- What is protein?
- What does it do and why is it so important?
- Where do we get the protein we need?
- How much do we need?
- Can you get too much protein?
Bear with me if some of this brings you back to high school bio or chem. I'll really try not to get too technical on y'all without needing to.
What is protein?
Proteins are a type of nutrient made up of amino acids, which are smaller molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms. These atoms combine into different patterns to make 20 different amino acids. The amino acids our body can't make on its own have to be taken in through diet. These are called essential amino acids, of which there are 9. The rest of them can be made by the liver if all the necessary chemical components are available.
Why is it so important?
The body depends on protein for a variety of reasons. Most importantly, proteins are responsible for growth and maintenance of structures such as muscle, blood cells, skin, hair and nails. Although the outer part of your bones are hardened with minerals like calcium, the basic rubbery inner structure is protein.
Enzymes are a type of protein which helps facilitate many of the chemical reactions within the body, including digestion. The production of hormones like insulin, thyroid hormones, estrogen and testosterone also depend on proteins. Even red blood cells contain hemoglobin which is a protein compound that carries oxygen throughout the body.
It's clear that protein is no joke; even the word itself is derived from the Greek word protos meaning first.
Where do we get the protein we need?
Protein comes from two different sources: plant based (soy, nuts, beans and grains). With the exception of soy, only animal based proteins contain a sufficient amount of all the essential amino acids. Plant-based proteins also contain every amino acid but some of them may not provide sufficient amounts for our dietary needs.
This website from Scooby, a fitness and bodybuiding guru, has an interesting and very helpful protein calculator. This allows you to calculate the protein-density of any food as well as its amino acid profile.
Although it's more of a challenge for animal product abstainers to get all the essential amino acids they need to build muscle, it's actually not as hard as people think for a vegan to meet the recommendations for protein. Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some, and often much, protein.
Protein Content of Selected Vegan Foods
| |||
| FOOD | AMOUNT | PROTEIN | PROTEIN |
| (g) | (g/100 Cal) | ||
| Tempeh | 1 cup | 31 | 9.6 |
| Soybeans, cooked | 1 cup | 29 | 9.6 |
| Seitan | 3 ounces | 21 | 17.5 |
| Lentils, cooked | 1 cup | 18 | 7.8 |
| Black beans, cooked | 1 cup | 15 | 6.7 |
| Kidney beans, cooked | 1 cup | 15 | 6.8 |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 1 cup | 15 | 5.4 |
| Pinto beans, cooked | 1 cup | 15 | 6.3 |
| Lima beans, cooked | 1 cup | 15 | 6.8 |
| Black-eyed peas, cooked | 1 cup | 13 | 6.7 |
| Veggie burger | 1 patty | 13 | 18.6 |
| Veggie baked beans | 1 cup | 12 | 5.0 |
| Tofu, firm | 4 ounces | 11 | 10.6 |
| Tofu, regular | 4 ounces | 10 | 10.7 |
| Bagel | 1 med. (3.5 oz) | 10 | 3.9 |
| Quinoa, cooked | 1 cup | 8 | 3.7 |
| Peas, cooked | 1 cup | 8 | 6.6 |
| Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), cooked | 1/2 cup | 8 | 15.0 |
| Peanut butter | 2 Tbsp | 8 | 4.1 |
| Veggie dog | 1 link | 8 | 13.3 |
| Spaghetti, cooked | 1 cup | 8 | 3.7 |
| Almonds | 1/4 cup | 8 | 3.7 |
| Soy milk, commercial, plain | 1 cup | 7 | 7.0 |
| Whole wheat bread | 2 slices | 7 | 5.2 |
| Almond butter | 2 Tbsp | 7 | 3.4 |
| Soy yogurt, plain | 8 ounces | 6 | 4.0 |
| Bulgur, cooked | 1 cup | 6 | 3.7 |
| Sunflower seeds | 1/4 cup | 6 | 3.3 |
| Cashews | 1/4 cup | 5 | 2.7 |
| Spinach, cooked | 1 cup | 5 | 13.0 |
| Broccoli, cooked | 1 cup | 4 | 6.7 |
What you -do- have to be careful with non-animal sources of protein is that you need to consume a lot of calories to get protein from some of these sources. For those concerned about calorie consumption look for high values in the 4th column (protein g/100Kcal).
