I feel that most of the time I struggle with the best wording to explain to facts in an effective way, so I am going to give you the information straight from the source. The following is from the book My Beef With Meat: The Healthiest Argument for Eating a Plant-Strong Diet by Rip Esselstyn. He is a fireman at the fire department in Austin, TX, and a big spokesman for a plant-based diet.
Meat eaters throw a lot of false facts at you, but maybe the most common one is this: You can't get enough protein eating plants.
Puh-leeeeeeeeze! Stop this nonsense!! There is no such thing as protein deficiency in the United States. How many people do you know who were hospitalized for a protein deficiency? Zero! Now, how many people do you know who were hospitalized for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or obesity-related ailments? Probably lots.
In fact, the majority of Americans are walking around in a state of protein overload–and it's a little wonder. We live in a country that is head over heels in love with anything that smells of protein. We've been so hoodwinked and bamboozled by the meat, milk, and egg industries that the majority of people, including well-meaning but misinformed doctors and nutritionists, haven't a clue that the best and most healthful sources of protein come from whole plants.
Yes, plants! So take a seat, because we're about to get real about protein. Let me start by giving you an analogy. If you are breathing air, you're probably pretty confident you're getting enough oxygen. Air is 21 percent oxygen and 79 percent nitrogen–but you're not overly worried about getting enough oxygen. As long as your lungs are taking in air, you're a happy camper and figure you're in good shape.
Now think about food and protein. If you're eating food, it doesn't really matter which foods you're eating–as long as you're taking in enough calories, you can pretty much rest assured you're also getting enough protein. Yes, protein is of prime importance, and is the most plentiful substance in the body besides water–but that doesn't mean eating more of it is better for you.
Many authorities, including the World Health Organization, recommend that protein should make up at least 10 percent of total calories in the human diet. The crazy thing is that most of us are getting much more than we need in terms of protein and calories.
In addition, because most Americans eat so much meat and so few whole, plant-based foods from an unfriendly source, namely animal protein. And animal protein is bad for our bones, creates an inflammatory state in our bodies, increases the risk of tumor development, raises cholesterol levels, and is hard on the liver and kidneys.
For healthy individuals, the World Health Organization recommends the following formula to calculate your daily protein requirement: (0.8 grams) x (your ideal body weight in kilograms) = protein in grams. So, for a 175-pound guy like me using the above formula I should be getting 64 grams of protein per day. This is an absolute snap!
So instead of relying on a third-class version of protein, why not go to the mother source–healthful and healing plants. Lets look at the amount of protein found in plant-based foods, so you can feel confident you're getting all the protein you need from eating them.
Twenty-five percent of the calories in your average vegetable come from protein–with many leafy green vegetables boasting as much as 50 percent! Your average bean contains 25 percent protein–soybeans as much as 40 percent. Your average bean contains 25 percent protein–soybeans as much as 40 percent. Your average whole gran contains 12 percent protein–quinoa as much as 18 percent. And even your average fruit contains well over 5 percent–lemons as much as 15 percent. So take those lemons and make lemonade!
In fact, protein deficiency is so rare that I have never found a single person who knows the name of the medical condition that results from a serious lack of it in the diet. Not one person. What is the word? The answer is on page 18. (The word is kwashiorkor.)
The only two ways to blow it with protein are (1) not consuming enough calories to maintain a healthy weight, and (2) eating mostly foods that are high in fat and sugar (the chips, donuts, French-fries-and-soda-pop diet). If you're eating an unprocessed plant-strong diet while keeping a healthy weight, you're covered!
The second big and widespread misconception about protein is that plant proteins are somehow not "complete."
This one's not only not factual, it's not even a smart opinion. It is a fallacy, based on outdated research that was weak to begin with. So when someone slips this myth into conversation, take a deep breath and set up for an overhead slam.
But first, lets look at the definition of proteins. Proteins are nutrients made up of one or more chains of amino acids, which are essential to the structure, function, and regulation of every cell in your body. In fact, proteins are the most plentiful substance in the human body besides water.
The nomenclature surrounding proteins is the first source of misinformation about them. Each protein chain contains twenty amino acids, eight of which (called essential amino acids) can be obtained only through food. Foods with all eight essential amino acids are known as "complete" proteins. These foods include various types of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, dairy, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Yes, you heard me: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds! The foods that you might sometimes hear called "incomplete" proteins aren't incomplete at all! In fact, the only incomplete protein in food comes from an animal-based source: gelatin.
Some people believe that they have to combine different plant-based foods to create "complete" proteins. This belief, called protein combining, was a theory initially put forward in the 1971 bestseller Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe. It quickly became one of the biggest myths in the dieting world. Ten years later, Lappe himself formally rescinded her position in the new edition of the SAME book: "In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high-quality protein, I reinforced another myth. I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually it is much easier than I thought."
By then, the damage had been done, but influential food-related organizations eventually began to come around. In 1988, for example, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also amended its position on plant-based proteins. The organization's most recent statement on vegetarianism galvanizes their previous support on plant proteins:
"Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of each day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal."
Translation: Don't sweat it! You can eat a plant-strong diet and get your protein groove on.
So here's the deal: Animal protein and plant protein are both complete. The difference is that the composition and proportion of the amino acids in the animal protein are higher in the sulfur-containing amino acids, which in excess may be harmful.
On the flip side, plant proteins have a healthier composition and balance of essential amino acids, one that has been elegantly balanced by nature in a way that inherently protects us from inflammation and tumor growth. In addition, plants come with added gifts such as fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. All of which are sorely missing in meat.
So the next time someone questions you on the dangers of eating a plant-based diet that is "lacking" or "incomplete" in protein, let that person know that you have found the mother source of protein, and it's spelled P.L.A.N.T.S.!!
For more information, or if you want to check out the book for yourself, click on the picture to go to his website!
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