The Powerful Plant-Based Protein Source: Chocho
The up and coming protein food source: Chocho
Why is Chocho Worth Trying?
This incredibly nutrient dense lupin bean is not only jam-packed with all the hard-to-find good stuff (i.e. protein, fiber, iron, calcium, and vitamins/minerals) but also it’s “regenerative”—
Regenerative. What does that mean?
Agriculturally speaking, it replenishes the land vs depleting it; the land the Chocho bean is farmed on yields 144% more for the next crop farmed there.
Regenerative agriculture (RA) is an outcome-based food production system that nurtures and restores soil health, protects the climate and water resources and biodiversity, and enhances farms' productivity and profitability.
How is that even possible?—
Chocho enhances production of future crops because it pulls nitrogen into the soil as it grows. This makes the soil healthier for the next crop. In doing so, it creates a cycle of regeneration.
Other Powerful Qualities of the Chocho
Drought tolerant (doesn’t require any water apart from rain water to grow), no fertilizers needed, and it’s protective of other crops.
Nutritionally speaking, the Chocho bean is unbelievable.
Not only is it sustainable AND regenerative, making the world more capable of yielding quality crops, but it is also a rare plant based protein that’s actually a complete protein.
What does that mean? “Complete protein” (usually only found in animal food protein sources) is…
essential for muscle protein synthesis meaning we need it to optimize protein intake because every hormone, neurotransmitter, and cell in your body/lining of your gut is made of protein; the human body needs a lot of protein to hit optimal muscle mass (for longevity) and balance blood sugar levels— this is attainable via complete protein sources.
- Kelly Leveque
Let me just say— there are very few plant-based proteins that are a complete protein.
Only about 6 known plant-based proteins are “complete”, but Chocho surpasses them all as it offers more protein than any other plant source on the planet.
For perspective, Chocho is 54%+ protein by weight.
Compare that to: Soy at 36% protein by weight; Pea 34%; and all other plant food sources of protein are even lower.
Chocho has more protein by weight than soy, pea, and quinoa combined
- Mikuna Foods
But What Exactly is a Complete Protein?
For a protein to be “complete” it needs to have all 9 essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are “essential” as the body cannot make it; it must be consumed via food for good health.
For example, a house plant contains plant-based protein but it won’t do anything for the human body composition (i.e. cell, tissue, organ, bone, skin, hair, nail and muscle building). On the contrary, Chocho’s plant-based protein helps with all of the above AND brings on all the satiety and energy without the bloat that most plant-based food sources cause.
OK, so Chocho is good for the environment and labs have confirmed it’s high nutritional density profile. Have there been humans who have benefitted from it?
YES!
In fact, it’s regularly used by professional athletes as they’ve noticed it helps them perform at their highest level (i.e. Mick Fanning - 3 x World Surf Champion, Leticia Bufoni - 6 x Gold Medalist Skateboarder, and more)
Wow, so Chocho is a Superfood Protein?
Yes, absolutely. It’s no wonder it’s the staple food of Ecuador. It has proven to belong in the “food as medicine” category for people around the world as it has helped numerous people with chronic symptoms and auto-immune diagnosis’.
How do I use Chocho bean powder?
Shakes— Daily, I use it to make my favorite Korean shake (misugaru) recipe. I like to add a tsp of matcha powder to make it into a delicious and nutrient dense matcha latte. Recipe here.
Baking / Cooking— checkout my mochi pancake recipe here.
Leveling up my pre-made matchas or café lattes— adding 1 scoop of the Chocho protein powder in my cup of latte balances my blood sugar levels thanks to the amazing protein content. Without it, the caffeine and hidden sugars in the latte spike my blood sugar levels and l end up feeling unwell and jittery.
Others have used it to make smoothies, substitute out GF flours, and mix into sauces
Superfood Sprinkle— I love the earthy taste and like to sprinkle it on top of desserts; Koreans sprinkle Misugaru – Korean Multi-Grain Powder / 미숫가루 on top of shaved ice
Why I Love Chocho Protein
Chocho is nutritionally superior to any plant-based food
I for one am not a fan of vegan protein powders because they aren’t complete proteins, but we’ve uncovered that Chocho is a unicorn plant as it is packed with complete proteins.
