How Do Vegetarians and Vegans Get Enough Protein

Vegetarians and vegans field the question of "How do you get enough protein" every time an acquaintance discovers our eating habits. I occasionally answer with a cynical question of my own: "What do you do with your excess protein?" For the sake of our health and fitness, however, let's ensure that we have an answer for the first question. I'll discuss the cynical question in a later article.

Before considering the many sources of protein available for vegetarians and vegans, let's first answer another more basic question - How much protein does an adult need for gaining and maintaining the best state of health and fitness? "Granted, because of their higher caloric needs, more active people have higher protein needs. (I would like to see more vegetarians and vegans with commitments to fitness, so that we can banish the unfortunate stereotype of sickly, feeble types that dissuade so many from the vegetarian / vegan lifestyle.

That's another topic that deserves its own article.) Much of the information surrounding protein needs can be traced to the meat and dairy industries which have an obvious financial interest in convincing people of a need to consume more meat or dairy. Remember the food pyramid? It exists in its form due to the lobbying of these industries.

Per the World Health Organization, only 5% of total daily calories need to come from protein. The National Research Council reports a slightly higher need of 8%. Each of these requirements includes a safety margin to include individuals with higher needs and is a target for robust health, not a minimum target for survival. Presuming a daily caloric intake of 3,000 calories for an average sized man, this means that only 150 calories need to come from protein to meet the WHO recommendation. At 4 calories per gram, this translates as 37.5 grams. Even if we double these recommendations to 10% for an additional safety margin accounting for the very active lifestyles of fitness-oriented individuals, the daily requirements is still only 300 calories or 75 grams of daily protein for an average man.

These protein requirements are easily met with a vegetarian or vegan diet. For example, a breakfast serving of ½ cup of oatmeal, a lunch serving of 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a dinner serving of 2 ounces of pasta each contain 7 grams of protein. These 3 portions account for only 560 calories, less than 20% of daily caloric intake, but yield more than half of the daily WHO protein recommendation. The remaining 2,440 calories may then be comprised of foods that average a protein to calorie ratio of only 2.7% to yield the remaining 16.5 grams of proteins. Guess what? As the following sample listing shows, virtually every plant food has a sufficient protein to calorie rate to provide the remaining protein: Lettuce (34%); Potatoes (11%); Peanuts (18%); Brown rice (8%); Kidney beans (26%); Spinach (49%); Green peas (30%); Banana (5%); and Apple (1%).

To provide perspective to the above recommendations, consider that humans grow their fastest during the first 2 years of life. Our natural diet during these years is breast milk. Breast milk is only 6% protein. Granted, infants are largely sedentary, with their energy intake focused almost exclusively on growth. As they age, however, infants' protein needs decrease as the needs from their increased activity are more than met by the reduced needs with a slowdown in growth rates.

A quick glance around at virtually any gathering of adults provides all the proof needed that getting too much protein is far more likely to happen than not getting enough. Excess protein in Western diets has resulted in severe obesity rates, higher incidences of diabetes and diseases of the heart, kidneys and other organs as well as rates of osteoporosis. Only people who don't eat enough or have digestive disorders are at risk of protein deficiencies. The rest of us can easily consume enough protein to support an active lifestyle by eating a balanced diet entirely comprised of plant derived foods.