This article is the first in our Being Vegan series that will be appearing monthly in Echonetdaily.
Eve Jeffery
The first thing that people usually say when the subject of my veganism comes up is ‘Where do you get your protein from?’.
Actually that’s not totally true – usually, the first thing people say is ‘but what about bacon?’, and to be totally honest, when I was an omnivore that was a question I asked.
The protein comment usually comes second and I could pretty much almost guarantee that just about every vegan has been asked this question.
I’m not going to acknowledge the first question which is more about hurting someone’s feelings than about the taste of charred pig flesh, but I can address the second.
The simple facts are we don’t actually need tonnes of protein every day; we do need some, but making animals suffer for a pound of flesh is not necessary, and in the 21st century we are smarter, and I hope more compassionate than that.
A plant-based diet
You can eat a plant-based diet and get plenty of protein. Most people don’t realise that a lot of fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, and soy contain protein; and like any balanced diet, if you eat properly you will get all the nutrients you need.
The meat and dairy industry has whole advertising campaigns centred around protein. They are constantly reminding us that if we don’t get plenty of protein into us every day we will implode.
They also like to suggest that the best source for getting this is from the meat and dairy industry.
Marketing plays a huge part in this. Quite often advertisers will show you animals happily frolicking in paddocks all the while suggesting how good roast pork is for you; they don’t show you the process from the paddock to the plate. They show you cows munching on grass in sunny fields but they neglect to show you their superfluous babies who have been shot and carted off in a wheelbarrow, or bottle-fed powdered milk until they’re old enough to eat grass, at which time the males become part of the beef industry and the females continue the cycle in the dairy industry.
Most people would be surprised to know that gram for gram hemp seed actually contains more protein (31.53g per 100g) than beef (26g per 100g) – the meat and dairy industry certainly wouldn’t want you to know that either.
But as my sister, Rachel Jeffery, who is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) constantly reminds me, you probably wouldn’t eat 100g of hemp seed a day.
True.
But, hemp seed liberally sprinkled over salads and breakfast cereals certainly goes a long way to help.
How much protein do you need?
So without dwelling on the negative, let’s look at the positive. How can you get enough protein and be a vegan?
Rachel says that protein is in all cells in our body. ‘Proteins in the body are continually being broken down and rebuilt (protein turnover), so it is important that everyone has protein in their diets each day.’
It turns out that protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids. ‘There are around 20 amino acids and nine are considered essential amino acids: essential because our bodies cannot make them so we need to eat them,’ says Rachel.
‘Foods containing the essential amino acids are called complete proteins. These foods are primarily from animal products including meat, milk, fish, and eggs.
However, for vegans, complete proteins are also found in soybean (including tofu) and quinoa. ‘Other plant-based foods do contain proteins, but not all are complete,’ says Rachel.
‘So to ensure you are obtaining good sources of amino acids each day, it is important that you have the right mix of plant proteins including wholegrain breads, cereals, legumes, dried beans, nuts, and seeds over the day.’
Rachel, who is not a vegan, certainly helps me find the best food choices to support my ethical choices.
Guidelines and sources
The Eat For Health protein guidelines say that the average adult needs around 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight each day.
‘For example, a 70kg female needs that 0.8g times 70 which amount to 56g,’ says Rachel.
‘Protein requirements will change depending on stages in her lifecycle – pregnancy, breastfeeding, growth, recovery post major trauma or injury, and in times of illness, for example, cancer.
‘Babies up to one year need approximately 1.5g per kg of body weight and children up to 18 years need approximately 1g per kg of body weight.’
There are plenty of plant-based foods containing protein that can help you get your required daily amounts. Tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils, chickpeas, nutritional yeast, spelt and teff, green peas, spirulina, amaranth, and quinoa. All of these things are just a starting point.
There is also plenty of protein to be found in soy milk, oats, wild rice, chia seeds, many nuts and seeds, and there are small amounts of protein in fruit and vegetables including broccoli, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, guava, mulberries, blackberries, nectarines, and bananas.
We need balance
One thing dieticians will all agree on is the need for balance. A healthy diet has a diverse range of foods with smaller amounts of certain food groups – those being sugars, fats, and salts. Again, we do need some of those things, just not an abundance of them.
One of the positives about being a vegan, apart from the obvious sense of being guilt-free about your food, is that you are more aware of your food, you are more conscious of what you put into your mouth, and overall this does lead to better health.
Although, some people seem to think vegans are all skinny – some people forget that potatoes and oil have nothing to do with animal products, and if you saw the size of my behind, you’d know that I’m well acquainted with both of these vegan products.
It’s the nature of the (vegan) beast that vegans, certainly for the foreseeable future, are going to have to constantly explain their food choices and how they get what is required. So remembering some solid information about protein is going to help you out at Christmas when you bring out a nice juicy seitan stuffed with nuts and almonds with a side of crispy tofu and roast veggies for lunch.
Also from our Being Vegan series:
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One of the questions I get asked a lot is: Why don’t vegans use eggs and honey?
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