18 ms·

How to get enough protein without meat

101 points by petethomas 9y ago

spodek 9y ago
The article lists protein density in grams of protein per cup or ounce, but a more relevant measure is grams of protein per calorie. Most people's health issue is too many calories. In grams of protein per calorie, many plants score high. You just have to eat more, which, if you make delicious food, is a benefit.
- cies 9y ago
  Yes. Because calories are the limiting factor. The other one is grams protein per kilo of bodyweight. This depends on if you are working out or not. Common recommendations for those working out are really high (like 2g/kg). And taking too much protein is not very healthy. Now a lot of nutritionists are lowering their recommendation to, like, 1g/kg or even less. And many seem to be putting on muscle just fine with those amounts.
- DiThi 9y ago
  > Most people's health issue is too many calories. It's like saying the issue of a murdered man is too much metal inside the body. Technically correct but misleading. If you replace the carbs by exactly the same amount in fats, most people will lose weight. Many of them would be unable to eat so much because they would feel stuffed and stop feeling hungry all the time. And for those that eat the same amount of calories, they would not be in fat storage mode so excess is secreted.
  - bagacrap 9y ago
    This is misleading. If they don't eat as much due to higher satiety, then you are not replacing with equivalent calories. Calories are meant to be and are calculated as the lingua franca of macronutrients. 5 calories of one really will have the same effect on your waistline as 5 of another, holding all else equal. Regardless, the grandfather is discussing macronutrient distribution and you seem to be in favor of optimizing it as well, so I don't think there's disagreement here.
    - DiThi 9y ago
      > If they don't eat as much due to higher satiety, then you are not replacing with equivalent calories. That's one factor of why eating fat instead of carbs defeat the calories-in-calories-out idea. But it's not the only one. Both the lack of release of insulin and ketosis helps the body work much better. > 5 calories of one really will have the same effect on your waistline as 5 of another, holding all else equal. That's the problem, nothing else is equal when you have a vastly different proportion of macronutrients.
      - namelost 9y ago
        OK let's ignore protein for a second. You're saying that if you eat the same number of calories, but as fat instead of carbs, your body will store less of it. i.e. that the human body is much more efficient at extracting energy from carbohydrates than it is from dietary fat, i.e. more of the energy from dietary fat is wasted. Macronutrient choice cannot affect the amount of work that your body does, only what percentage of the calories are wasted (inefficiency). On the face of it this makes no sense because fat is such a good energy source that it's what our bodies use to store energy, so why would our bodies have problems extracting energy from dietary fat?
        DiThi 9y ago
        I didn't say that our bodies extract less energy from fat. It stores less energy as fat. Fat storage mode is stimulated by insulin, which is stimulated by glucose or by lack of sodium. Insulin brings other health problems in addition to weight gain.
        toasterlovin 9y ago
        See my other response, but the theory is that high fat diets make more energy evailablw for use, rather than storing it in adipose (fat) tissue. This makes someone more energetic, which is how a high fat diet can result in weight loss at the same calorie intake, but still have the energy balance equation work out.
    - toasterlovin 9y ago
  - cies 9y ago
    Very misleading comment. > If you replace the carbs by exactly the same amount in fats, most people will lose weight. The body barely converts carbs into body fat, thus the fat you eat is pretty much the fat you wear. You can eat mostly fat and still have a calorie deficiency, sure. And you can go for a keto diet (but please not too long and with a doctor/nutritionist supervising you). Without any portion restrictions, calorie counting or exercise, the best diet for loosing weight is... a whole plant food diet. http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/07/30/to-shed-pounds-going-vegetarian-or-vegan-may-help/ http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/07/30/to-shed-pounds-g...
