Protein & Purition: Everything you need to know

Woman holding Purition Vegan Blackcurrant 500g bag surrounded by greenery

Protein, protein, protein. It’s found in every single cell in your body, it’s the building blocks of your bones, muscles, cartilage, hair and skin and it even supports immunity.

Simply put: it’s pretty important stuff. The good news? With 16– 20g protein per serving, plus additional protein from milk or yoghurt you use to prepare it, Purition is an easy way to get the protein you need.

So today, we’re talking ALL things Purition and protein. Find out about our multi-source protein, how we source our protein powders and why we don’t include ultra-high, token amounts of protein in our blends.

Where does the protein in Purition come from?

Nutritional variety is one of the most important aspects of a healthy balanced diet.

When you consume Purition, you’re getting protein from at least 8 different sources, including:

Flax, sunflower seeds, almonds, coconut, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, plus additional protein from whey protein isolate or European plant protein.

Nutritional variety is one of the most important aspects of a healthy balanced diet.

When you consume Purition, you’re getting protein from at least 8 different sources, including:

Flax, sunflower seeds, almonds, coconut, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, plus additional protein from whey protein isolate or European plant protein.

Lines of nuts and seeds

1. Nuts & seeds

Our 7 core nuts and seeds provide plenty of protein, alongside fibre and healthy plant-based fats.

All of the individual seeds and nuts in Purition contain protein with different amino acid profiles – and that’s a good thing!

Amino acids play many important roles in the body, so eating a wide variety of protein sources helps to ensure that you’re getting all the amino acids that your body needs.

2. Whey protein isolate

Purition Original contains additional protein from triple-filtered whey protein isolate (WPI).

It’s made from mostly British milk, which means no growth hormones were used and the cows are reared outdoors on grass.

The intensive filtering process results in a high protein content (around 95%+), with very little sugar and lactose, making it a great choice if you can’t tolerate dairy well. 

We’re often asked if WPI will have a negative effect on blood glucose. The answer is no! WPI actually improves the insulin response – and our diabetic customers report that Purition has a negligible effect on their blood glucose levels.

Bowl of whey protein isolate on blue tea towel
Bowl of hemp protein on grey tea towel

3. European plant protein

Purition Vegan contains additional protein from multiple European grown plant proteins, including pea, pumpkin, sunflower and hemp.

Plants contain all essential amino acids (EAAS). Generally, the levels are simply lower in comparison to animal proteins. By combining different vegan protein sources over the course of the day, it’s easy to get all the amino acids you need.

To help you achieve this, we combine several different plant protein types in our vegan blends:

European pea protein

China produces and exports an estimated 100,000 tonnes of pea protein per year, but we don’t feel comfortable with the carbon footprint damage in exporting goods from China.

We source our pea protein from France. It’s twice the price of the Chinese alternative, but the reduced carbon footprint is more important than our profit margin. 

Plus, our pea protein is eco-friendly, with a short supply chain, no use of nitrogen fertilisers or chemical solvents, no need for irrigation systems and a higher yield vs animal proteins.

British grown hemp protein

Hemp is one of the most planet-friendly plants on earth. It absorbs more CO2 per hectare than any other forest or commercial crop, replenishes the soil it grows in and doesn’t require any pesticides or herbicides to flourish.

Our hemp protein is obtained by cold pressing, milling and sieving British grown hemp seeds, which are then ground into a smooth powder.

Low food miles and eco-friendly credentials made hemp a Purition no-brainer!

European sunflower & pumpkin protein

Our Organic Sunflower Seed Protein is made in Germany from European-grown organic sunflower seeds.

It’s made by roasting sunflower seeds and cold-pressing them for their oil. The remaining seed is then ground into a smooth protein powder.

The same goes for our European-grown pumpkin seeds, except these are roasted for 45 mins at 100 degrees before pressing.

Why isn’t Purition as high in protein as other brands?

Woman holding glass of Purition Chocolate with nutrient labels

Like many aspects of nutrition, it can be hard to separate protein fact from fiction. Protein – especially protein powders and shakes – can be a really confusing subject.

Here are 3 reasons why we don’t overload Purition with token amounts of protein (and why the ~25g protein you’ll gain from a serving with milk or yoghurt is optimal).

1. Your body can only use around 20g protein in one sitting

You’ll have seen protein powders all over Instagram and on the gym floor, but did you know that, for most people, they’re unnecessary? In recent years, the importance of excessively high protein intake has been overstated.

According to a study published by the British Dietetic Association, most people in the UK are over-consuming protein. Plus, muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is maximised with an intake of approximately 20–30g of high-quality protein.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t eat more than this in a single meal – but it does mean that excess protein won’t lead to bigger muscles. It’ll either be used for energy, excreted in urine or (if eaten over the daily calorie needs) stored as fat. Yikes!

Ultimately, there’s no need to go overboard on protein. Purition’s protein content is perfectly in line with health authority recommendations.

2. It’s better to spread protein throughout the day

We might all be getting enough protein, but we’re not always eating it at the right times.

To build or preserve muscle, recent evidence suggests that evenly distributing your protein throughout the day (think: 20–30g with every meal) is better for building muscle than consuming huge amounts of protein all in one go.

In fact, the British Nutrition Foundation specifically says that:

‘For most active people, protein supplements are not needed, and it is better if a variety of foods containing protein are consumed as part of meals or snacks and spread throughout the day.‘

Convenient breakfast and lunch options often fall short on protein, but Purition makes it easier than ever to evenly spread your protein intake throughout the day.

3. A healthy diet is about more than just protein

While protein is important when it comes to a healthier diet or recovery from sport and intense exercise, it’s not all about protein. No single nutrient, in isolation, can be the foundation of good health. It’s not healthy to overload on protein without paying attention to your wider diet.

Fats and fibre, as well as protein, are essential when it comes to a balanced diet, weight management, recovery from exercise and even for muscle gain.

Purition contains a balanced ratio of all three – as well as a long list of naturally-occurring vitamins & minerals. Together, these nutrients will help you to support the quality of your overall diet. And that’s the fastest way to achieve the results you want!

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