The human body NEEDS complete protein, but sometimes meat based meals/drinks are complicated to prepare… thankfully, Chocho protein is a worthy substitute of animal protein—
The Chocho bean is comprised of over 54% protein (more than 1/2 is high quality protein with all 9 BCAA’s) - this quality far exceeds what the USDA sets as a standard for “complete protein”
Secondly, I’m generally not a fan of vegan protein because they cause major bloating with all the lectins, phytic acid, and oxalates present across the board in plants (i.e. soy, pea, rice, quinoa, sunflower seed, etc). Vegan protein is so hard to digest due to the lectins, anti-nutrients, and phytic acid layer (which protects the plant from predators, but also causes gut distress as it is resistant to being broken down by the body). This is why I don’t recommend beans and rice to my clients who are introducing solids to their babies (baby’s digestive system is delicate and the phytic acid is not good for any body at the end of the day…)
For the Chocho de-bittering process heat & water (only) are used; this removes the anti-nutrients/natural gut disrupters without compromising the nutritional quality and make up. Never have my toddler/I ever experienced bloating after consuming Chocho protein.
The oil of the Chocho bean
Over 20% of it is fat/oil.
Full of omega fatty acids, the chocho bean oil is second in quality only to olive oil
- Ricky Echanique, a fifth generation farmer from Ecuador & Founder of Mikuna Foods
High in critical yet hard to find nutrients
Manganese, iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, potassium, Vitamin E, and more.
Fun Calcium/Chocho Fact—
a single serving of Chocho protein has just as much calcium as a glass of milk.
The Taste of the Chocho Bean is Delicious…
not bitter; not bean-y
mild; earthy
reminds me of my favorite Korean healthy powder drink (misugaru). While I love the flavor of misugaru drinks/shakes, it makes me feel sick… (that’s because it usually has a base of roasted & ground up soybeans & sometimes wheat/rice/peanuts).
My daughter and I cannot have soy, wheat, and cow’s milk #foodallergies
Needless to say, I’ve been satisfying my cravings with her via a Chocho “misugaru” latte daily.
The MIND-BLOWING Nutritional Profile of Chocho Bean
Great source of fiber. Keto. High in Protein. Dairy Free. Gluten Free. Whole Food.
Just to give you a sense of why I say this food is MIND-BLOWING—
a sample of Chocho has so many nutrients that when sent to food labs for analysis, they could not analyze it. They didn’t believe it was a single ingredient: Chocho bean. Ultimately, it has to be sent to a pharmaceutical lab for proper analysis because of it’s high nutrient density. #superfoodprotein
Super clean source of energy.
Thanks to the well-thought out processing steps— it’s simply crushed, soaked, and dehydrated to bring it to it’s powder-y flour form; it’s a simple yet effective process that uses only heat + water.
Where to Get Chocho Protein Powder
Kelly Leveque, Holistic Celebrity Nutritionist, strikes again! She’s elevating the presence of this cutting edge protein by partnering with MIKUNA (the start-up that spearheaded the initiative of bringing Chocho bean to the rest of the world to help heal the land and the people) and I’m smitten about it— the quality is pure and my highly sensitive, food allergy child and I have been reaping the benefits from it daily.
Here’s where to get it:
*Unflavored Chocho Plant-based Protein Powder
*Vanilla Chocho Plant-based Protein Powder
(for those who want a touch of sweetness)
*Use Code: MUMWITHABUN for $5 off
P.S. sample packs of the Chocho Plant-based Protein Powder should be available soon. Feel free to use my code there too. I hope you like it as much as we do!
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Source:
https://bewellbykelly.com/blogs/blog/chocho-unveiling-the-power-of-the-plant-based-super-protein-with-mikuna-s-ricky-echanique
https://thespoon.tech/mikuna-foods-hopes-its-new-funding-will-take-its-superfood-chocho-to-new-heights/
https://mikunafoods.com
https://www.justinereichman.com/podcast-episodes/tara-kriese