    - cies 9y ago
      Hmm. I'm being downvoted.. Maybe this claim is taken as untrue (as I know goes mostly unknown): > The body barely converts carbs into body fat Here a quote to back it up (from McDougall, halfway in the article): https://fanaticcook.com/2014/03/24/excess-carbohydrate-does-not-turn-to-body-fat https://fanaticcook.com/2014/03/24/excess-carbohydrate-does-...
      - DiThi 9y ago
        De novo lipogenesis is inefficient, but that's not the point. It happens because carbs stimulate release of insulin, which puts the body in fat storage mode. Eating fat alongside carbs only makes things worse. If you eat the fats alone (and if you get enough sodium, too), you don't store them. Take a look at these videos (or any other of that channel, I'm not affiliated but happens to explain a lot of things I've learned myself), or read the sources in the description. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_4Q9Iv7_Ao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_4Q9Iv7_Ao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dan8qtgQRi8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dan8qtgQRi8
- gautamnarula 9y ago
  Yes, this is absolutely the correct metric. For instance, nuts are touted as a high protein food but from a calorie perspective they are often worse than bread - 15% of calories from almonds are protein, compared to ~20% in many breads. Lentils and beans are also touted as a high protein source but are only ~20% protein by calories. Compared that to non-fat Greek yogurt (70-80% protein) or tofu (~50% protein). A good rule of thumb for finding high protein foods is to look for foods that have calories/10 grams of protein (or more). This equates to 40% of calories from protein.
  - saosebastiao 9y ago
    > Lentils and beans are also touted as a high protein source but are only ~20% protein by calories. I don't remember what they are in english but my favorite beer compliment is tremoços (a legume), and they are something like 40% protein by calories.
    - oliv__ 9y ago
      Just googled that, tremoços are Lupin Beans for anyone wondering.
k__ 9y ago
I never had the impression that protein was a huge deal for vegans. Considering tofu and seitan. Aren't low testosteron levels a bigger issue?
- analogmemory 9y ago
  It's not, some people just make an assumption that vegan = just vegetables, and that you're not getting any protein. Where are you basing the assumption that low testosterone happens from a vegan diet?
  - cbcoutinho 9y ago
    There have been studies that show high concentrations of estrogen-like compounds in soy-based products. People trying to maximize their testosterone levels while ingesting high amounts of protein are generally advised to stay away from soy Edit: here's an article from a bodybuilding website that tries to summarize the conclusions of various journal articles on the topic: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ivan3.htm https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ivan3.htm
    - TrisMcC 9y ago
      What about the actual bovine estrogen in any milk product? Edit: Here's a link to an article discussing how much soy is too much: https://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/ https://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-mu...
    - lpasselin 9y ago
      This article basically says soy protein is great.
      - cbcoutinho 9y ago
        I don't agree that soy is bad for you, I was just trying to give the parent comment a reason why others might find issue with it.
    - 9y ago
ardit33 9y ago
Can't read the article because of the paywall. But if you are looking for protein without consuming meat, then usually dairy protein is great. 1) Milk based products that are high on protein (either whey, or casein). Most shakes are usually whey. Otherwise yogurt is a great source (Icelandic skyr is mostly protein). Some cheeses have more protein than fat, etc... 2) Egg protein. Either full eggs, or just whites, or powder egg protein. 3) Peas, Beans, Peanut Butter are good protein sources as well... but you can really eat so much in a day 4) Avoid soy, (for many reasons, but mainly because it is thought to be andrenogenic). If you can't eat either milk or egg based products and I think you are a bit out of luck. Yes, there are people that manage fine with (there even vegan bodybuilders), but it really becomes tough diet wise as it is very restrictive....
