The lowdown on plant protein
Protein - unpacking the myths and truths about this all important nutrient that forms the building blocks of our body.
Is plant protein a complete source?
Can you get enough protein on a plant based diet?
Is animal protein better than plant protein?
Is plant protein a complete source?
“Complete proteins” I heard this term a lot at university, I also came away thinking that you cannot obtain complete proteins, or those with all 9 essential amino acids, from anything but animal sources. I questioned this over the years as I have learned about all the amazing benefits of eating more plants. So what are the facts? It is correct that there are 9 essential amino acids, your body cannot make these therefore you must get them from the food you eat.
Plants do contain all 9 essential amino acids, how they differ from animal source is that they vary in the amount of each amino acid. This belief that plants are not a “complete” protein seems to stem from the fact that some plants have limiting amino acids that are not present in amounts great enough to meet requirements. For example, grains are low in the amino acid lysine, and beans are low in methionine. The cultures combining beans and rice diet knew what they were doing! By eating both you easily meet requirements and have a complete source.
Can you get enough protein on a plant based diet?
We don’t tend to just eat one type of food in the developed world. So it seems that protein or amino acid deficiency is very unlikely on a plant based diet apart from in a food scarcity situation. If we combine foods then we should be covering our bases in terms of amino acids.
The other argument for animal protein is that plant protein is less bioavailable, is this correct? The more reading I do on this also makes me think, is there slightly less bioavailability due to the many other amazing nutrients in that one plant? For example fibre which may slow down absorption but is so beneficial for our gut and digestion. Can we get around this with a bigger portion size of plant protein? It seems that way, that your portion size of legumes, grains, nuts and seeds will be bigger than if you compared it to a steak to get the same bioavailable protein. I don’t see this as a huge problem, do you? It seems like it may only be about 10% higher intake required.
Is animal protein better than plant protein?
The risks with a diet with higher consumption of animal proteins are clear, higher risk of many chronic diseases; diabetes, heart disease, obesity, kidney disease and cancer to name a few.
Diversity is key! This is always my goal when meal planning and cooking for my family and my clients, how many types of plants can I get into this one dish? I make it a bit of a challenge when I’m cooking, and my goal is always at least 30 different plant foods per week.
Questions? Get in touch and check out recipes and more information over on my instagram or facebook pages.
I love helping families transition to a plant-centred diet find out more here