Tag: plant based nutrition

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Not all Protein is Created Equal

Not all Protein is Created Equal

How the Amino Acid Profile of a Protein Affects our Long-Term Health

In recent years, there has been a focus on comparing the quality of proteins based on whether they are complete or incomplete.  This is an argument that vegans often face when discussing plant-based protein and vegan nutrition. However, the quality of a protein should not rely simply on how many or which amino acids it contains. Instead, quality depends on the overall health effects of such amino acids.  According to recent studies, there’s one amino acid that could pose a threat to our longevity (1). While protein is necessary for health and fitness, it’s important to know how much is needed and what sources are best for long-term health. The more information we are faced with, the harder it is to know what kind of protein to shop for. Today, I am going to help you scratch some items off the list.

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Shopping for healthy groceries has never been harder than it is now in 2024.

What is Methionine and What does it Do?

It is widely known that the human body needs 20 amino acids (the building blocks of protein), nine of which are considered essential and need to be obtained through diet. A “complete” protein would be one that contains all nine essential amino acids; this includes phenylalanine, valine, tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, methionine, histidine, leucine, and lysine. The protein profile of food is generalized to total protein content and much less often to amino acid content. What we rarely hear about is how much of each amino acid we need and how to obtain each one.

Methionine, an essential amino acid, has been studied over the years for its effect on chronic disease development and longevity. Specifically, a low methionine diet has been associated with a longer lifespan (1). The reason for this is that methionine may induce oxidative stress, which can negatively impact aging and metabolic processes, leading to problems like obesity and diabetes (1). Interestingly, the types of foods that typically contain high levels of methionine have been associated with chronic disease in multiple other studies. As a plant-based nutritionist, I am particularly interested when finding a connection between plant-based nutrition and longevity.

Plant-Based Protein vs Animal-Based Protein

According to this nutrient search tool, foods highest in methionine are primarily animal-based foods, including chicken, turkey, lamb, steak, pork, tuna, and other fish. The highest plant-based source of methionine is firm tofu, ranking 154th on the list (2). Perhaps, the issue is not methionine itself but the “antinutrients” contained in animal products that associate methionine to chronic disease and premature death. Meat, poultry, and fish products contain cholesterol and saturated fats, whereas plant-based foods are cholesterol-free and tend to be low in saturated fats.

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Firm Tofu, the highest plant-based source of methionine (2), Tofu is a complete plant-based protein source for vegans, as it contains all of the essential amino acids.

It is true that, in most cases, animal-based foods contain more protein than plant-based foods, and it is much easier to obtain protein by eating meat, poultry, and fish. The real question is, does higher protein necessarily mean higher quality? All in all, it seems that animal-based products are a higher risk for disease development. The more time I spend analyzing research findings, the more I find that a balanced plant-based diet is the best diet for longevity.

  1. Kitada, M., Ogura, Y., Monno, I., Xu, J., & Koya, D. (2021). Effect of methionine restriction on aging: Its relationship to oxidative stress. Biomedicines, 9(2), 130. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9020130
  1. (n.d.). Highest methionine foods. MyFoodData. Retrieved July 31, 2024, from https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrient-ranking-tool/methionine/all/highest/household/common/no
Plant Based Protein | Methionine
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What is the Best Protein Source?

What is the Best Protein Source?

With so many protein powders available, how do we know which protein is best?

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!

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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

You may wonder, who is most at risk of protein deficiency?  While many believe vegans and vegetarians are most at risk, it turns out that they are not at a higher risk than those on a Standard American Diet (SAD)! Those who are truly at risk are: 1. poor countries who can’t afford quality foods. 2. people with eating disorders 3. people on extreme diets who eat less than 800 calories per day, and  4. people who eat processed foods comprised of mostly fats and sugars.

I am an AFPA Certified Holistic Nutritionist with a focus in Plant-Based Nutrition.  I am also an NASM Certified Personal Trainer so it is important to me that I share nutritional information that will help my clients lose weight and tone up without risk of developing kidney stones, osteoporosis, or fatty liver!  Too much animal protein can cause significant health issues, while plant based protein does not. Try a personal training or nutrition coaching program to learn more about Macronutrients, their Functions and Sources. Nutrition lessons and meal plans at Kelly Athletics are customized to each client's health goals.

Written by Kelly Gibson | Owner at Kelly Athletics LLC | www.FitWithKelly.com

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4 Ways Plant-Based Foods Can Boost Your Health and Happiness

4 Ways Plant-Based Nutrition Can Boost Your Health and Happiness

Written by Jennifer McGregor

You are what you eat. The more we learn about food and the connection between nutrition and overall health, the more we realize the truth in this old saying. We also start to realize the serious benefits that can be had by putting more plant-based foods into our bodies. Still not convinced that a plant-based diet is right for you? Here are some plant-based diets facts that just may change your mind and eventually change your health for the better.

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Plant-Based Foods Can Keep Your Gut in Check

If you're serious about improving your health from head-to-toe, you should consider starting with your gut. That’s because recent research has found that your gut health influences so much of your physical and emotional health. When the healthy bacteria in your gut are happy, you’re more likely to feel happy too due to an increase in the production of serotonin. Not only that, but a healthy gut also helps your body with digestion, immunity, and a whole host of essential processes. Best of all, some of the gut-healthiest foods you can add to your diet for an added boost of probiotics are also plant-based. While you don’t want to pick dairy options from this list, you can get those probiotics by munching on miso, coconut kefir, and kombucha.

A Plant-Based Diet Can Reduce Your Risk for Disease

Eating more plant-based foods is not only good for your gut; it can be also good for your heart. Research has shown that trading processed and fatty foods for nutritiously dense plant-based options can cut your risk of heart disease by 10 percent or more. To maximize your cardiovascular benefits with these diet changes, you should still try to incorporate heart-healthy grains and plenty of veggies into your diet. Now, you may be thinking that reducing your risk of heart disease by 10 percent isn’t that big of a deal. With more than half of Americans being at risk and heart disease consistently counted as a leading cause of death in this country, even the smallest changes can make a major difference in your health and vitality.

Plant-Based Foods Can Help Fuel Your Fitness Routine

Okay, now you may be wondering how eating a plant-based diet will affect your workouts. It’s true that you need a well-rounded fitness plan to stay healthy and happy. This routine needs to be multifaceted to impact all aspects of your health, which means burning calories with cardio workouts while simultaneously building muscle mass with strength training. Most people tend to think you need to eat traditional sources of protein to attain this healthy exercise and fitness balance, but that’s simply not the case! Some of the most accomplished athletes in the world have used plant-based diets to fuel their success, which means you can definitely thrive and achieve your own health and wellness goals eating plant-based too!

A Plant-Based Diet Can Help Reduce Your Waistline

By now, you can see how easily plant-based eating habits can fit into your daily health habits. You can reduce your risk for heart disease, balance out your mood, and improve your fitness routine, all of which can also help you maintain a healthy weight. Why is a healthy weight important? Aside from looking and feeling better, you can also avoid health risks of obesity by incorporating these healthy habits into your daily life. These risks range from mental health issues, like depression, to debilitating physical health ailments, such as muscle atrophy. If weight loss is a primary goal for your health, you can use plant-based recipes to easily achieve it. Just be sure to read through some beginners tips so you can stay on track without stressing.

Some health and nutrition trends don’t live up to the hype; a plant-based diet, however, definitely is not one of them. You can drastically improve your emotional well-being, physical health and fitness, and overall quality of life by simply making some healthy swaps in your diet and basing those swaps around a plant-based diet. What do you have to lose by trying?

Get started with a holistic nutrition lesson to help with your weight loss and wellness goals today!