Hi Reader,

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Ok, so let’s get into this protein situation. I know you’ve come across the “But where do you get your protein?” question. No, not yet? You will, trust me, and you’ll be ready.
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But where do you get your protein?

• First of all, ALL foods have protein. Of course they’re not equal in amounts, but we don’t typically sit and eat just one item of food all day. We eat a combination of foods throughout the day and by doing that our bodies are consuming enough protein.
• If you are eating a well rounded healthy diet with a variety of nutrient dense ingredients, you don’t need to worry about how much protein you are getting.
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Why is protein so important anyway?

• Protein is a building block. It’s necessary for the formation of your bones, muscles, cartilage, and skin.
• Your body also uses it to build and repair tissue and maintain muscle mass.
• Blood contains a protein compound that helps oxygen travel around the body.
• About half of dietary protein consumed daily is turned into enzymes that aid in digesting food.
• It plays a role in hormone regulation.
• It maintains hunger and keeps blood sugar stable.

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​Ok, so it does a lot of important things. But what’s the real issue?

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​The real issue is Complete Protein vs. Incomplete Protein.

Complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids, whereas incomplete proteins are missing one or more.

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To understand complete and incomplete proteins, we first need to know about amino acids.

• Amino acids are the units that make up all proteins and the human body can produce most of them on its own. There are about 20 amino acids but 9 of them must come from food sources as they can’t be made or modified by the body.
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• Animal products tend to be complete protein, while most plant based ones are incomplete. However, there are a few plant proteins that are complete proteins such as quinoa, buckwheat, hemp, tempeh, spirulina, amaranth and soy.
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• If you are plant-based you would need to combine incomplete protein sources such as rice and beans in order to get all the amino acids necessary and therefore have a complete protein source.

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• Protein combining is something that is done almost all the time anyway, so you really don’t have to worry about getting enough daily protein. Also, you don’t have to worry about amino acids at every meal, what’s more important is the balance over the entire day.

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So what does a typical day of eating balanced meals look like? What are protein combinations?

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​Easy Complete Protein Combinations

• Whole Wheat Toast and Nut Butter
• Rice and Beans
• Oats and Soy Milk
• Pasta and Peas
• Bean Soup and Crackers
• Spinach Salad with Chickpeas and Sunflower Seeds
• Hummus and Pita
• Tofu with any Grain

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For ex: If you weigh 132 lb (60kg) you will need between 48-60g of protein per day. Let’s look at a sample day as a whole food vegan for protein analysis:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with ½c oats (5g), 1Tb flax (2g), 1c soy milk (8g), 1 Tb almond butter (4g) = 19g protein
• Lunch: 1 serving of Lentil and Quinoa Salad = 18g protein
• Dinner: 1 serving of Soba Noodle Bowl = 51g protein
• Snack: 1c soy milk latte (8g) + 1/4c peanuts (10g) =18g protein

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Total: 106g protein, which is double the requirements! It’s safe to say getting your required daily probation is pretty easy enough.

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The good news is that experts all agree that by eating a wide variety of plant-based protein sources you can get all of the amino acids you need on a vegetarian or vegan diet.

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​Plant Protein vs. Animal protein

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Image Source: @thefitnesschef_ (Instagram)

Image Source: theconsciousplantkitchen.com​

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So, as you can see from the examples above as well as the charts included, plant based protein when consumed in combination is more than enough to meet your dietary needs and then some.

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​Question for you: What are some of your favorite foods combinations so far?

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​Additional Resources:

​https://vegnews.com/2022/6/vegan-protein-sources​

​https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vegan-protein-chart​

​https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/protein-for-vegans-vegetarians​

​https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/incomplete-vs-complete-protein-whats-the-difference/​

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Thanks again,

Hugs and chocolate kisses! Kadae

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