Does protein from beans/soy/peas for example help preserve and build muscle the same as animal protein goes? Do you have to eat more protein if you get it from plants?
My personal opinion is we focus too much on this minutiae when it comes to nutrition and building muscle. People are so black and white and cite various studies, often ones that contradict each other. Yes it’s important but you are going to get the vast majority of the benefits if you have a proper training program while eating a decent amount of protein. Of course, consistency is the most important as well.
Having said that, if you are some kind of bodybuilder or athlete then this kind of thing gets more important. I am just talking to the vast majority of those just looking to feel good and look good.
Animal protein tends to be more bioavailable than plant protein. In a nutshell, this means “how much you absorb.” Egg whites are a very bioavailable protein source, and you tend to absorb almost all of it
With that being said… if you eat plant based, you can still eat a lot of protein, and your body will use that protein. The most relevant thing is getting the protein, not necessarily worrying about what makes up the protein
As a general rule of thumb, a high protein diet is .8x1 gram of per body weight (or goal body weight). I don’t see any reason why you would have to modify this for a plant based diet.
People also tend to favor animal protein, because things like egg white, chicken breast, beef, provides complete protein, in that or contains all of the amino acids. Plant based sources like beans, lentils, chickpeas, tend to be incomplete. A protein doesn’t have to be “complete” in order for you to benefit from it, you would just want to be properly educated on which plant based sources are complete, and which ones aren’t
For example, soy is a complete protein. Lentils are an incomplete protein, and they can be paired with rice to make a complete protein (but it doesn’t need to be in the same meal)
Yes, but the fundamental research that’s been done shows Whey protein to be the most bioavailable and best protein source. Lane Norton does a good video going over a study that did a very thorough investigation on this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbhnG7xFOUU. Now there’s newer research being done with protein powders, and I cannot find the original paper I saw this cited, where researchers are now doing hybrid plan protein blends that pretty much come close to matching the quality of Whey. You can build muscle with any kind of protein. The newer vegan influencers and nutritionists have put together meal plans where I’ve seen vegan lifters gain good muscle mass on steroids or not on steroids. The issue with vegetarian or vegan protein options for me is that you don’t get the same bang for your buck like you do with meat proteins. 8 oz of sirloin steak gets you 60 grams of protein and 400 calories. You cannot beat those macros. 8 oz chicken breast is 48 grams of protein and 390 calories. Lentils are some of the best protein sources on a vegan diet the protein in 8oz of lentils is 20 grams of protein. You’d have to eat 16 oz of lentils to match the protein in one serving of chicken breast. But it’s all individual. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian you can gain a lot of muscle on a vegan diet or just trying to ingest more plant proteins. You just have to know your shit.
All plant proteins contain all aminos acids.
The key amino for building muscles is leucine.
Eating 2-3g of leucine 4X a day is ideal for building muscle. Plus 200-300 calories above maintenance.
And train with enough intensity.
If you eat at least 1.6g protein per kg you will generally hit this leucine target or get close.
The following pages are have great info, where I learnt this.
@simonhill, @veganbodycoach, @plantstrong_dietician, @dr.matthewnagra , all on instagram.
A healthy vegan diet includes protein from various sourced so even if some sources are low in certain aminos it doesn’t matter if eating various sources.
The most protein dense vegan sources are protein powder, (try find te highest amount of leucine per serve, or just have a little over 1 serving to get this.)
Seitan, Textured vegetable protein, soya wadi, mock meats (be aware of sodium tho), tofu, protein pasta, (lentil/wheat), tempeh.
Secondary sources are lentils, beans, nuts and seeds, they are still very healthy but contain more fibre and carbs so can be harder to hit protein goals without excess calories or eating to much fibre.
Also low carb high protein breads are great.
Animal protein is more dense but that is basically the only advantage.
Sources of complete protein include fish, poultry, eggs, meat, and dairy…..plant based complete proteins include soy, but high soy consumption has been shown to cause health concerns in some studies…..healthier choices would include hemp quinoa, buckwheat, spirulina, and chia seeds…..you shouldn’t focus on one food group or the other, as all food groups have other benefits beside a complete protein……balance is the key….
No animal protein is superior to plant protein. Show me a vegan bodybuilder and l’ll show a 100 bigger not vegan. If want to do vegan cool, but never think it is better for or even close to equal to using animal protein for building muscle… There are no complete protein vegan sources. Everyone knows this….
If you’re getting enough protein then honestly it’s not that much of an issue provided you’re getting enough Leucine . Personally I’m vegan and from what I’m seeing I don’t have any particular issues gaining muscle, though sure it’d probabably be a little simpler with animal products
If you eat protein, your body breaks it down into amino acids and then rebuilds them into protein.
To answer your question you should ask what amino acids are in each.
I suspect this hype with protein is too help make some people get rich