetarian lifestyle. The main difference is that egg protein is an animal-based product, while pea protein is a plant-based option that can fit a vegan or otherwise environmental- or health-conscious lifestyle. Choose the one that better suits your taste, and lifestyle preferences. You can get pea protein from a variety of products that are easy to add to your diet. Clean Lean Protein by Nuzest provides a plant-based, vegan pea protein that has environmentally friendly values and free from common allergens. It offers 18-21 grams of high-quality protein for every 25 gram serving and is offered in a variety of flavors.

References:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6245118/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22196620
  3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232241300_Egg_Protein_as_a_Source_of_Power_Strength_and_Energy
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25882536
  5. https://farrp.unl.edu/informallbig8