How To Get Get Enough Protein In Your Veggie Diet

Vegetarians and vegans, like everybody else, need to have complete protein to thrive. Fortunately, that's easy to do!

Protein & Essential Amino Acids

Protein is essential for health, along with carbohydrates and fats. We use protein to make building blocks, called amino acids, for every part of our bodies: blood, skin, cartilage, muscles and bones, hormones and enzymes.

Our bodies can synthesize 16 of the 23 amino acids that we need. That leaves 8 essential amino acids (9 for children), which must come from the foods we eat.

The Essential Amino Acids Have Important Functions In The Body:

• Isoleucine (Ile) - for muscle production, maintenance and recovery after workout. Involved in hemoglobin formation, blood sugar levels, blood clot formation and energy.
• Leucine (Leu) - growth hormone production, tissue production and repair, prevents muscle wasting, used in treating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
• Lysine (Lys) - calcium absorption, bone development, nitrogen maintenance, tissue repair, hormone production, antibody production.
• Methionine (Met) - fat emulsification, digestion, antioxidant (cancer prevention), arterial plaque prevention (heart health), and heavy metal removal.
• Phenylalanine (Phe) - tyrosine synthesis and the neurochemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. Supports learning and memory, brain processes and mood elevation.
• Threonine (Thr) monitors bodily proteins for maintaining or recycling processes.
• Tryptophan (Trp) - niacin production, serotonin production, pain management, sleep and mood regulation.
• Valine (Val) helps muscle production, recovery, energy, endurance; balances nitrogen levels; used in treatment of alcohol related brain damage.
• Histidine (His) - the 'growth amino' essential for young children. Lack of histidine is associated with impaired speech and growth. Abundant in spirulina, seaweed, sesame, soy, rice and legumes.

USDA Protein Requirements:

The USDA recommends 56 grams of protein a day for a man age 40 weighing 160 lb, and 46 grams of protein for women - based on a 40 yr old woman who weighs 140 lb. That’s about 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight. But in fact, protein needs vary depending on age, size, growth, health, physical activity, body type, pregnancy and lactation. For more information on this point, see the article, How Much Protein and Calories Do We Really Need?

Complete and Incomplete Protein:

Just like everybody else, vegetarians and vegans need complete protein to get all the essential amino acids, so their bodies don’t fall into a negative protein balance – otherwise known as starvation. Fortunately, it’s easy to get plenty of high quality protein in a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Complete proteins have an abundance of all the essential amino acids, and don’t need to be combined with other foods to make complete protein.

Low quality or incomplete proteins are low in one or more essential amino acids (limiting amino acids). Incomplete protein foods must be complemented by other foods to balance their amino acid deficiencies, and make 'high quality' or 'complete protein.'

Foods from animal sources are complete proteins. Some foods from the plant kingdom, such as soy and quinoa, are complete proteins. But most plant foods have one or more limiting amino acids which limit the availability of all the other amino acids in the food. These foods are called 'incomplete proteins'.

For example, the limiting amino acid in grains is usually lysine (Lys); in legumes it can be methionine (Met) and tryptophan (Trp). When you combine grains and legumes, the low level of Lys in grains is complemented by a higher level in legumes, and vice versa. That combination makes plenty of high quality complete protein.

Do We Need To Eat Complementary Proteins All at One Time?

Scientists used to think that vegetarians, and especially vegans, would develop protein deficiency if they didn’t get eight or nine essential amino acids all together in proper amounts at every meal.

Frances Moore Lappé, author of the book ‘Diet For A Small Planet’, is well known for the theory of combining complementary proteins at each meal. In the 20th Anniversary Edition, she has altered her views in light of new knowledge about amino acid storage.

Whenever we eat, our body deposits amino acids into a storage bank, and then withdraws them whenever we need them. So, it’s no longer considered necessary to eat complementary proteins together at one sitting.

Protein Combining:

Each plant food has its own unique amino acid profile, from green leafy veggies to tubers, from barley to quinoa, from lentils to tofu, from macadamias to brazil nuts. By eating a variety of plant foods with 'incomplete proteins' throughout the day, we can easily get enough 'complete protein.' For lacto and ovo-lacto vegetarians, any food can be complemented by the high quality proteins in dairy products or eggs, but it isn't at all necessary to include animal foods to get enough protein in your diet.

In vegan protein combining, there are three broad categories: legumes, grains, nuts & seeds. These can be mixed and matched to get complete protein at any meal, or throughout the day. For instance, the amino acids in legumes (beans & lentils) are balanced by those in grains, nuts and seeds, and vice versa. Vegetables and fruits also contribute significant amounts of protein. A one cup serving of avocado, for example, has 3 grams of complete protein, and a medium potato with skin has 4 grams.

Vegans and vegetarians can't help getting all the essential amino acids, through eating different combinations of grains, legumes, nuts & seeds, vegetables & fruit several times throughout the day.

Food combining for complete protein isn't a scientific system, where you have to keep track and analyze everything you eat. It's a natural traditional way of eating, which most human beings have eaten and thrived on, for thousands of years. Food is a sensual pleasure, and complete protein is a side benefit.

The chart below shows some examples of food combining for complete protein. While this chart is very limited, in reality the possibilities could fill several pages.

Protein amounts, serving sizes, calories and complementary foods, are shown in our Protein Chart, to help you put together balanced healthy vegetarian meals.

Complete Protein Sample Menus gives suggestions for two days vegan meals and snacks, combining plant foods for complete protein. The menus include some of Savvy Vegetarian's favorite recipes - easy, family tested, and delicious - along with nutritional values.

Author Dr. Linda Posch MS SLP ND, is a natural health care consultant, who helps her patients to achieve a healthy body balance through proper nutrition. She holds degrees in organic chemistry, psychology and a Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dr. Posch's professional background includes acute care & senior neuro-rehab, special education, autism support & therapy, spinal cord injuries, and oncology family support services.

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