How Much Protein Do We Need and Where Can We Find It on a Vegan Diet?

“Where do you get your protein from on a vegan diet and how much do you have per day?”

Hands down the most common question any vegan gets is “Where do you get your protein from and how much do you have per day?”.  From a young age we are led to believe we need more protein than we can actually utilise in a healthy manner.

The more I have studied nutrition and read about metabolism and chronic disease, the more I have realised that protein is far from the be all and end all. In fact, to put it plainly, protein is an over emphasised and over consumed nutrient as a result of the marketing of meat and protein powders. The momentum of this marketing (billions of dollars) has then been further propelled by Nutritionists, Doctors and Personal Trainers who get caught up in the hype and do not fully understand metabolism and the risks with excess protein intake (it takes a lot of time to properly go through the research).  Just because something is on tv, in a magazine or in a nutrition course does not mean its ‘gospel’ – unfortunately, protein has had far too much air time at the detriment of long term health. To get some background on protein consumption and disease, have a read of Animal Protein & Disease which runs through the science around high protein consumption and it’s association with chronic illness.

Don’t get me wrong, we need amino acids (protein), and in particular we need to get the essential amino acids from our diet, however this is easily achieved and there are certainly more important nutrients that the general population should be considering.  What’s really important to understand is that all of these essential amino acids that are required for protein synthesis originate in plants.  That’s right, they are produced by plants, not mammals.  So as humans we can either consume them by going direct to the plants or by eating an animal (an animal that eats plants directly or eats other animals who eat plants).  Often people will say that plant proteins are incomplete, but that’s clearly not true now that you know all essential amino acids originate from plants.  What’s true is that the amino acids in plants are in different ratios to those found in animal products, but more and more research is actually telling us that this is incredibly healthful.  So long as you eat a well diversified plant-based diet, and eat enough calories (not starving yourself) you will get all of these essential amino acids that your body requires.

Now that we have cleared that up lets take a look at how much total protein we actually need and where you can find it on a plant based diet.

What is the Recommended Dietary Intake of Protein per day?

The RDI of protein for inactive persons aged between 19-70 is 0.84 grams per KG (0.38g/lb) of body mass for men and 0.75 grams per KG (0.34g/lb) of body mass for women (1). As we get older than 70 years of age, our protein requirement does go up.

Based on this and looking at science on protein and disease, I have put together a few macronutrient tables, which I find works for most people, and will give you a guide on the amount of protein you should aim for based on your activity level, physical goals and calorie target.  

So what is the upper limit of protein per day (safe level) to minimise these ageing and cancer causing growth hormones?

The Nutrient Reference Values set by the Australian Government advise the below with regards to the upper limit of protein intake per day:

No upper limit was set as there are insufficient data. However, an upper limit of 25% protein as energy is recommended which is why I recommend this for those who are VERY active.  Otherwise you simply do not have the need for such levels of protein and as a nutrient it will be inefficiently utilised compared with eating more clean carbohydrates.

If anyone is telling you to jump on a diet that is well over 25% of calories from Protein then they are not considering your long term health and the consequences of excess amino acid concentration in your body and the associated chronic illnesses that will be significantly increased.  Although animal protein is considerably worse in excess than plant protein (due to it’s amino acid make up) there’s no reason to consume any protein in excess.  You may be thinking “What about the Keto diet”?  There is no population that has been studied over time to conclude that a high protein, low carbohydrate diet is healthy in the long term and from what we know about proteins, they are strongly linked to causing cancer and ageing at high levels.  In contrast, we have the ‘blue zone‘ populations to look at as populations that have displayed longevity, and at the core of their diets they stick to a largely plant-based, whole food diet without excessive protein.  A great resource to listen to which goes deeper into the danger of high protein consumption, and keto in particular, is a recent interview of Joel Khan, MD and Rich Roll.

So what plant foods contain protein?

In short, pretty much every single whole plant food contains protein but here is a list of some of the major ones!

