Unlocking the Power of Plant-Based Protein: Top Benefits for Your Health
- Jessie Whelan
- Sep 17
- 7 min read
Protein, protein, protein!
From constant ads promoting protein coffee, to influencers pushing high protein diets, I can imagine the topic of protein comes up a lot on your social media pages, and even in your everyday conversations around health with friends and family.
How do I know? Because I've seen the rise in the topic myself! It's everywhere. But, why? Let's get in to it.
What is protein?
Protein, one of three major macronutrients our bodies require to stay in good health, is made up of building blocks called amino acids.
Amino acids fall in to one of two categories (with a caveat):
Essential Amino Acids (our body cannot produce them, so we must consume them): Histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine
Non-Essential Amino Acids (our body can produce them on its own): Alanine, Arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, and tyrosine
A third category of amino acids is known as the conditionally essential, meaning under specific conditions of stress, illness, or injury you may need to consume more as the body's demand is greater than what it can produce on its own. These amino acids are:
Arginine, cystine, glutamine, glycine, proline, and tyrosine
*The body's condition will determine the amino acid need, which is typically determine by a medical professional.
These amino acids, which build in the body to form protein, are essential not only for muscle growth and development (which may be the primary need you're aware of), but also for recovery from injury and illness, enzymatic actions, and hormone function.
What is a Complete Protein?
A complete protein is a protein (source) the contains all 9 essential amino acids.
It was previously thought that foods like grains and nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes, needed to be paired and eaten together (at the same time) in order for the body to recieve adequate protein.
Good news for anyone who does not consume meat, fish, dairy, and/or eggs - we now know that the body is quite smart, and so this outdated practice is non-essential.
Plant-Based Dieters: Can they meet their protein needs?
No matter your dietary preferences, a diverse diet that includes from across all food groups (even if just from plant-based sources) will provide the body with adequate protein.
One 2019 review on the adequacy of dietary protein and amino acids in vegetarian diets suggests that when looking at the whole picture, those who consumed a diverse diet, even when eliminating animal products, overall consumed adequate total protein on average.
Is it really enough protein?
While plant-based dieters will generally consume less daily protein than their animal-based foods counterparts (see table below), they are still able to consume adequate amounts, especially when taken in to consideration that many individuals consume more than their body generally requires.
Let's look at the numbers.
For the average person the daily protein recommendation is a minimum of 0.8g/kg of body weight.
Example: Protein recommendation for a 150lb person.
150lb / 2.2kg = 68kg
68kg x 0.8kg = 54.4g/kg
Protein Goal: 54g protein daily
*You may require higher amounts of protein dependent upon your activity level, and in times of injury or illness, or dependent upon your level of animal product restrictions.
In the table above, the lowest protein intake unsurprisingly were vegans coming in at an average of 64g of protein per day. This is still 10g higher than the minimum recommendation for the average 150lb person.
Resource
Mariotti F, Gardner CD. Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A Review. Nutrients. 2019; 11(11):2661. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112661
Protein Sources
Protein may come from animal sources such as poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), beef, bison, veal, seafood (fish and shellfish), dairy, milk, and eggs.
Protein may also come from plant-based sources such as soy (edamame, tofu, textured vegetable protein), beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, quinoa, peas, tempeh (wheat based), hemp seeds, buck wheat (gluten free), amaranth, spirulina, and nutritional yeast.
Protein Needs
As previously mentioned, the RDA, or Recommended Dietary Allowance, for protein is 0.8g/kg of body weight.
To calculate your weight in kilograms simply take your body weight in pounds and divide by 2.2. Then multiply that number by 0.8 to get your baseline for protein goals.
You may have also seen a daily protein recommendation of 1g/lb of body weight.
So which one do you follow? Let's talk about it.
The RDA may not be enough
Consider the RDA your baseline. It keeps your body alive. If you're a sedentary person - you don't exercise and you have a desk job, or perhaps you're bed bound, or fall in to this category for any reason at any stage of life and are otherwise healthy, the RDA of 0.8g/kg is likely adequate for you.
The recommendation of 1g/lb of body weight is the same as 2.2g/kg of body weight (if you're looking to keep metrics the same) and is more than 2x the RDA.
When is it appropriate to reach for this much protein?
You're a professional athlete
You lead a highly athletic lifestyle
You lift weights regularly throughout the week
You're an endurance athlete, even if just recreationally
You have a highly active job that is physically demanding
You're sedentary BUT you're recovering from illness, injury, surgery, childbirth, etc.
Benefits of a higher protein diet
Even for the sedentary person, or someone who is in a more sedentary season, striving for a protein intake above the RDA has various benefits including but not limited to:
Improved weight management
Improved muscle retention
Improve appetite management
Decreased snacking / cravings
Improve immune system
Reduced risk of injury
Higher protein diets can be especially beneficial to perimenopausal and menopausal women who struggle to maintain their weight as hormones begin to shift. Women who consume protein diets higher than that of the RDA (closer to 1g/lb of body weight) can have an easier time not only maintain their weight, but maintain and even building muscle especially when paired with at least 2x/week of strength training.
Benefits of plant-based protein
Now that you know plant-based protein sources on their own can be adequate, what are some of the additional benefits (even if this isn't exclusively what you consume)?
