Where do you get your protein?

When people consider veganism, they may have some questions about protein.  It seems to be a common misconception that the main source of protein is animal products, namely meat, eggs, fish and dairy products.  So this week's post is devoted to the topic of protein.

What exactly is protein and why is it so important to our bodies?  Proteins are complex structures made up of building blocks called amino acids.  There are 22 different types of amino acids, 9 of which the body cannot produce itself, and therefore must be obtained from the diet.  These 9 are called the 'essential amino acids'.  Proteins make up much of the structure of body cells and are related to many bodily functions.  All of those little messengers running around the body, hormones, enzymes, and antibodies, are made up of proteins.  These messengers are produced by the body by assembling the different amino acids into specific configurations.  So if one building block is missing, the proteins cannot be put together properly and this interferes with the functioning of the body.

All living things contain proteins.  Plants, animals, even bacteria.  In fact all the amino acids in animal protein originally came from plant sources.  The cows get their protein from eating the grass.  Fish get their protein from eating smaller fish which ate the water plants.  The 10 'essential' amino acids are produced by plants and bacteria.

So how much protein do we need?  That depends on several factors.  We need protein to maintain our tissues.  Protein requirements may increase when tissue growth is required, like when we're growing, or pregnant, or lactating, or healing following surgery.  But the average adult requires 0.9 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.  This is based on the US Recommended Dietary Allowance for adult protein intake.  So if you weigh 61 kilograms (135 pounds) you would need to consume 55 grams of protein per day. 

Just to get an idea of how much protein is in different foods, I have listed some below.

1/2 cup firm tofu                     19.9 grams
1 cup cooked chickpeas         14.5 grams
1 cup cooked kidney beans    15.4 grams
1/4 cup almonds                      7.4 grams
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds            8.5 grams
1/2 cup mushrooms                 1.7 grams
1 cup bean sprouts                  3.2 grams
1/2 cup cooked oats                3.0 grams
1/2 cup brown rice                  4.5 grams
1/4 cup whole wheat flour        4.1 grams

1/2 cup 2% milk                      4.0 grams
1 egg                                       5.5 grams
2 ounces chicken                   15.3 grams
2 ounces ground beef            10.6 grams

So is it definitely possible to get enough protein in a whole foods, plant based diet.  But a vegan diet needs to include a variety of legumes, tofu, seeds, nuts and whole grains to reach the target protein levels.  And by getting our protein from plant sources instead of animal sources, we cut out much of the fat and ALL of the dietary cholesterol and add lots of healthy fibre to our diet!  So there is my little biochemistry lesson for today.  If you would like to know more check out the book 'Becoming Vegan' by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina.

Now here is a tasty way to get some of your daily protein requirement: 

Old-fashioned Lentil Loaf from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  This is one of my favorite cookbooks.  And the 'meatloaf' was totally delicious.  It was great in a sandwich the next day as well.  I'm planning to modify this recipe to make a Shephard's pie this week.   I'll let you know how it turns out!

Look for Colleen's next cookbook, Color me Vegan, which is coming out soon.  You can order signed copies on her website:  http://www.compassionatecooks.com/

Cheers!