Plant based diets
More and more people are choosing to cut back on eating animal products for health, ethical, environmental or even cost reasons. In today’s unusually hot weather, the environmental impact might fall top of that list.
One of the major deterrents people report (apart from the fact that they really like the taste of meat) is that they don’t think they can get as much protein from plant-based foods.
In this week’s Sciencecast, I’m going to give you all the facts and tools you need if switching to a plant-based diet is on your radar.
How do I get enough protein from plants?
As always this is individual, however, for meat and fish eaters, a good starting point is 1-2 palm sizes per meal spaced evenly 3-4 times per day.
For 100% plant-based eaters, the recommendation does go up slightly as we might not absorb as much protein from some plants as well as animals. I’d therefore recommend aiming for the higher end of those targets; 2 palm sizes per meal spaced evenly 3-4 times per day.
Is plant protein as good as animal protein?
Proteins are made up of 20 different amino acids, 9 of which your body can’t make and we therefore have to get them through our diet. A protein source e.g. eggs, is deemed complete if it contains all 9 amino acids and incomplete if it does not.
The argument is often that animal sources are complete and plant sources are incomplete, however, this is a slightly short-sighted way of thinking about it as it doesn’t take into account everything else you have on your plate.
That said, it’s good practice to try and get 2 different sources of plant protein on your plate to ensure you’re getting the full spectrum of nutrients e.g. chilli with beans and soy mince or a tofu dish topped with nuts and seeds.
It’s also good to get at least 1 cup of cooked legumes a day, such as chickpeas, edamame, or tempeh, as they are high in lysine, an amino acid in short supply in other plants.
Which plant-based foods are protein richest?
As always there’s no good and bad, eat and don’t eat, instead it’s good to more of certain foods and less of others.
Good sources of plant-based protein to eat daily:
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Edamame
- Lentils
- Beans
- Peas
- Soy yogurt
Decent sources to eat once or twice a week:
- Vegetable protein alternatives
- Seitan
- Beyond meat and etc.
And finally, a protein-rich day in the life of a plant-based eater:
Breakfast
Porridge – Steel cut / rolled oats, soya milk, berries, nut butter
Lunch
Roasted chickpeas and mixed seeds sprinkled on a salad
Snack
Soya yogurt or Hummus on toast
Dinner
Smoked tofu and roasted vegetable tray bake
My podcast playlist: “How to get a balanced vegan diet” by Ella Mills
“With Veganuary in full swing, the number of people trialling a plant based diet is higher than ever. This episode answers all your questions about a vegan diet, beginning with the most infamous of all – how to get enough protein. Matt, Ella and nutritional therapist Alice discuss everything from iron, B12, soy, calcium, fats, vitamins and minerals, to supplementing, watch-out’s, how to eat a healthy plant-based diet and everything in between.”
Matt Thompson
Head of Cardiac Exercise
