Deciphering Protein Priorities: Opting for Quality or Quantity?
Stop bingeing on proteins. You have to consider the amino acid profile of foods to sustain your health.
Takeaways
Think about both protein quality & quantity
Protein quality means the right amino acid composition + high digestibility
Potato proteins supply sufficient amino acids
Focus on plant diversity on the plate
💪 When a dialogue around a plant-based diet arises, the protein topic often comes to mind. To soft-land on today’s article—and if you haven’t done so—check out my last week’s post: Is the Protein Talk Overhyped? For those who have already read it, buckle up for the ride.
When we design healthy diets, we should consider the quality of nutrients as much as the daily recommended quantities.1
What does ‘protein quality’ mean?
✌️ There are 2 main factors when considering protein quality: proteins with the (i) right amino acid composition (containing the essential ones) and (ii) high digestibility (which implies the body’s absorption). Both aspects are required for proteins to ensure that the human body's needs are met.
🗣️ Remember that amino acids can be classified as indispensable (not produced by the body and thus required to be ingested) and dispensable (the body can produce them in case of non-ingestion).
🐷 Animal-derived proteins contain all 9 indispensable amino acids in relatively high concentrations, making them complete proteins. On the other hand, several plant-based proteins are incomplete as they lack one or more of these essential amino acids or contain only small amounts. For vegan athletes, some will highlight that, more specifically, the lysine amino acid could be a limiting factor…
🎽 The ‘amino acid talk’ got me seriously thinking about whether or not I should be on a 100 % plant-based diet. But I kept hearing famous athletes’ names purely fueled by plants like Fiona Oakes (Guinness World Record Holding Marathoner) and Brendan Brazier (Ironman Triathlete). How do they do it?
“The key to thriving on a 100 % plant-based diet is to have diversity on the plate to reach the recommended protein levels. The idea is to combine plants whose amino acid compositions are complementary.” 🔑
🫣 But how does this plate diversity really apply on a daily basis? I have to confess that I do not weigh the ingredients of my meals and make calculations to get the amino acid balance right. I needed a push with something actionable. The game-changer came in the form of the ‘Plant-based Athlete’ book. It is an easy reading, straightforward, and inspiring (with quotes from worldwide plant-based athletes).
🥣 You may ask, “How easy is it to meet one’s daily protein needs, including lysine?” In the book, the authors exemplify a one-day meal plan for a man of around 70 kg who is training for a marathon. He must meet 91 g of protein and 2671 mg of lysine daily. A-H-A! It's not so difficult to hit the targets after all.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F544a8d4c-2de7-42a2-b130-9a59222fd1ad.heic)
💡 The take-home message here is that by eating a variety of legumes, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fruits and focusing on hitting your caloric target, you will most likely obtain all essential amino acids (just like this fellow marathoner).
🌱 Alright. Some might still ask, though, “Is it possible to mimic the amino acid profile of common animal proteins?” Yes, it is definitely possible. It requires the willingness to prepare the blend nevertheless… According to research done at Paris-Saclay University (Prof. Mariotti), the following blends could replace 5 animal proteins (white egg, cow milk, chicken meat, whey and casein):2
😲By the way, I was surprised to discover that potato is added to all of 5 blends, and it is acknowledged as a balanced protein by WHO (World Health Organization). The authors stated in their study, “Potato could offer sufficient amino acids if it was consumed as the only protein source in the diet (considering an adequate digestibility).”
🥔 Wow, potatoes deserve my higher respect from now on! ☺️
The sustainability factor in the ‘protein quality’ equation
🌎 More recently, researchers have argued that the protein's environmental impact on the planet's health should also be considered in this ‘quality’ equation (on top of the right amino acid composition and digestibility). This way, the consumer can identify foods that are not only nutritious but also offer a balance between the true value of their protein content and its quality for human health, as well as environmental impact.3 Today there are no governmental guidelines on this.
🌈 In 2019, the first effort to establish universal scientific targets for the food system that are applicable to all people and the planet was concluded (EAT-Lancet Commission on “Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems”).
📝 The committee's two take-home messages:
Double the consumption of healthy foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes & nuts
Reduce at least 50 % in global consumption of unhealthy foods: red meat
A planetary health plate should consist of approximately: (i) half a plate of vegetables and fruits; (ii) the other half should consist of primarily whole grains, plant protein sources, and unsaturated plant oils; (iii) and (optionally) modest amounts of animal sources of protein.4
👀 Note the push for the ingestion of veggies, fruits, legumes, and nuts. Indeed, human health depends on the earth’s health.
Inspiration corner
📝Plenty of recipes are available these days to help us get creative when cooking healthy and nutritious meals. At the moment, my cookbook crush is ‘Wild Recipes’ from Emma Sawko. Her philosophy: Good for you, good for the planet, and delicious! I experimented with her vegan protein bowl recipe containing the following protein-rich ingredients:
➡️ Quinoa | Nori seaweed | Edamame beans | Cashew nuts | Spirulina ⬅️
🔍 My favorite discovery, though, was her cashew nut sauce with spirulina, ginger, and tamari sauce. It really enhances the taste of the dish. Twinkling taste buds!
😋 Any great high-protein plant-based dish recipe at your end? Share in the comments. I’d be happy to try it out!
Until the next post, stay hungry.
PS: You may also like Reversing Aging: The Plant-based Diet Approach
Huppertz T. et al., Protein Quality in Perspective: A Review of Protein Quality Metrics and Their Applications, 2022 (link)
Mariotti F. et al., Combining Plant Proteins to Achieve Amino Acid Profiles Adapted to Various Nutritional Objectives- An Exploratory Analysis Using Linear Programming, 2022 (link)
Thanks so much for sharing! I'm also a vegan runner, so I really appreciate all of these tips and studies. I just subscribed, and I can't wait to read more!