With summer now in full swing, you may be more active in an exercise routine, whether it be running, hiking, cycling, weight training or your favorite sport. While a healthy diet with quality animal or plant sources of protein generally covers nutritional requirements, athletes and anyone who exercises regularly and intensively enough have been shown to benefit from protein supplements.
The protein powder market is flooded with various forms like whey, casein, collagen, egg, hemp, pea, rice and more. Each of these is touted to be superior in some way, with a sometimes confusing array of measurements such as BV (biological value), PER (protein efficiency ratio), or PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score). In the end, most of these provide a good quantity of essential amino acids, exercise beneficial BCAAs, and each with its own set of side benefits such as immunoglobulins, antioxidants, fiber and more. Animal derived proteins have historically been regarded as more bioavailable, but that gap has been closing with newer plant based products in recent years. So, which one to choose?
This is a pretty individualized question, and it’s not a question of a right or wrong answer, unless you are talking about quality issues i.e. non-gmo soy, grassfed dairy, etc. For those with food allergies or following a strict vegan, vegetarian or paleo diet, the choices are narrowed down a little bit more, but there are still many viable options. For exercise performance, a plant-based protein supplement that rivals animal protein’s usability but also adds immune, inflammation, and digestive support would be an excellent choice.
Designs For Health’s MycoPure
Designs For Health’s MycoPure is a unique new entry into this diverse protein space. MycoPure is a special combination of pea and rice protein fermented with shiitake mushroom. Especially in the clinical world, pea and rice protein combinations have become a popular choice because they are tolerated well by most people with food sensitivities and have all of the essential amino acids. This combo is also rich in l-arginine, which is beneficial to cardiovascular health and exercise performance. The downsides to pea and rice depends on how they are processed. Minimally processed pea/rice proteins can have an unpleasant coarse texture and overly ‘earthy’ flavor. In addition, raw grains and legumes contain anti-nutrients that interfere with nutrient absorption, can irritate the digestive tract, and potentially cause trouble for some people with autoimmune issues. This is why traditional cultures have historically soaked and rinsed beans and grains overnight, to help eliminate some of these problems and make them more digestible.
Fermenting is also a traditional method that helps eliminate anti-nutrients and improve absorption of nutrients. Mycopure uses shiitake mushrooms to ferment with the pea/rice combination to deliver a vegan and allergy friendly complete protein that has a much smoother texter and better absorption than typical plant protein powders. It delivers 20 grams of protein per serving and is high in branched-chain amino acids(BCAAs). Mycopure has a protein digestibility score of 1.0, equivalent to popular animal based proteins.
The benefits do not stop at just high quality protein. In addition to the shiitake mushrooms, Mycopure includes 500mg of micronized blend of medicinal mushrooms called Immune-Assist. Immune-Assist includes well known mushrooms such as Turkey Tail, Reishi, Cordyceps, Agaricus, and more. This combination is rich in polysaccharides known as beta-glucans, known to greatly support immune response. Beta-glucans are also beneficial to the gut microbiome. Medicinal mushrooms also appear to play a helpful role in regulating inflammation, and are rich in various antioxidant compounds like phenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids.
This combination of benefits is potentially useful to a few different groups of people. For those who frequently exercise and train, adding immune and inflammation support to highly digestible protein is a great advantage. The recovery period is essential to gains in athletic performance, and muscle soreness and weakened immune response(from overtraining) are frequent barriers. Mycopure also mixes easily in water, a small but desirable plus for typical on-the-go athletes who want to throw it in a shaker cup. In addition to athletes, those looking to stay healthy as they age can benefit.
Maintaining lean muscle mass is crucial to immune health in senior years, but people tend to lose muscle mass and the ability to absorb nutrients well at this time in life. In addition to moderate exercise, supplementing diet with high quality protein and immune supporting nutrients is an ideal combination in one product. For those who choose to avoid dairy, eggs, and all animal proteins for multiple health reasons, Mycopure is a next step in the evolution of plant based proteins that adds all of these additional health benefits. Whether paleo, vegan, or allergy-restricted diet, Mycopure is a great option for overall health and exercise performance.
Designs For Health’s Mycopure currently comes in two flavors, Chocolate and Golden Milk. Based on the popular traditional health drink, Golden Milk includes turmeric extract, coconut, vanilla, ginger and cinnamon. Some people even like the taste of the two flavors combined. If you are looking for more than a basic protein supplement, Mycopure is a smart place to start!
