Protein – See Why Plants Are the Healthiest Choice

The number one question anyone following a plant-based diet gets is, “Where do you get your protein?” For those of us who have been eating plant-based for a while, the answer is simple: “Plants have proteins.” It is a legitimate concern for anyone who’s getting started, though. After all, most of us grew up believing that meat is the best source. But, is it?

To answer this question, first we need to understand what proteins are and what they do for us. Proteins are molecules made up of one or more long, folded chains of amino acids. Hence, when we ingest proteins, we break them down into these amino acids. Following this, we either use them broken down for energy or we assemble them as new protein molecules to take care of specific functions in our body.

Not only do we use proteins for all the work that our cells do, but proteins are also part of the structure of our body’s tissues and organs including, of course, our muscles. In addition to this, proteins form enzymes, which help our body carry out all the chemical reactions we need.

Essential Amino Acids

Our body uses 20 amino acids to make all the proteins we need inside our body. While we are able to make 11 of them ourselves, we need to get the remaining 9 from food. These are called essential amino acids, and the belief was that we needed to eat all 9 of them together, in the right proportions, at the same time. How? Basically, through proteins that resembled our own, in other words, through animal proteins. This is how the myth of needing meat for protein started. However, it’s long been debunked.

Plants contain all 9 essential amino acids as well. As a matter of fact, it is better for our body not to get them preformed in proteins resembling our own. One of the top reasons for this is that animal proteins lead to our body producing excess growth hormone IGF-1, which results in an increased risk of cancer. 

Moreover, it’s also been debunked that we need to plan our meals to get all essential amino acids at once, like combining grains and legumes, for example. Think about it, do we only eat foods that provide all essential vitamins and minerals at once? Of course not. Likewise, all we need to do is eat a well-balanced, plant-based diet that includes grains, legumes, vegetables, and other protein sources throughout the day to meet our protein intake needs.

Below, we share our personalized calculator where you can identify your total protein intake recommendations. Furthermore, we also show you the whole, plant-based foods that have the highest protein content, and we discuss the different functions that essential amino acids have in our body.