Getting enough protein is one thing but we have to remember that many of these foods are not a complete protein source; the muscle building process stops if your body is lacking any essential amino acid. There are a few non-animal sources that offer complete proteins, so it's important to get your fill of soybeans, blue green algae, hempseed, buckwheat, and quinoa if your diet is meat-, milk-, or egg-free.
You don't need to fret if you can't get complete proteins in your diet! Overall, the combinations available to vegetarians and vegans to get all your amino acids are:
- Dairy and grains (great)
- Dairy and seeds (good)
- Dairy and legumes (good)
- Grains and seeds (good)
- Grains and legumes (great)
- Legumes and seeds (great)
And don't forget about Scooby's protein calculator: it suggests foods that work well with any food without a complete amino acid profile. Research suggests that you don't necessarily need to eat complementary proteins at each meal; what's important is that you get enough throughout the day to meet your daily needs.
How much protein do we need?
The amount depends on your age, size, and activity level. Nutritionists estimate our minimum daily protein requirement by multiplying the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a person weighing 90 Kg should get 82 grams, and a 250-pound person should eat 92 grams.
According to this, my daily protein need is 167 lbs * .37 = 61.8 grams of protein.
Some authors argue that the lean body mass (that is, the non-fat portion of the body) is the primary determinant of protein needs.
Click here to go to the protein calculators.
According to the formula used by Sears, the pounds of lean body mass should be multiplied by the following, depending on activity level, to get the daily protein requirement in grams:
- Sedentary - multiply lbs of lean body mass by .5 (1.1 when using Kg)
- Light activity (e.g. walking) - multiply by .6 (1.32 when using Kg)
- Moderate (30 minutes of vigorous activity 3 days per week) - .7 (1.54 when using Kg)
- Active (1 hour per day 5 days per week) - .8 (1.76 when using Kg)
- Very Active (10 hours of vigorous activity per week - .9 (1.98 when using Kg)
- Athlete - multiply by 1.0 (2.2 when using Kg)
Using me as an example, I would be in the "active" category.
While my weight is 76 Kg (167 lbs), I have a body fat reading of 17%, giving me a lean body mass of 63 Kg (138.7 lbs). I would multiply 138.7 lbs by .8 to give me 110.9 grams of protein a day.
Can you get too much protein?
Since many low-carb diets tend to be high in protein, this is an important question for low-carbers. A high-protein diet encourages eating more protein while avoiding carbohydrates.
Avoiding carbohydrates such as fruits and grains, however, decreases the intake of important nutrients, including fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Any extra protein will be broken down into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. On low-carb diets, this happens continually. One benefit of obtaining glucose from protein is that it is absorbed into the bloodstream very slowly, so it doesn't cause a rapid blood sugar increase.
However, some diabetics find that an excess of protein at once causes blood sugar spikes, and low-carbers sometimes find that as time goes on they do better with a moderate protein intake right than eating large amounts of protein.
Although not directly related to protein intake, here are some of the negative effects of high protein diets:
- Cancer: Since people who consume more protein often also consume more fat, populations who eat meat regularly are at increased risk for colon cancer, and researchers believe that the fat, protein, natural carcinogens, and absence of fiber in meat all play roles. The 1997 report of the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, Food, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Cancer, noted that meaty, high-protein diets were linked with some types of cancer.
- Osteoporosis and Kidney Stones: Eating protein triggers the release of acids in the body. Too much protein causes acid levels to rise. To neutralize the acidity, the body releases buffering substances such as calcium phosphate. To produce enough calcium phosphate, the body pulls calcium from the bones. Decreasing the amount of calcium available in the bones increases the risk of osteoporosis. Since high-protein diets don't usually provice well-balanced nutrition, the lack of vitamins and minerals, along with the effects of high protein levels could contribute to chronic health problems. To prevent osteoporosis, it is important to follow a healthy diet that provides all the essential nutrients that promote bone health, including adequate amounts of protein, vitamins and minerals
The National Academy of Sciences, for instance, recommend that 10 percent to 35 percent of daily calories come from protein.
What did you think about this post? What are some of your favorite (and most delicious) ways of getting enough protein in your diet?
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