Animal vs. Plant Protein
Hi, I'm Maggie and I am a Wellness Coach based in San Francisco that focuses on plant-based nutrition, movement, and mindfulness. I've spent years educating, researching, and relearning what is best for optimal health. My background is in Kinesiology so I value science-based evidence and up-to-date research to back up what I say. I also grew up in an Asian household, so my approach to health has always been overall a more holistic and alternative way.
One of the biggest misconceptions in nutrition is that we need animal protein. This is also something that I had to unlearn back in 2012 when I was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and was told by my doctor that the only way to treat it was to be on meds. Along with the news, she also assumed that I was binge drinking alcohol and smoking heavily. That was far from the truth and to be honest, quite judgmental of her because, at the time, I specifically remember being ultra-strict with my diet and was almost afraid to put anything in my body other than lean animal protein with a side of broccoli. I had just competed in a fitness competition and had a huge complex about food, my body image (which totally manifested into an eating disorder), and what health should or shouldn't look like. It was probably the most miserable time in my life but I was fascinated by the fitness industry and was curious to see how lean my body could get in a short period of time.
I started digging deeper into my symptoms and came upon a book called "The China Study" by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. Long story short, my non-meat-eating days began. I first cut out all meats, then about a month after I took out dairy products as well. In just one month, my symptoms all went away. During the next few years, I trial-and-errored with how I was nourishing my body and eventually settled back into a plant-based lifestyle in early 2016. My plant-based journey sparked many questions and curiosity within my community. The concern about protein arises almost every time I talk to anyone about anything nutrition related. I recently started an account on Instagram - @feedmefit.co - to educate and launch my online coaching program. My clients' main confusion during our discovery calls always comes back to plant protein. I've also noticed quite a handful of online nutrition and fitness coaches advertising animal protein as a better option for muscle building. Well, I'm here to debunk that myth once and for all.
Firstly, I want to say I am not here to bash any coaches but I do believe that we need to keep up with science and also make sure that we are up to date on what research is telling us and be okay to unlearn what is outdated, especially in a fast-growing industry. There are tons of medical journals and papers published through the last decade and as professionals in this space, we should always challenge what the media feeds us because unfortunately, a lot of it is political and if we don't dig deep, certain industries that have the most power (aka money) are likely to misdirect consumers so they continue to benefit while our health deteriorates.
1 - Where do animals, especially the strongest ones (e.g. elephants, gorillas, rhinos) get their protein from to be that large in size? I want to just to point out that the animals we consume get their protein from plants. In fact, ALL animals get their protein directly or indirectly from plants or phytoplankton. So the cows, chickens, and pigs are really just the middlemen.
2 - Your protein requirement is recommended at 10-35% of your daily intake It is influenced by age, body size, daily activities, and some other factors. Now if you are an athlete or recovering from certain illnesses, you might need more. One of the largest studies was done comparing the nutrient intake of animal eaters vs plant eaters showed that the average plant eater gets enough protein, meat eaters however actually get less.
An average person does not need to eat their weight in grams. Meaning, a 140-pound person does not require 140 grams of protein!
RDA - 0.8g /kg is the standard calculation
By calculation, a 140-pound person will need about 50g of protein.
I get it, if you are a professional athlete or someone who exercises regularly, you will need more protein. Even if we were to double the recommendation, a 140-pound (64kg) active human will need about 102g of protein. According to one of the largest meta-analyses, anything over 1.8g/kg (0.8g/lb) does not show any more meaningful results in muscle gain or strength gain. More cited sources >> pubmed.gov
My other guess other than the power of marketing and industry lobbyists (highly recommend Eating Our Way To Extinction) is that some Americans might be miscalculating the intake since the rest of the world uses the metric system and the U.S. is on the imperial system. Just to note, 1 kilo equals 2.2 pounds.
3. Chronic inflammation contributes to a lot of diseases (heart disease being the #1 killer in the U.S.). Animal protein is packed with fats and inflammatory molecules. Plants on the other hand offer a range of vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and phytonutrients that are anti-inflammatory.
"RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THERE IS LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLANT AND ANIMAL-DERIVED PROTEIN IN TERMS OF HOW THE HUMAN BODIES USE IT."
4. Plant protein is known to be inferior to meat due to its different amino acid content. Let me first explain what protein is. Protein is made out of amino acids - some our bodies produce and some we get from food. Some might say plants don't offer all the amino acids and that is completely false because there are literally thousands of species of plants we can eat. Soybeans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, quinoa, hemp, and nutritional yeast all are complete proteins. On top of that, if you eat a variety of plant foods, it is very easy to meet your complete protein requirements. This myth can also be traced back to a book written by Frances Moore Lappé in 1971 recommending "protein complementing" but later in her revised version to correct and restate that her study was only targeted towards people that were heavily dependent on only fruits, tubers, or junk food in their diets. MYTH, DEBUNKED. FACT CHECK, DONE!
If you still have doubts about what I'm saying, I highly recommend doing your own research or asking me for credible sources (I have a list of books, documentaries, and cited sources). On top of that, examples like Kendrick Ferris (the only U.S Olympic weightlifter to break 2 records after switching to a plant-based diet), Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton, an increased number of NFL/NBA players made the switch to a plant-based diet and announced better performance and recovery. If you are purely for the physical look, take a look at Nimai Delgado, a vegan bodybuilder.
Not only am I passionate about our individual well-being, I am also advocating for the health of our planet and against animal cruelty. If we all just take a closer look at the facts and acknowledge that we have choices and are capable of changing for the better, not just for our own individual health, but as a whole. I hope this gives you more clarity and spark some motivation to add more plant foods into your life (and lower meat consumption).
xo,
Maggie
