Protein.  So many people praise and worship protein like it is the "god" of nutrition. They treat it like this one nutrient is superior to the rest.  But how bad do we really need protein?

For survival, we technically only need about 6% of our calorie intake from food (1).  SIX PERCENT!  You can achieve enough protein by eating a completely fruit-based diet if that is true, as long as you eat enough calories for your body.  Babies get exactly that – 6% protein– from their mother’s milk (2).  Breastmilk is the ultimate food for human babies and it only contains 6% of calories from protein.  But, like most mammals, babies wean off breastmilk (or formula) as early as 12 months and start to eat what we eat.  Just think - these little ones can survive on as low as 6% protein, at a time in their life where they are growing the fastest!  And if you look at overall volume of breastmilk, it is only 1% of their dietary intake (because breastmilk is 80% water).

As babies transition into childhood then adolescence, their diet changes. Kids are taught that they need to drink whole milk for strong bones, partly due to the protein content (as well as calcium and fat). The protein content in whole milk is 21%.  I can think of a million other food sources that can provide this much protein, or more.  As long as kids are eating a variety of vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes… they will have no problem achieving this protein content. And there’s plenty of non-dairy milks containing nuts or seeds. Yep - milk myth – debunked. I know what you’re thinking though – WHEY!

According to an 8-week study in 2013, isolated rice protein was comparable to isolated whey protein when considering fat loss and lean mass gains (3). When given under the same conditions (in the same amounts and at the same time), there was no significant difference in results from whey protein and rice protein. BOTH types of protein produced lower body fat composition and enhanced performance (3). This does not mean that whey protein and rice protein are equal in content or nutritional value, but it demonstrates that you can obtain the same fitness results by consuming isolated proteins from a variety of sources. This can be true as long as it is in its optimal form and consumed in the correct amounts.  The difference that you may find is that different brands and flavors of proteins contain different ingredients, and some may have additional amino acids, vitamins, and minerals added to boost its effects. Below, we will take a look at some plant proteins and compare rice vs hemp vs soy vs pea.

As adults, we are still stuck on this notion that protein is almighty and without it we will become scrawny and weak. We are always searching for the perfect protein. Meat is assumed to be the ultimate protein source, because it has the highest amount of protein, so it is assumed that it must be good. Even as adults, we still don’t need upwards of 40-60% protein. If we only select a food based on its protein content, and disregard all the health effects of consuming that food, we are setting ourselves up for failure. But carbs make us fat, right? Let’s just say if that were true, all the vegetarians and vegans would be dead or morbidly obese by now. Truthfully, there are vegetarians and meat-eaters of all sizes, so extreme dieting that avoids any single nutrient entirely won’t solve the world’s obesity crisis. The truth is, the older we get, the less active most of us become, and without exercise, we cannot build muscle. Our protein needs are significantly lower if we’re inactive. When sedentary people overeat protein, just like any other food - it turns to fat.

What about those of us who exercise?  Well if you are a runner or cardio junkie… I have to say, 6-12% protein is optimal for your performance and recovery.  If you are strength training, increasing your protein intake is necessity.  Some bodybuilders do thrive on less than 10% protein, but their calorie intake is enormous and I personally don’t know too many people who can handle that volume of whole food ingredients on the daily. It can be done, and I applaud those who do it, but the average person can’t commit (or even trust the system). If you want to get strong and gain mass, 10% protein is unlikely to be enough if you under-eat calories. I personally recommend a protein intake that is more palatable to the average person who eats a normal amount of food. Having more than 10% protein can provide enough energy for your strength workouts. By consuming daily protein shakes, you are not only getting in easy calories without much effort, but they can be tasty too!  Protein shakes make for a healthy snack or meal replacement. There are a million and one ways to do it too (there are at least a thousand recipes to try).  Most strength athletes can thrive on a plant-based diet consisting of 15-25% protein.  If you are a low-carb enthusiast, you can manage closer to 35% protein on a plant-based diet, but would have to eliminate fruit and grains to achieve this (and I rarely recommend this). The exact amount for each person would depend on a variety of factors, and I can calculate your goals for you if you’d like.

If you are consuming enough calories for your body and activity level, you shouldn’t have to worry so much about protein. Just in case, I decided to do a little research to help you decide which protein is best. Below is pictured a comparison of four plant-based proteins that are completely isolated and have no added ingredients. Thanks to truenutrition.com, I was able to find a fair comparison.

Regarding quality of protein, soy protein isolate appears to have the highest protein-to-fat and protein-to-carb ratios. Rice and pea proteins are not far behind soy, while hemp has the most carbohydrates and fats, and least amount of protein per 30 grams. If you’re looking to increase your protein intake without increasing your carb or fat intake, soy is the way to go.  If you’re not much of a soy fan or your goal is to increase performance or lean muscle mass, you may want to choose between rice and pea protein.  Leucine-rich proteins have a bigger impact on performance and muscle mass (3), and rice and pea protein have just a bit more than soy. All 3 seem to be good options and very similar in content. (Sorry hemp, but you lose today ☹.)

Ultimately, most people are unlikely to drink a protein shake that tastes bad, so it is worth it to have a slight adjustment in calories or macros to ensure that you will drink them regularly.  The last thing you’ll want to do is give up on a beneficial dietary supplement because you don’t like the taste and are overly stressed about the carb or fat content (when quite literally isolated protein will have less carbs and fats than most other plant-based foods). So, now that we have determined that most proteins are pretty similar in effectiveness, you can have a good time experimenting with flavors.  Last but not least, make sure to read the ingredients on protein shakes (along with other supplements), and research whether the added ingredients are worth consuming before you buy.  Any other questions, just ask me!

Resources:

(1) eCornell University: Certification in Plant Based Nutrition. https://www.ecornell.com/

(2) MyFitnessPal: macronutrient charts. www.myfitnesspal.com

(3) National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3698202/#!po=42.5000

Written by Kelly Gibson | Kelly Athletics LLC | 480-270-4968 | www.FitWithKelly.com