The Protein Myth

The word protein comes from the greek work proteios which means “of prime importance.”

One thing that people are always asking me when I say I’m a vegetarian, “How are you going to get enough protein?” There is a definite thought that without BARRELS of protein we just won’t be able to function.  Based upon my research into this, it’s simply not true, and we actually don’t need as much protein as we are trained to think.  I’ve been reading the book, The China Study, written by Colin and Thomas Campbell, which is amazing, I recommend it for anyone, I think I’ll do a post just on the book soon.  But anyway, he talks about the history of America’s fixation on enough protein in our lives, and through his 30 year research how he has found that too much protein can actually be damaging to our health.

As a society we recognize meat as protein right away.  When your told to get more protein your being told to eat more meat.  More is better.  Carl Voit, a prominent German scientist in the mid to later 1800s discovered that we only need 48.5 grams of protein a day.  Yet he recommended we intake 118 grams, because of the cultures craze with bigger, better, more, and so everyone aspired to have meat on their dinner plates. Voit mentored other nutritionists like W.O. Atwater who became a director of the USDA and they continued to recommend over 100 grams of protein a day.  A cultural bias was formed about protein, and to be strong and healthy you had to have it, LOTS of it.

Now after saying that, yes protein is very important, but not so vital that we need to intake almost 3 times the actual amount needed!  We need proteins to replace the amino acids which help metabolize our cells.  Now, non-vegetarians will tell you that only meat can give the “right” kind of protein.  What they mean by right is the quality, and quality of protein simply means, food protein that can provide the right kinds and amounts of amino acids to our new proteins. Or the efficiency with which food proteins are used to promote growth.  The human body needs around 2 dozen different types of amino acids, over a dozen of them, we can produce our selves within the body.  The rest we must receive from our diet.  There is a myth that only meat can provide those complete proteins.  But the fact is, there are many plant based foods that contain all of the essential amino acids necessary for growth and that there are many plant-based foods that contain lots of protein.

A great resource site to check on the quality of protein you are getting from foods Self Nutrition Data. For example here you see that spinach has a protein quality score of 119 (anything over a 100 has all amino acids).
Here are some general proteins counts in plant based foods, remember you only need between 45 and 55 grams of protein a day.
Beans, Nuts, Seeds

• 1 cup garbanzo beans 14.5 grams
• 1 cup pinto beans 12 grams
• 1 cup refried beans 15.5 grams
• 1 cup soybeans 28 grams
• 1 oz. cashews 4.4 grams
• 1 oz. peanuts 6.5 grams
• 1 oz. sesame seeds 6.5 grams
• 1 oz. pistachios 5.8 grams
• 1 cup tofu 22 grams
• 1 cup lentils 18 grams

Fruits and Vegetables

• 1 avocado 10 grams
• 1 cup broccoli 5 grams
• 1 cup spinach 5 grams
• 1 cup peas 9 grams
• 1 medium artichoke 4 grams
• 1 cup asparagus 5 grams
• 1 cup beet greens 3 grams

More information about protein and our needs, as I learn and discover more about it.  If you have any helpful tips or comments, please share!