Fermented tofu and veggies provide probiotics, helping improve the gut microbiome, which helps not only improve digestion, but cognitive function as well
Belobrajdic, D. P., James-Martin, G., Jones, D., & Tran, C. D. (2023). Soy and Gastrointestinal Health: A Review. Nutrients, 15(8), 1959. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15081959
Isoflavones in tofu provide antioxidants, can enhance DNA repair systems, and may reduce cancer risk
Fraser, G. E., Jaceldo-Siegl, K., Orlich, M., Mashchak, A., Sirirat, R., & Knutsen, S. (2020). Dairy, soy, and risk of breast cancer: those confounded milks. International journal of epidemiology, 49(5), 1526–1537. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyaa007
Phytoestrogens, such as those found in soy, are linked to reduced menopausal symptoms
Asian countries have an increased intake of soy, and a lower incidence of menopausal symptoms [hot flashes, sweating, mood changes, risk of osteoporosis, fractures, decreased physical activity] (10-25%) as compared to women in Western countries (60-90%)
Chen, L. R., & Chen, K. H. (2021). Utilization of Isoflavones in Soybeans for Women with Menopausal Syndrome: An Overview. International journal of molecular sciences, 22(6), 3212. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22063212
A prospective study of 300,000 Chinese woman aged 30-79 years in 10 regions across China enrolled between 2004 and 2008 and followed up with Breast Caner events until 2016 resulted in a 3% reduced risk of breast cancer associated with a 10mg/day increment in soy isoflavone intake.
Wei, Y., Lv, J., Guo, Y., Bian, Z., Gao, M., Du, H., Yang, L., Chen, Y., Zhang, X., Wang, T., Chen, J., Chen, Z., Yu, C., Huo, D., Li, L., & China Kadoorie Biobank Collaborative Group (2020). Soy intake and breast cancer risk: a prospective study of 300,000 Chinese women and a dose-response meta-analysis. European journal of epidemiology, 35(6), 567–578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-019-00585-4
Protein Content
The following sources and portions provide ~20g (give or take a few grams) of protein
3 ounces of chicken
3oz of tofu
3oz of fish
2oz of jerky
1C edamame, lentils, beans (16g or more)
1C cottage cheese
5oz Greek yogurt (12-18g)
2oz of cheese (14g)
1C Quinoa (18g)
The following foods provide some protein and will help your overall daily protein intake
Sunflower seeds: 5g per ounce
Milk: 8g per 8oz
Yogurt: 5g per 6oz
Sugar free pudding: 4g per 1/2C
Bread: 3g per slice
Cereal: 3g per 1/2C hot or 3/4C cold
Rice and Pasta: 9g per 1C
Vegetables: 2g per 1/2C or 1C raw leafy greens
TLDR
Eating a variety of foods daily can help make sure your body is receiving the protein it needs to maintain muscle mass, reduce risk of injury, reduce risk of illness, boost recovery from illness and injury, boost recovery from surgeries and child birth, and help regulate appetite, leading to an overall easier time with weight management.
Aiming for a protein intake higher than the RDA of 0.8g/kg of body weight can help even a sedentary person maintain muscle mass and manage their appetite and weight.
Vegetarians and vegans can meet and even surpass daily protein needs by consuming a variety of foods and utilizing supplements and meat alternatives when needed / desired.
Higher protein diets can be especially beneficial to perimenopausal and menopausal women who struggle to maintain their weight as hormones begin to shift. Women who consume protein diets higher than that of the RDA (closer to 1g/lb of body weight) can have an easier time not only maintain their weight, but maintain and even building muscle especially when paired with at least 2x/week of strength training.
PROTEIN CONTENT of COMMON FOODS Portion Size Grams of Protein. June 2019.
Need ideas? Click below to get my FREE protein foods brainstorm! A fully categorized list with brand recommendations tried by myself and my clients over the years!
Resources
Mariotti F, Gardner CD. Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A Review. Nutrients. 2019; 11(11):2661. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112661
Belobrajdic, D. P., James-Martin, G., Jones, D., & Tran, C. D. (2023). Soy and Gastrointestinal Health: A Review. Nutrients, 15(8), 1959. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15081959
Fraser, G. E., Jaceldo-Siegl, K., Orlich, M., Mashchak, A., Sirirat, R., & Knutsen, S. (2020). Dairy, soy, and risk of breast cancer: those confounded milks. International journal of epidemiology, 49(5), 1526–1537. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyaa007
Chen, L. R., & Chen, K. H. (2021). Utilization of Isoflavones in Soybeans for Women with Menopausal Syndrome: An Overview. International journal of molecular sciences, 22(6), 3212. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22063212
Wei, Y., Lv, J., Guo, Y., Bian, Z., Gao, M., Du, H., Yang, L., Chen, Y., Zhang, X., Wang, T., Chen, J., Chen, Z., Yu, C., Huo, D., Li, L., & China Kadoorie Biobank Collaborative Group (2020). Soy intake and breast cancer risk: a prospective study of 300,000 Chinese women and a dose-response meta-analysis. European journal of epidemiology, 35(6), 567–578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-019-00585-4
PROTEIN CONTENT of COMMON FOODS Portion Size Grams of Protein. June 2019.
Comments