Plant Protein: Eat Like a Gladiator

All strength - including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual - comes from within. With that in mind, what you put inside your body can seriously impact your strength on all fronts. Powering your body with healthy, sustainable foods is just a key way of supporting your inner self and long-term lifestyle goals. If you're ready to give yourself unlimited opportunities to succeed, think about adding plant protein to your diet. Historically used to help gladiators fight their way to victory, plant protein has long been a great source of daily protein intake and certainly has a place in healthy modern diets. 

The Protein Choice of Gladiators


When people think of gladiators, images of Russell Crowe asking a crowd if they're entertained often dances across the mind's eye. Best known for their spectacular fighting skills, gladiators provided ancient audiences with a source of entertainment and a break from the day to day. However, few of us think of what powered these legends of old. As these fighters were technically slaves, gladiators had little control of their diet, meaning they rarely had access to meat or other traditional sources of protein. In recent years, archaeologists have discovered findings that suggest they actually relied on a mostly vegetarian diet heavy in grains, beans and legumes. Imagine that - some of

As these fighters were technically slaves, gladiators had little control of their diet, meaning they rarely had access to meat or other traditional sources of protein. In recent years, archaeologists have discovered findings that suggest they actually relied on a mostly vegetarian diet heavy in grains, beans and legumes. Imagine that - some of history's greatest warriors fighting to the death on plant-based proteins!

Plant Proteins - Supporting You Support the Earth


Known as the building blocks of life, proteins are essential to the body’s many biological functions, particularly building muscles. Protein development is triggered by amino acids, which send the instructions to the DNA to start creating the protein. As different combinations of amino acids create different proteins, getting a complete amino acid profile is critical to creating the proteins your body needs. In the past, it's been argued incorrectly that plant proteins do not provide a complete amino acid profile needed for a healthy lifestyle. However, recent studies have shown that plant-based diets and proteins contain all nine essential and eleven non-essential amino acids.

Other reported health benefits of plant protein include: lower chances of arthritis, lowers the risk for cancer, and eating less red meat lowers the risk of death in general according to a study by Harvard’s School of Public Health.

Beyond the health benefits, a total plant protein diet is also environmentally more sustainable.  According to the Oxford Martin School, “widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet would bring down (carbon) emissions by 63%.”  This is huge!  While being a large carbon emitter, meat production also creates land degradation, water pollution, increases antibiotic resistance, and speeds up human growth processes in children.

Power Through with Plant-Based Fuel


And there are so many good options of veggie proteins that will fulfill your body’s needs.  Did you know that 32% of the calories in cauliflower are proteins?  Spinach is also 30% protein by weight.  You know what yo mama always said, “Eat your greens, son.”  She was so right.

The most popular plant proteins come from whole grains and legumes because the combination of the two creates a complete protein.  I mean, you gotta give it to classic beans and rice.  It can’t be beat by the sheer size of combinations -  veggie chili, lentils and lemon rice, chickpeas and quinoa, etc.  

Organic Pea protein, which is used in Bhu’s Vegan Protein bars, is a very nutritiously dense form of plant protein.  According to Dr. Axe, a prolific health food writer, pea protein has these 5 awesome benefits: “aids weight loss, supports a healthy heart, may decrease risk of kidney disease, increases muscle thickness, and regulates blood sugar.”

So what are you waiting for?  You want to be strong like a Gladiator inside and out?!  You can start today with our tasty superfood bars for a great source of plant protein on the go.