It’s important to have enough protein in your diet for your overall health. It’s used for growth and repair, immune function, cell structure, enzyme function and more. We also need it to help build and maintain muscle.
That said, not all protein is equal. Essential Amino Acids (EAA’s) are ‘essential’ as you have to get them from your diet. Your body can’t synthesise them on its own. Most animal foods (meat, fish or dairy) are complete sources of protein, meaning they have sufficient amounts of all the EAAs.
Apart from soy, the majority of plant-based foods are incomplete sources of protein. Soy products include tofu, tempeh, soybeans, soy milk and soy based protein powders.
You can certainly get enough protein for optimal health and building muscle if you eat a vegan diet. You may just need to plan a bit more, and aim for a higher total amount than if you were including animal products.
To get the full spectrum of EAAs knowing which different plant sources to combine is helpful. Mixing legumes (which includes beans, chickpeas, lentils) with either rice or grains for example, can give you the full compliment. Lots of vegan protein powders use blends too.
When you are looking to maximise hypertrophy (muscle gains) getting enough total protein should be your main focus. For this look at how much you have at each meal/feeding, spaced at least 2-3 hours apart.
What’s your favourite high protein plant-based food?
(reposted from Instagram)