- lpasselin 9y ago
  Androgenic? I keep hearing that soy proteins promote estrogen production but I've never found an actual study with significative results proving this. Any sources?
  - sendaikiri 9y ago
    > but I've never found an actual study with significative results proving this. There aren't any.
    - hans_mueller 9y ago
      Bingo
    - cies 9y ago
      > There aren't any. Here a good overview of what we do know: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-eat-soy/ https://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-eat-soy/ The "bad soy" story originates largely from Kaayla Daniel and has been thoroughly debunked. http://gofitu.com/food-myths-debunked-great-soy-debate/ http://gofitu.com/food-myths-debunked-great-soy-debate/
- optimusclimb 9y ago
coldtea 9y ago
A better question is, why?
brilee 9y ago
Did anyone else find it bizarre that they quoted "grams of protein per ounce/cup" of food? America seems to have slowly adopted the metric system, but it's not what I expected to look like...
- jabretti 9y ago
  I don't think it's so bad to mix metric and imperial units; I'm in favour of using whatever units keep the numbers readily comprehensible. Grams of protein per ounce of food seems like a good example of this.
- analog31 9y ago
  It does seem like an odd unit of measure, but might make sense in the following way: Most people don't know or care what a gram of protein looks like. What they might know is how much they're supposed to eat, in grams. And they know what a cup is. So they can do the mental math and estimate how many cups are needed to make up their daily requirement. More generally, and anecdotally, I had a health scare that resulted in going through a fairly standardized regimen including exercise and dietary advice. I received many pamphlets and handouts! There seems to be a substantial effort to convey health advice in a way that downplays or minimizes any kind of math. People just freeze up when they see math. This could give rise to an effort, from a public health perspective, to come up with units of measure that people can use without being put off by math.
- joaomsa 9y ago
  My guess it's a convenience compromise. Nutrition labels list macro nutrient amounts in metric, but packaging still has the product amount more prominently in imperial measurements.
- careersuicide 9y ago
  It makes sense to me: when measuring stuff like you would in a lab use metric, when measuring stuff like you would in a kitchen use imperial. I think it only seems weird because we rarely do both in the same sentence.
- matthewaveryusa 9y ago
d13 9y ago
What about the amino acids? Aren't those more important to a vegetarian diet than protein?
- cies 9y ago
  Protein breaks down in amino acids, so when zoomed out they are pretty much the same thing in nutrition.
hokkos 9y ago
An article about getting enough protein without meat and doesn’t talk about essentials aminoacides is worthless. You should read about Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score and the new Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score all plant proteins are not equals, and should be eaten simultaneously to avoid deficiencies to have a complete profile to bring muscle protein. Also anabolic response is lower with plant based protein versus animal based and it should talk about B12 as deficiencies in it is a silent killer. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_Digestibility_Corrected_Amino_Acid_Score https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_Digestibility_Correc... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestible_Indispensable_Amino_Acid_Score https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestible_Indispensable_Ami... https://dabamirror.sci-hub.cc/bbb1a373d204d4fe2c1f9a8a38356daf/10.3945@jn.114.204305.pdf https://dabamirror.sci-hub.cc/bbb1a373d204d4fe2c1f9a8a38356d... http://dacemirror.sci-hub.cc/journal-article/a73bbb377b5c4cd9f09d8376d3ef0ad7/volek2013.pdf http://dacemirror.sci-hub.cc/journal-article/a73bbb377b5c4cd...
