Protein: Setting the Record Straight

One of the first questions you get as a vegan (or vegetarian) is "But where do you get all of your protein?" I'm here to set the record straight and tell you, in fact, where vegans get their protein and other little known facts about protein in general.

Did You Know...

1. Plants do in fact have protein! This is ultimately were all animals get their protein.

2. People don't need that much protein. 

The RDA(recommend dietary allowance) recommends 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram that we weight. So that's about 0.36 grams of protein for every pound.

Taking this into account, vegans do get plenty of protein. Lets brake this down with a chart and some basic math...

If I weight 130 pounds, then I need 0.36 x 130 ≃ 47 grams of protein a day.

And lets say I eat..

• Breakfast: 1 cup of oatmeal & 1 cup of soy milk= 13 grams protein
• Lunch: PBJ Sandwich & spinach salad              = 14 grams protein
• Dinner: Baked Beans, Potato, & Broccoli           = 20 grams protein   

                                                                                       Total = 47 grams protein

As you can see, vegans do get just enough protein. And on a typical day, I eat a lot more than this anyways. But when it comes to most meat eaters, they tend to get too much protein which brings me to my next point.

Food	Amount	Protein (grams)
Plant-based
Pinto Beans, cooked	1 cup	12
Chickpeas, cooked	1 cup	12
Black Beans, cooked	1 cup	15
Baked Beans	1 cup	12
Kidney Beans, cooked	1 cup	13
Lentils	1 cup	18
Tofu	4 oz	11
Tempeh	1 cup	41
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein), cooked	1 cup	16
Peanut Butter	2 tbsp	8
Almonds	1/4 cup	8
Cashews	1/4 cup	5
Sunflower Seeds	1/4 cup	6
Quinoa	1 cup	9
Brown Rice, cooked	1 cup	5
Whole Wheat Bread	2 slices	5
Oatmeal	1 cup	6
Potato	1 medium (6 oz)	4
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	5
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4
Soy Milk	1 cup	7
Animal-based
Beef, lean chuck	6 oz	50
Cheddar Cheese	1 cup	28
Chicken Breast	100 grams	30
Eggs	2 eggs	13.5
Salmon	100 grams	25.5
Pork	100 grams	27.5

3. Too much protein is unhealthy and causes diseases of Over-Nutrition like osteoporosis and kidney stones. 

For nutrition, deficiency (too little) and toxicity (too much) of minerals, vitamins and even protein can cause health issues and is always something to be aware of, especially for protein.

4. Protein Deficiency (called Kwashiorkor) is really the result of a calorie deficiency. 

As long as you are eating enough calories (aka eating until you are full at every meal), this will never be a problem for any one.

My Basic Advice for Protein

• Eating a plant based diet is the best way to ensure you are getting quality protein and just the right amount (not to mention avoiding all that cholesterol). But for meat eaters out there, meat proportions really should be cut down drastically.

• Eat a variety of plant-based foods (grains, beans & legumes, vegetables, & fruit) and limit meat & oil consumption for a healthy diet that provides just enough protein. No counting calories or spending extra money for protein powders.

• Eat until you are full. Listen to what your body is telling you. If you are more physically active, your appetite will make up the difference. Just eat until you feel satisfied.

For more information on protein, Dr. McDougall has a great post here.

I also found some more great info here.