There is probably no field of science, where non-truths are turned into absolute facts and where false paradigms are built, more than in the world of nutrition. I have seen “health coaches” on social media outlets talking about the great health advantages of consuming large amounts of animal protein (meat, chicken, fish, dairy and eggs) when overwhelming evidence indicates the opposite is true. I have had clients who were put on ketogenic diets by their doctors all in the name of weight loss who are now battling chronic disease.
I received a message from a health coach last month pointing out how vegans have more bone fractures. There are contradicting studies in that department, but even if true, compare that to the fact that healthy vegans outlive those who eat the standard American diet by more than 10 years.
When I tell my clients to eat soy because it’s incredibly healthy, they ask me if it will cause cancer! The opposite is true – it indeed prevents cancer. When I put a type 2 diabetic on a diet that includes potatoes, I’ve been asked if I am trying to kill them. All this is a result of false information being disseminated all the time about which foods are good and which are bad.
This reductionist way of looking at nutrition is harmful because it leads people to consume foods that are harmful. Of all the myths that abound about nutrition, none has taken hold as much as that of our protein requirements. How much and what kind of protein should I eat? Can I really get all of the essential amino acids without eating animal proteins?
What is protein?
ANY OF you who are vegan undoubtedly have been asked the question “Where do you get your protein?” I find it interesting that most of the people asking that question have no idea what protein is or how much of it a person needs. As registered dietitian Brenda Davis points out, the animal products have received what we call “health halos,” meaning they are supposedly good for you and you should eat them to avoid disease. But is it really something good for you and essential in the diet?
A protein is a chain of 20 amino acids. Nine of these are what we call essential. That means the body won’t make them on its own so we need to get them from food sources.
Proteins have multiple tasks in the body including maintaining cell structure, helping with digestion, building muscle, transporting oxygen through the blood and more. We need protein. But enough protein on average is 0.67 grams per kilogram of weight. As leading Stanford University nutrition researcher Dr. Christopher Gardner points out, the average American is eating about twice as much protein as they need. What happens to all of that excess protein we consume, especially from animal products? It becomes stored as fat.
So what’s the best way to get the best quality protein, without getting too much and without getting the unhealthy baggage that comes from eating meat and dairy?
It might surprise you, but all plants have all the essential amino acids that make up a complete protein. Some have more and some have less, but as Dr. Gardner and Dr. David Katz have pointed out in interviews over the past year, as long as you are eating across the spectrum of the healthy vegan food groups, you have nothing to worry about.
Protein deficiencies are extremely rare. The opposite is true. We should be getting about 9-10% of calories from protein but most people are getting 16% or more. Protein is important, but no more important than any other macronutrient.
WHEN WE get protein from animals, eggs and dairy, there is a strong downside. There are high amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol that are contained in animal products. Aside from that, the carnitine and choline in animal protein end up as the highly inflammatory molecule TMAO, which is now considered to be a leading cause of blood clots resulting in heart attacks and strokes. There is insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), found predominantly in dairy, which has been linked to hormonal cancers and hormone imbalances. There are also the heterocyclic amines, advanced glycation end products, and ingestion of dioxins from the polluted air that animals breathe.
These are all firmly linked to chronic disease. When you get your proteins from plants, you get all you need and it doesn’t come with disease causing compounds. So if you are eating whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, fruits and vegetables (especially the green leafies) and legumes like beans, lentils and chickpeas, you are all set. All that protein without the dangerous stuff. And here’s the bonus – we get a lot of fiber. While we are not at all protein deficient, we are definitely fiber deficient. Average fiber intake is only 15 grams a day and we need close to 40 – and more might be better.
In a joint project between the University of Bologna in Italy and the Stanford University School of Medicine, a comprehensive review looked at meta-analyses from 2000 to 2023 to evaluate the impact of vegetarian and vegan diets on the risk of cancer and cardio-metabolic diseases. After pooling data from 48 meta-analyses, the researchers noted that vegetarians and vegans were significantly less likely to develop cardiovascular disease and cancer. They also tended to have better cardio-metabolic health overall, with less inflammation, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and leaner BMIs than people who ate meat and poultry.
As I mentioned, while protein deficiency is just not a problem, fiber deficiency is. As long as you are eating a predominantly plant-based diet (the more the better) with variety, you will get every nutrient you need – except for vitamin B12, so you will need to supplement that. So as long as you are eating your vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and some nuts and seeds, you will be more than covered on your protein intake and you will also get lots of the fiber you need. Fiber is a whole long subject in itself, and I plan on covering that topic in the future.
For now, by getting our proteins from plant sources, we “add hours to our day, days to our year and years to our life.”
The writer is a health and wellness coach and personal trainer with more than 25 years of professional experience. He is director of The Wellness Clinic and can be reached at alan@alanfitness.com.