- cies 9y ago
  I'd say it is easy to get enough of all animos from a whole plant food diet. Using cronometer[1] it is very easy to demonstrate this, I've done it countless times. On the topic of muscles and protein: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding https://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding https://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production https://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-pr... https://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat https://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat On the topic of B12. Many omnis are also B12 deficient, 1 in 5 iirc. In vegans all are eventually B12 deficient under the modern hygiene practices and without supplementation. All B12 originates from microbes that live abundantly in the soil. We are very clean with our food and water, so our plant foods and water are mostly devoid of B12. Pasture fed animals get it "naturally", their factory farmed relatives usually get a B12 supplement. I recommend everyone to get tested for B12 (and D) deficiency as it is very common, and supplement accordingly. Vegans with modern hygiene standards for sure need to supplement (or eat B12-fortified foods). > B12 as deficiencies in it is a silent killer Yes. So get your blood tested, and supplement accordingly. This is not something unique to vegans (though a lot more common). For good supplements consult: https://www.toxinless.com https://www.toxinless.com [1]: https://cronometer.com https://cronometer.com
ojosilva 9y ago
I've gone (ovo-lacto) vegetarian recently and I couldn't be happier. My body feels lighter, my mind more productive and my mood improved somewhat. My initial intention was to be somewhat "flex" and have meat and seafood once in a while, like once a month, but I've eaten meat only once in 4 months and it was not specially satisfying: it tasted overwhelmingly salty and I wasn't able to enjoy the flavor. I guess I lost interest. Biting into a dead animal now feels wrong, it feels like eating food from a garbage can. Even eggs, milk and sometimes cheese seem like a stretch for me now. I did not anticipate that. In fact, I thought I was going to really enjoy my "meat day" but now I dread it. Friends ask why I did it. I don't have one particular reason. Just did it. I'm not sure if the planet's better because of me not eating meat. I don't want to sound moral, but it does feel civilized, in an almost naive way, not to crave other animals. But I know I'm vegetarian because my body, and not my conscience, asked for it. I've always been a proud meat eater. I laughed at my sister when she turned vegan. But I now feel relieved like a criminal that confessed his crime after 40 years in hiding. Trust me, eating meat is not important when you eat from a wide range of sources. Eating meat, poultry, seafood should be a special, almost mystical thing (in some religions it is), reserved for special occasions. It should be local, not global. The massive processing of animals is not only cruel and insanely wasteful, but is quite unhealthy from the epidemiological and physiological perspective.
- cies 9y ago
  As a long term lacto-ovo vegetarian, who is went mostly plant-based for health reasons: dairy causes many ailments, a quite unnatural food for humans to eat... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3c_D0s391Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3c_D0s391Q
  - toasterlovin 9y ago
    For some people. Others of us are well adapted to dairy and, for us, dairy is a miraculous food category. It is a great source of protein and fat. It adds a wonderful dimension to so many recipes. And, aside from meat, milk is one of the few single foods that you can largely sustain yourself on (I think of it as mother nature’s Soylent).
hoosieree 9y ago
Anecdotal, but my vegetarian friend had "excessive protein" show up in a blood test. Which was surprising, because he's not trying to get extra protein. Personally, when I'm vegetarian (95% of the time) I just make sure to get some beans and grains and variety, and call it a day.
- copperx 9y ago
  That's highly unusual. Did he have protein clearance problems due to early kidney disease?

