Vegans & Protein: 5 myths busted

I am sure you’ve heard the joke: Q: How do you know if someone is vegan? A: They tell you! Nothing seems to trigger people more one way or the other than being in the presence of a vegan! It gives rise to a whole load of immediate remarks, ranging from the perennial question, ‘Where do you get your protein from?’ to comments about what will happen to all the animals if we stop eating them. What will happen to all the animals can wait for another time, but for now, here are the top five vegan protein myths — busted!

1. We do not need to eat animal products to get protein
Almost every food source contains an element of protein, including all vegetables. Peas, kale, broccoli, mushrooms and asparagus are particularly good protein sources as, of course, are beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Your average pork chop contains approximately 20g of protein. This is exactly the same amount of protein as half a cup of tofu, or 1 cup of cooked beans. Add your tofu or beans to vegetables, a sprinkling of seeds or nuts and you’ll be up to more than 30g — over half your recommended daily amount (RDA). In fact, it is actually easy for vegans to eat more than their RDA of protein without even trying. In the course of trying to ‘get enough protein’ many vegans are actually getting more than they need.

2. We do not need to get our full spectrum amino acids from one food source
All proteins, animal or plant, are made up from amino acids. When you eat protein, your digestive system breaks it down into amino acids, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. The acids then build the proteins that make up your muscles, organs and tissues. Not all aminos are ‘essential’ but there are nine aminos that the body cannot manufacture which are essential and have to be consumed for optimum health. Animal-based proteins contain all nine essential amino acids, which makes them ‘complete’ proteins, but it is not actually necessary to eat one food that contains everything. Combining plant foods results in complete protein and gives exactly the same result nutritionally. You don’t even need to eat your full spectrum of amino acids at the same meal. The liver can store essential amino acids, so as long as you eat a varied, plant-based diet that regularly includes all the aminos, you’ll be getting everything you need. Some plant sources are actually already complete proteins — soy, quinoa, buckwheat, chia, hemp and amaranth — but rather than focus on just those, it is far better to simply eat a combination of vegetables and plant proteins.

3. Vegans do get enough protein
It is recommended that we consume 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram that we weigh. That would give an average person 60 grams per day. Eating two meals as outlined in point one will give ample protein. Eating more than this doesn’t actually have any health advantage, and can actually be detrimental to health and wellbeing. Too much protein, especially meat-based protein, gives an increased risk of a wide range of conditions, from mild ones such as bad breath, digestive problems and dehydration to increased risk of more serious diseases. Eating too much protein is a factor in weight gain since surplus turns to fat. Protein deficiency is rarely seen in affluent populations, and generally only seen in populations where all food is scarce. Simply put, where food is abundant, all people, regardless of their dietary choices, will be getting more than enough protein, and all the aminos they need.

4. You can bring up a child on a vegan diet
The world is actually full of healthy vegan children, we just don’t hear about them. All we hear is one extreme horror story of one Australian family depriving their baby by feeding them only vegan food. Turns out that they are depriving their child of food, period, and of course that will lead to ill health. There is no link between veganism and malnutrition among children of any age, as long as attention is paid to balanced nutrition.