• Legumes (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas) including Tofu and Tempeh. Want to know more about Soy? – check this
• Chia Seeds
• Hemp Seeds
• Quinoa
• Nuts
• Spirulina
• Brown Rice
• Nutritional Yeast
• Oats & Amaranth

I understand the science and it makes sense but practically, how will I get the protein intake I need on a plant based or vegan diet?

So let’s look at a scenario for an 85Kg male like me that is doing regular, moderate exercise per week including some running and strength training. My calorie aim is around 2,500 – to calculate your total calorie requirements checkout my macronutrient/calorie blog. For me, based on my activity level I need roughly 125g of protein per day. This can easily be achieved with 20% of calories coming from protein which falls below the max 25% of calories from protein that is recommended as safe.  So I am comfortable that I am able to build muscle and not over consume protein at a toxic level.  Meal wise this could look something like the below to achieve this protein level.  Note I have just grabbed a regular day of eating for me and shown you how the 125g of protein is easily found.

1. Tofu (200g) (30 grams protein) with vegetables including generous serve of dark leafy greens, Sauerkraut/Kimchi and 1/2 can black beans (5 grams protein)
2. 50g almonds (11 grams protein) with 2tbsp hemp seeds (10.6 grams protein) and 1/2 cup blueberries (1 gram protein) OR 30g hemp & pea protein shake (wholefood option preferable however if time restricts the extra ‘meal’ then a plant-based shake that 100% natural is a good option).
3. 150g of Tempeh (25 grams protein), 1/2 avocado (1 gram protein), Sauerkraut/Kimchi, 1 cup broccoli (2.6 grams protein), 1 cup cooked brown rice (8 grams protein), 1 cup raw spinach  and Chilli sauce
4. Plant Protein Shake (20 grams) or for some extra calories homemade Chia Pudding (3 tbsp) with 20g hemp protein added (20 grams protein)
5. 200g Chickpea (12grams protein) salad with loads of dark leafy green veggies (5g protein) and 2 tbsp hemp seeds (10.6 grams protein).

TOTAL Protein: Approx 125-140g of protein (note there will actually be slightly more protein than this as all your veggies you add to these meals also contain protein. I.e 3 grams of protein per 1 cup of Kale).

This is just one quick example of how easy it is to get the protein required for an 85Kg male that’s doing regular moderate exercise including strength training.  To see the common foods I buy each week, including plant-based sources of protein, read this Vegan tips for maximising lean muscle gain and also my grocery tips and supplement blog. If you truly want to thrive and build lean muscle it’s best to use protein shakes as ‘supplements’ and aim to get AS MUCH of your daily protein from whole foods.  This will benefit not only your gains but also your long term health and avoidance of chronic disease.

Summary of Protein on a Vegan Diet:

1. We do not need as much protein as we thought
2. It’s very easily obtained through a plant-based diet and is way cleaner and higher quality because the protein is not sitting next to cholesterol, saturated animal fats, carnitine, antibiotics and hormones.
3. Calculate your daily calorie burn using methods in the Macronutrient and Calorie Blog (Basal Metabolic Rate + activity burn = total daily calorie burn)
4. Based on your weight goal (loss, maintenance or gain) set your calorie target
5. Then lastly go to the inactive, moderately active or very active table (based on your activity level per week) to see your macronutrient breakdown (grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat you should aim for daily).
6. As always, try and get as MUCH of your foods from whole foods per day, however I am not opposed to an organic plant protein shake (or add to soaked oats or a smoothie bowl etc) if you find that it required to help you reach your desired macronutrients.

Lastly, for those of you who are not right into your training and just want to live a healthy plant-based diet, don’t stress too much about all these calculations. Just stick to mainly carbohydrates, some good sources of plant protein and the remainder as fats – nail the balance of plant-based whole foods and trust me you do not need to stress about protein!  If you feel like you are dropping weight up your meal sizes a little bit and vice versa if you are gaining weight until you work out the sweet spot with regards to how much plant fuel your body needs to stay the same weight.

References:

1. https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/protein
2. https://www.elsevier.com/connect/controlling-protein-intake-may-be-key-to-longevity
3. https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(14)00062-X