5 ms·

> it's possible to eat plants and end up not getting all essential amino acids No, that isn't possible. You could eat nothing but potatoes, or even mangoes, an

by noondip 11y ago

> it's possible to eat plants and end up not getting all essential amino acids No, that isn't possible. You could eat nothing but potatoes, or even mangoes, and still get enough protein. There isn't a single whole plant food which is completely lacking in any essential amino acid. How could it? Plants can't "hunt" and "eat" other plants - they must synthesize all amino acids themselves. The "complete protein" myth is one which has been debunked for decades, yet somehow refuses to die.

blacksmith_tb 11y ago
Because plants are not animals, and we are? "Nearly all foods contain all twenty amino acids in some quantity... Proportions vary, however, and most plant foods are deficient in one or more of the essential amino acids."[1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein
- noondip 11y ago
  Deficient means there are lower levels of certain amino acids, but they're not missing entirely. It wouldn't make any biological sense for plants to be missing amino acids. If you read the actual cited source, you will find this: > Usual dietary combinations of plant proteins are complete; specific plant proteins may be low in specific amino acids > There is no evidence that amino acid imbalances per se are important; possible imbalances can be created by inappropriate amino acid supplementation, but this is not a practical problem.
GordonS 11y ago
> You could eat nothing but potatoes, or even mangoes, and still get enough protein And probably diabetes too!
- noondip 11y ago
  Oh, come on - you don't really think so, do you? How many people do you know with diabetes as a result of eating potatoes or mangoes? Check out Starch Solution by John McDougall, if you're being serious. Here's a small tidbit on it - https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/july/glycemic.htm https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/july/glycemic.htm - the guy literally uses potatoes and other starchy vegetables to treat diabetes. > there is little evidence that total carbohydrate intake is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. Rather, a stronger association has been observed between total fat and saturated fat intake and type 2 diabetes http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/9/2266.full http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/9/2266.full > The available data support the idea that consumption of diets high in total carbohydrate does not adversely affect insulin sensitivity compared with high fat diets. Animal data suggest that simple sugars, in particular fructose, have adverse effects on insulin action, but adverse effects have not been shown conclusively in humans. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11584106 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11584106
wodenokoto 11y ago
That's pretty much what the Meji era Japanese Navy told themselves and that didn't turn out very well. https://medium.com/war-is-boring/eating-too-much-rice-almost-sank-the-japanese-navy-f985772c81a6#.pm8xuf69s https://medium.com/war-is-boring/eating-too-much-rice-almost...
- noondip 11y ago
  Beriberi is a nutritional deficit in vitamin B1, not protein, which is ironically easily remedied with potatoes.

by noondip 11y ago

blacksmith_tb 11y ago

Because plants are not animals, and we are? "Nearly all foods contain all twenty amino acids in some quantity... Proportions vary, however, and most plant foods are deficient in one or more of the essential amino acids."[1] [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein

noondip 11y ago
Deficient means there are lower levels of certain amino acids, but they're not missing entirely. It wouldn't make any biological sense for plants to be missing amino acids. If you read the actual cited source, you will find this: > Usual dietary combinations of plant proteins are complete; specific plant proteins may be low in specific amino acids > There is no evidence that amino acid imbalances per se are important; possible imbalances can be created by inappropriate amino acid supplementation, but this is not a practical problem.

GordonS 11y ago

> You could eat nothing but potatoes, or even mangoes, and still get enough protein And probably diabetes too!

noondip 11y ago
Oh, come on - you don't really think so, do you? How many people do you know with diabetes as a result of eating potatoes or mangoes? Check out Starch Solution by John McDougall, if you're being serious. Here's a small tidbit on it - https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/july/glycemic.htm https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/july/glycemic.htm - the guy literally uses potatoes and other starchy vegetables to treat diabetes. > there is little evidence that total carbohydrate intake is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. Rather, a stronger association has been observed between total fat and saturated fat intake and type 2 diabetes http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/9/2266.full http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/9/2266.full > The available data support the idea that consumption of diets high in total carbohydrate does not adversely affect insulin sensitivity compared with high fat diets. Animal data suggest that simple sugars, in particular fructose, have adverse effects on insulin action, but adverse effects have not been shown conclusively in humans. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11584106 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11584106

wodenokoto 11y ago

That's pretty much what the Meji era Japanese Navy told themselves and that didn't turn out very well. https://medium.com/war-is-boring/eating-too-much-rice-almost-sank-the-japanese-navy-f985772c81a6#.pm8xuf69s https://medium.com/war-is-boring/eating-too-much-rice-almost...

noondip 11y ago
Beriberi is a nutritional deficit in vitamin B1, not protein, which is ironically easily remedied with potatoes.