101 points by petethomas 9y ago

The article lists protein density in grams of protein per cup or ounce, but a more relevant measure is grams of protein per calorie. Most people's health issue is too many calories. In grams of protein per calorie, many plants score high. You just have to eat more, which, if you make delicious food, is a benefit.

cies 9y ago
Yes. Because calories are the limiting factor. The other one is grams protein per kilo of bodyweight. This depends on if you are working out or not. Common recommendations for those working out are really high (like 2g/kg). And taking too much protein is not very healthy. Now a lot of nutritionists are lowering their recommendation to, like, 1g/kg or even less. And many seem to be putting on muscle just fine with those amounts.
DiThi 9y ago
> Most people's health issue is too many calories. It's like saying the issue of a murdered man is too much metal inside the body. Technically correct but misleading. If you replace the carbs by exactly the same amount in fats, most people will lose weight. Many of them would be unable to eat so much because they would feel stuffed and stop feeling hungry all the time. And for those that eat the same amount of calories, they would not be in fat storage mode so excess is secreted.
- bagacrap 9y ago
  This is misleading. If they don't eat as much due to higher satiety, then you are not replacing with equivalent calories. Calories are meant to be and are calculated as the lingua franca of macronutrients. 5 calories of one really will have the same effect on your waistline as 5 of another, holding all else equal. Regardless, the grandfather is discussing macronutrient distribution and you seem to be in favor of optimizing it as well, so I don't think there's disagreement here.
  - DiThi 9y ago
    > If they don't eat as much due to higher satiety, then you are not replacing with equivalent calories. That's one factor of why eating fat instead of carbs defeat the calories-in-calories-out idea. But it's not the only one. Both the lack of release of insulin and ketosis helps the body work much better. > 5 calories of one really will have the same effect on your waistline as 5 of another, holding all else equal. That's the problem, nothing else is equal when you have a vastly different proportion of macronutrients.
    - namelost 9y ago
      OK let's ignore protein for a second. You're saying that if you eat the same number of calories, but as fat instead of carbs, your body will store less of it. i.e. that the human body is much more efficient at extracting energy from carbohydrates than it is from dietary fat, i.e. more of the energy from dietary fat is wasted. Macronutrient choice cannot affect the amount of work that your body does, only what percentage of the calories are wasted (inefficiency). On the face of it this makes no sense because fat is such a good energy source that it's what our bodies use to store energy, so why would our bodies have problems extracting energy from dietary fat?
      - DiThi 9y ago
        I didn't say that our bodies extract less energy from fat. It stores less energy as fat. Fat storage mode is stimulated by insulin, which is stimulated by glucose or by lack of sodium. Insulin brings other health problems in addition to weight gain.
      - toasterlovin 9y ago
        See my other response, but the theory is that high fat diets make more energy evailablw for use, rather than storing it in adipose (fat) tissue. This makes someone more energetic, which is how a high fat diet can result in weight loss at the same calorie intake, but still have the energy balance equation work out.
  - toasterlovin 9y ago
- cies 9y ago
  Very misleading comment. > If you replace the carbs by exactly the same amount in fats, most people will lose weight. The body barely converts carbs into body fat, thus the fat you eat is pretty much the fat you wear. You can eat mostly fat and still have a calorie deficiency, sure. And you can go for a keto diet (but please not too long and with a doctor/nutritionist supervising you). Without any portion restrictions, calorie counting or exercise, the best diet for loosing weight is... a whole plant food diet. http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/07/30/to-shed-pounds-going-vegetarian-or-vegan-may-help/ http://ww2.kqed.org/bayareabites/2015/07/30/to-shed-pounds-g...
  - cies 9y ago
    Hmm. I'm being downvoted.. Maybe this claim is taken as untrue (as I know goes mostly unknown): > The body barely converts carbs into body fat Here a quote to back it up (from McDougall, halfway in the article): https://fanaticcook.com/2014/03/24/excess-carbohydrate-does-not-turn-to-body-fat https://fanaticcook.com/2014/03/24/excess-carbohydrate-does-...
    - DiThi 9y ago
      De novo lipogenesis is inefficient, but that's not the point. It happens because carbs stimulate release of insulin, which puts the body in fat storage mode. Eating fat alongside carbs only makes things worse. If you eat the fats alone (and if you get enough sodium, too), you don't store them. Take a look at these videos (or any other of that channel, I'm not affiliated but happens to explain a lot of things I've learned myself), or read the sources in the description. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_4Q9Iv7_Ao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_4Q9Iv7_Ao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dan8qtgQRi8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dan8qtgQRi8
gautamnarula 9y ago
Yes, this is absolutely the correct metric. For instance, nuts are touted as a high protein food but from a calorie perspective they are often worse than bread - 15% of calories from almonds are protein, compared to ~20% in many breads. Lentils and beans are also touted as a high protein source but are only ~20% protein by calories. Compared that to non-fat Greek yogurt (70-80% protein) or tofu (~50% protein). A good rule of thumb for finding high protein foods is to look for foods that have calories/10 grams of protein (or more). This equates to 40% of calories from protein.
- saosebastiao 9y ago
  > Lentils and beans are also touted as a high protein source but are only ~20% protein by calories. I don't remember what they are in english but my favorite beer compliment is tremoços (a legume), and they are something like 40% protein by calories.
  - oliv__ 9y ago
    Just googled that, tremoços are Lupin Beans for anyone wondering.

k__ 9y ago

I never had the impression that protein was a huge deal for vegans. Considering tofu and seitan. Aren't low testosteron levels a bigger issue?

