Smart nutrition for active lifestyles
Protein is key to feed muscles for an active lifestyle. These Nutrition Facts dive into the growing role of plant proteins in sports nutrition. The key message is clear: plant-based proteins, especially smart blends like BENEO’s rice and faba bean, are no longer just an alternative. They can effectively support muscle growth, recovery, and body composition for athletes and active individuals alike. Whether the goal is endurance, strength, muscle gain, or weight management, this fact sheet shows how plant proteins can power performance with evidence-based insights.
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Protein is a cornerstone in sports nutrition and active lifestyles. It plays a vital role in building and maintaining muscle mass and function. Combining protein intake with resistance training is especially effective. This synergy stimulates the formation of muscle protein, which is needed for muscle maintenance and growth, strength and recovery. Athletes and physically active individuals across disciplines – from endurance sports to strength training – leverage this to support their training, enhance recovery, and achieve their performance goals.
Sports nutrition products such as protein powders, bars, and shakes help them meet their increased protein demands. The global shift toward plant-based diets has reached the sports nutrition sector as well. Over the past few years, plant-based sports nutrition product launches have grown considerably1, and meanwhile major sports nutrition manufacturers all offer plant-based alternatives.
This reflects a broader change in sports nutrition guidelines, which now increasingly embrace plant-based alternatives to traditional whey-based products.
Protein & Resistance Training: A powerful combination for Muscles
Muscle Mass
- Helps build and maintain lean muscle
- Supports training adaptation
- Aids recovery after workout
Muscle Strength
- Boosts power and performance
- Enhances speed and agility
- Reduces risk of injury
Body composition
- Supports fat-free mass
- Improves power-to-weight ratio
- Helps maintain metabolic health
Optimising Plant Protein Quality: Faba Bean & Rice
Athletes and active people need more protein than the average person – between 1.2 and 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, compared to just 0.8 grams for the general population. This protein intake should be evenly spread throughout the day and certainly include the recovery phase up to two hours after exercise2,3. Research confirms that well-formulated plant protein can support muscle protein formation just as well as animal protein4,5,6, provided they provide all the essential amino acids your body needs and come with a surplus (Figure 1).
A smart way to achieve this is by combining proteins from different plant sources6. For example, faba bean protein is rich in lysine, while rice protein has high contents of sulfur-containing amino acids. Together, they make a complete protein. Both have a good protein digestibility and provide leucine, a key amino acid for muscle growth.
Fitness and endurance
Protein isn’t just for body builders and strength athletes, endurance athletes like runners, cyclists, and triathletes also need it. While carbohydrates are key to fuel the activity, protein plays a vital role during and after intense exercise. It helps reduce muscle damage and soreness3, supports muscle repair and recovery, and enhances training adaptations9 . Endurance training also stimulates muscle protein formation,5 contributing to overall muscle health. After demanding workouts, sports nutrition products like recovery drinks and shakes or bars offer a convenient source of protein. Plant-based protein options are increasingly popular in this space
Building strength
Muscle strength is vital in sports like rowing, climbing or team sports. It improves through resistance training, especially when muscles are pushed close to their maximum capacity. Gaining strength comes along with an increase in muscle mass – particularly in fast-twitch muscle fibres – and is supported with protein intake. Studies have shown that protein supplementation can positively influence strength gains and enhance performance during resistance exercises. Interestingly, the source of protein – whether plant-based or animal based – does not matter much. Rice protein, for instance, supports strength development effectively and to a comparable extent as whey protein during resistance training programs7,8.
Muscle gain
Athletes competing in power sports – like weightlifting, shot put, and throwing events – often aim to build lean muscle mass through targeted muscle gain programs3. This typically involves a combination of heavy resistance training, high protein intake, and a caloric surplus (hyperenergetic diet). Protein not only helps muscle growth often supported by moderate insulin effects from carbohydrates – the protein also acts as a reservoir of amino acids that support recovery and adaptation.
Plant-based protein blends, such as those combining rice and faba bean, can support muscle gain goals. Pairing them with the slow-release carbohydrate Palatinose™ (isomaltulose) provides a moderate insulin response that further supports protein synthesis for lean muscle mass. Studies show that rice protein7,8, can lead to gains in lean mass and muscle mass to a similar extent as whey protein in resistance training
Weight management & body composition
While some athletes aim to gain weight, others focus on losing weight while preserving muscle mass – for instance in sports with weight categories like weight lifting, boxing or wrestling. For them it is crucial to reduce fat mass and preserve lean muscle mass for optimal performance. Research has shown that combining a high protein intake (two to three times the recommended daily allowance, RDA) with a resistance training program and an energy-restricted diet leads to greater fat loss while maintaining fat-free muscle mass3.
Recreational athletes also benefit from improved body composition and increased lean body mass for metabolic health and fitness. Regular exercise and balanced intake of high-quality protein support muscle growth and sustainable weight management. Rice protein has shown similar effects to whey protein in reducing fat mass and increasing lean body mass during resistance training7,8.
See the full brochure on Plant Proteins in Sports Nutrition here
(click the picture to download the brochure)
Source: BENEO, brochure Plant Proteins in Sports Nutrition, website BENEO, https://www.beneo.com/leaddownload/plant-proteins-in-sports-nutrition
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