Protein, protein everywhere! It’s true; protein is involved in virtually every single cell and process in our body.
From rebuilding tissue and muscle, producing hormones and enzymes, maintaining immune and digestive health, providing a source of energy and cell structure to the growth of our hair, skin, and nails, protein is key.
How much protein do we need?
Studies have determined that the protein intake for those on a Western diet has increased to around 100 g/day, and they are getting about twice as much as the body requires, in large part due to a steady increase in the consumption of animal products.
Thus it has been surmised that, although changing to a plant-centered diet reduces the total protein intake, it is still considered to be sufficient. And this has turned out to be the case, as a recent review of the literature has revealed [source].
Do vegans and vegetarians get enough protein?
Everyone always wants to know how vegans and vegetarians are getting their protein and whether they need to do something special to make sure they are getting enough. The old-school nutrition theory was that vegetarians had to get serious about combining proteins in order to be healthy when not eating animal products. We now know that our bodies are much smarter than we gave them credit for.
Do we need to combine proteins?
Here’s the deal with combining proteins: a protein that contains all nine essential amino acids is referred to as a complete protein, or sometimes as a high-quality protein. If a protein is very low in one or more essential amino acid, it’s referred to as an incomplete protein.
The old belief was that most plant-based proteins are incomplete and that it’s necessary to combine foods that can make up the missing essential amino acids. That has turned out to be false!
In fact, all plant foods contain all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids [source]. And plant-based diets that are nutritionally varied have been shown time and time again to meet all amino acid requirements [source].
When we consume protein, it gets broken down into individual amino acids in the gastrointestinal tract and stored in an amino acid pool. These amino acids are later taken from the pool as components the body can use to create new proteins.
The entire amino acid pool gets exchanged three to four times per day. So long as there’s a constant supply of amino acids entering the pool (some from the diet, some from protein biosynthesis), we’re all good.
How much protein do we need every day?
The daily protein requirements for a healthy adult are calculated based on body weight. The standard formula is 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight. For example, if a person weighs 150 lbs, first divide that number by 2.2 to convert to kilograms = 68.2 kg. Then multiply by 0.8 g = 54.6 g of protein is needed per day.
The daily protein requirements of children and pregnant women range from 0.8 g/kg to 1.1 g/kg. Endurance and elite athletes need an even higher daily protein intake [source].
Plant-based Protein Options
There are plenty of great (and delicious!) plant-based protein sources. For example:
100 g tempeh: 18 grams
1 cup cooked lentils: 18 grams
½ cup shelled edamame: 13 grams
1 cup canned black beans: 15 grams
1 cup canned kidney beans: 13 grams
100 g firm tofu: 12 grams
1 cup canned chickpeas: 12 grams
3 tablespoons hemp seeds: 10 grams
2 tablespoons peanut butter: 8 grams
1 cup plain soymilk: 8 grams
1 cup cooked quinoa: 8 grams
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast: 8 grams
30 g (about ¼ cup) dry roasted peanuts: 7 grams
30 g (about ¼ cup) almonds: 6 grams
½ cup rolled oats: 5 grams
1 cup broccoli florets: 3 grams
1 cup steamed kale: 3 grams
There should no longer be a concern about protein intake on any diet unless the types of foods eaten are highly restricted and not varied on a regular basis. In 2016, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics made a clear statement that vegetarian and vegan diets are healthy in all stages of life, environmentally sustainable, and even reduce the risk of certain chronic health conditions [source].
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician who has been practicing for more than 20 years. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
45
AWESOME! Thank you for sharing. Great Tips!
Hi Dave. Sorry for the delay in response. I for some reason have not been getting comment notifications on these posts, so it was only today when one of the editors alerted me to your comments that I was made aware of them.
The idea that combining proteins is outdated is addressed in the second paragraph of this post. Specifically: “old-school nutrition theory was that we had to get serious about combining proteins in order to be healthy on a vegan or plant-based diet. We now know that our bodies are smarter than that.”
And while it’s true that plant foods contain all nine essential amino acids, with the exception of soy, they are always very low in one or two, often containing only trace amounts, which is why they are classified as incomplete proteins. For example, you could meet your daily protein needs by eating nothing but brown rice, but it would take more than 14 cups of brown rice each day to meet your needs for lysine. But, add some beans or lentils to a serving of brown rice, and not only would you meet your total protein needs much more easily, but you’d satisfy your daily lysine requirements as well. So while you *could* meet your daily protein needs on nothing but grains, or nothing but lettuce, you’d always fall short on certain amino acids.
And while it’s not common to see western vegans with obvious protein deficiency (we don’t typically see western vegans get kwashiorkor protein energy malnutrition – although it’s not unheard of) it doesn’t mean that all vegans and vegetarians consume optimal amounts. As a vegetarian of over 25 years myself, and as a practicing nutritionist, I’ve seen the toll that suboptimal protein status can take on people. Vegans who don’t eat enough calories or don’t eat any or enough legumes definitely run the risk of getting too little protein in their diets. Careful protein combining has turned out to be unnecessary – as I stated in this article – but being mindful of where to get protein and that plant-based proteins are typically deficient in their amino acid profiles is a key to being well nourished for many people.
Thanks for reading.
How disappointing. Another “expert” peddling the same silly fear mongering about plant-based diets.
Thank you so much for sharing, this is very useful.