analogmemory 9y ago
It's not, some people just make an assumption that vegan = just vegetables, and that you're not getting any protein. Where are you basing the assumption that low testosterone happens from a vegan diet?
- cbcoutinho 9y ago
  There have been studies that show high concentrations of estrogen-like compounds in soy-based products. People trying to maximize their testosterone levels while ingesting high amounts of protein are generally advised to stay away from soy Edit: here's an article from a bodybuilding website that tries to summarize the conclusions of various journal articles on the topic: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ivan3.htm https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ivan3.htm
  - TrisMcC 9y ago
    What about the actual bovine estrogen in any milk product? Edit: Here's a link to an article discussing how much soy is too much: https://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-much/ https://nutritionfacts.org/2013/02/19/how-much-soy-is-too-mu...
  - lpasselin 9y ago
    This article basically says soy protein is great.
    - cbcoutinho 9y ago
      I don't agree that soy is bad for you, I was just trying to give the parent comment a reason why others might find issue with it.
  - 9y ago

ardit33 9y ago

Can't read the article because of the paywall. But if you are looking for protein without consuming meat, then usually dairy protein is great. 1) Milk based products that are high on protein (either whey, or casein). Most shakes are usually whey. Otherwise yogurt is a great source (Icelandic skyr is mostly protein). Some cheeses have more protein than fat, etc... 2) Egg protein. Either full eggs, or just whites, or powder egg protein. 3) Peas, Beans, Peanut Butter are good protein sources as well... but you can really eat so much in a day 4) Avoid soy, (for many reasons, but mainly because it is thought to be andrenogenic). If you can't eat either milk or egg based products and I think you are a bit out of luck. Yes, there are people that manage fine with (there even vegan bodybuilders), but it really becomes tough diet wise as it is very restrictive....

lpasselin 9y ago
Androgenic? I keep hearing that soy proteins promote estrogen production but I've never found an actual study with significative results proving this. Any sources?
- sendaikiri 9y ago
  > but I've never found an actual study with significative results proving this. There aren't any.
  - hans_mueller 9y ago
    Bingo
  - cies 9y ago
    > There aren't any. Here a good overview of what we do know: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-eat-soy/ https://nutritionfacts.org/video/who-shouldnt-eat-soy/ The "bad soy" story originates largely from Kaayla Daniel and has been thoroughly debunked. http://gofitu.com/food-myths-debunked-great-soy-debate/ http://gofitu.com/food-myths-debunked-great-soy-debate/
optimusclimb 9y ago

coldtea 9y ago

A better question is, why?

brilee 9y ago

Did anyone else find it bizarre that they quoted "grams of protein per ounce/cup" of food? America seems to have slowly adopted the metric system, but it's not what I expected to look like...

jabretti 9y ago
I don't think it's so bad to mix metric and imperial units; I'm in favour of using whatever units keep the numbers readily comprehensible. Grams of protein per ounce of food seems like a good example of this.
analog31 9y ago
It does seem like an odd unit of measure, but might make sense in the following way: Most people don't know or care what a gram of protein looks like. What they might know is how much they're supposed to eat, in grams. And they know what a cup is. So they can do the mental math and estimate how many cups are needed to make up their daily requirement. More generally, and anecdotally, I had a health scare that resulted in going through a fairly standardized regimen including exercise and dietary advice. I received many pamphlets and handouts! There seems to be a substantial effort to convey health advice in a way that downplays or minimizes any kind of math. People just freeze up when they see math. This could give rise to an effort, from a public health perspective, to come up with units of measure that people can use without being put off by math.
joaomsa 9y ago
My guess it's a convenience compromise. Nutrition labels list macro nutrient amounts in metric, but packaging still has the product amount more prominently in imperial measurements.
careersuicide 9y ago
It makes sense to me: when measuring stuff like you would in a lab use metric, when measuring stuff like you would in a kitchen use imperial. I think it only seems weird because we rarely do both in the same sentence.
matthewaveryusa 9y ago

d13 9y ago

What about the amino acids? Aren't those more important to a vegetarian diet than protein?

cies 9y ago
Protein breaks down in amino acids, so when zoomed out they are pretty much the same thing in nutrition.

