Are You Getting Enough Protein?

There is a common belief that plant-based diets cannot provide people with adequate protein. Further, even among those who believe that such a diet can provide sufficient protein, many believe that obtaining enough protein while relying on a strictly plant-based diet requires careful planning and makes it impossible to build muscle or perform as an elite athlete. Both beliefs are contradicted by studies dating back over a century and by basic biology. For example, a 1904 Yale study showed that athletes increased performance by over 30% when they decreased their protein intake. The composition of breast milk also challenges these beliefs: Breast milk contains approximately 6% protein and is the best source of nutrients for infants, who increase their body weight at a quicker rate than people should at any other point in life. Additionally, numerous studies have shown that high protein consumption promotes cancer growth and causes bone, kidney, and liver damage. Finally, the RDA has determined that protein should comprise 10% of people’s calories, but this recommendation seems to reference the upper-limit of protein consumption, not the ideal and certainly not the lower-limit.

‍

When people consume excess protein, the protein is converted into glycogen and triacylglycerols and excreted from the body. Since glycogen and triacylglycerols can be tested for in urine assays, these tests can determine the amount of protein our bodies are processing: Minimal amounts of nitrogen balance in urine would indicate that we are meeting, and only slightly exceeding, our capacity to process the protein. A variety of studies have demonstrated that reaching this threshold of minimal nitrogen balance requires consuming much less protein than people often believe. A positive nitrogen balance was found in endurance athletes who were consuming protein as 10% of their diets, indicating that they require even less than 10% of their diets to be protein. 

‍

Additionally, those who can benefit from increased protein consumption can obtain these by simply increasing their plant-based calorie intake. For example, athletes may increase performance by consuming increased protein because protein helps transform glucose into glycogen in muscle cells after a workout. However, not only can the increased need be satisfied by an increase in overall caloric intake without deviating from the recommended protein to non-protein ratios, but also the increase in plant-based calories will provide additional antioxidants, nutrients and phytonutrients that help with muscle growth and recovery. Moreover, consuming increased plant-based sources of proteins helps us obtain essential amino acids. To understand why, it is helpful to quickly examine what happens when we process protein: When we consume protein, our bodies break down the proteins into amino acids, and then build the proteins that our bodies require from these amino acids. However, while our bodies make some amino acids, there are nine amino acids that we cannot make and are only produced by plants. Since these amino acids are necessary, consuming plant-based sources of protein will not only help you obtain adequate amounts of protein, but also help you obtain the essential amino acids that our bodies cannot create on their own. 

‍

Given that extensive data and information has been available for over a century demonstrating that plant-based diets provide even elite-athletes with sufficient protein and a plethora of other nutritional benefits, the common misconceptions about protein cannot simply be attributed to old or incorrect thinking. These misconceptions result, at least in-part, from large industries’ successful attempts to misinform the public and physicians to overestimate the amount of protein, and therefore animal products, that are necessary for a healthy diet. Replacing these animal proteins with plant proteins can further improve health by  lowering saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. All plants contain protein, and many vegetables have high protein-to-calorie ratios, despite low protein-per-gram ratios. Therefore, you can meet your protein needs by consuming a large variety of plants, which will also increase your consumption of healthy phytochemicals and nutrients and keep calories low. 

To learn more about protein and plant-based diets, I highly recommend reading Proteinholic by Dr. Garth Davis. 

Plant foods high in protein

• Hemp seeds
• Beans
• Edamame
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Quinoa
• Oats
• Corn
• Green peas
• Peanuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Almonds
• Pistachio nuts
• ‍

‍