According to clinical findings, consuming a plant-based, whole-food protein meal or nutritionally identical plant protein shake immediately after weight training stimulate similar muscle-building responses. However, both yielded significantly lower muscle-protein synthesis than a post-workout meal of 20 g of lean pork. Participants in the randomized controlled trial consumed either rice and beans or a protein shake containing crystallized amino acids, maltodextrin, cellulose, pectin, and soy oil. Each contained exactly 20 g of protein.