hokkos 9y ago

An article about getting enough protein without meat and doesn’t talk about essentials aminoacides is worthless. You should read about Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score and the new Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score all plant proteins are not equals, and should be eaten simultaneously to avoid deficiencies to have a complete profile to bring muscle protein. Also anabolic response is lower with plant based protein versus animal based and it should talk about B12 as deficiencies in it is a silent killer. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_amino_acid https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_Digestibility_Corrected_Amino_Acid_Score https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_Digestibility_Correc... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestible_Indispensable_Amino_Acid_Score https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestible_Indispensable_Ami... https://dabamirror.sci-hub.cc/bbb1a373d204d4fe2c1f9a8a38356daf/10.3945@jn.114.204305.pdf https://dabamirror.sci-hub.cc/bbb1a373d204d4fe2c1f9a8a38356d... http://dacemirror.sci-hub.cc/journal-article/a73bbb377b5c4cd9f09d8376d3ef0ad7/volek2013.pdf http://dacemirror.sci-hub.cc/journal-article/a73bbb377b5c4cd...

cies 9y ago
I'd say it is easy to get enough of all animos from a whole plant food diet. Using cronometer[1] it is very easy to demonstrate this, I've done it countless times. On the topic of muscles and protein: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding https://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding https://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-production https://nutritionfacts.org/video/protein-intake-and-igf-1-pr... https://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat https://nutritionfacts.org/video/anabolic-steroids-in-meat On the topic of B12. Many omnis are also B12 deficient, 1 in 5 iirc. In vegans all are eventually B12 deficient under the modern hygiene practices and without supplementation. All B12 originates from microbes that live abundantly in the soil. We are very clean with our food and water, so our plant foods and water are mostly devoid of B12. Pasture fed animals get it "naturally", their factory farmed relatives usually get a B12 supplement. I recommend everyone to get tested for B12 (and D) deficiency as it is very common, and supplement accordingly. Vegans with modern hygiene standards for sure need to supplement (or eat B12-fortified foods). > B12 as deficiencies in it is a silent killer Yes. So get your blood tested, and supplement accordingly. This is not something unique to vegans (though a lot more common). For good supplements consult: https://www.toxinless.com https://www.toxinless.com [1]: https://cronometer.com https://cronometer.com

ojosilva 9y ago

I've gone (ovo-lacto) vegetarian recently and I couldn't be happier. My body feels lighter, my mind more productive and my mood improved somewhat. My initial intention was to be somewhat "flex" and have meat and seafood once in a while, like once a month, but I've eaten meat only once in 4 months and it was not specially satisfying: it tasted overwhelmingly salty and I wasn't able to enjoy the flavor. I guess I lost interest. Biting into a dead animal now feels wrong, it feels like eating food from a garbage can. Even eggs, milk and sometimes cheese seem like a stretch for me now. I did not anticipate that. In fact, I thought I was going to really enjoy my "meat day" but now I dread it. Friends ask why I did it. I don't have one particular reason. Just did it. I'm not sure if the planet's better because of me not eating meat. I don't want to sound moral, but it does feel civilized, in an almost naive way, not to crave other animals. But I know I'm vegetarian because my body, and not my conscience, asked for it. I've always been a proud meat eater. I laughed at my sister when she turned vegan. But I now feel relieved like a criminal that confessed his crime after 40 years in hiding. Trust me, eating meat is not important when you eat from a wide range of sources. Eating meat, poultry, seafood should be a special, almost mystical thing (in some religions it is), reserved for special occasions. It should be local, not global. The massive processing of animals is not only cruel and insanely wasteful, but is quite unhealthy from the epidemiological and physiological perspective.

cies 9y ago
As a long term lacto-ovo vegetarian, who is went mostly plant-based for health reasons: dairy causes many ailments, a quite unnatural food for humans to eat... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3c_D0s391Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3c_D0s391Q
- toasterlovin 9y ago
  For some people. Others of us are well adapted to dairy and, for us, dairy is a miraculous food category. It is a great source of protein and fat. It adds a wonderful dimension to so many recipes. And, aside from meat, milk is one of the few single foods that you can largely sustain yourself on (I think of it as mother nature’s Soylent).

hoosieree 9y ago

Anecdotal, but my vegetarian friend had "excessive protein" show up in a blood test. Which was surprising, because he's not trying to get extra protein. Personally, when I'm vegetarian (95% of the time) I just make sure to get some beans and grains and variety, and call it a day.

copperx 9y ago
That's highly unusual. Did he have protein clearance problems due to early kidney disease?