There is protein in everything
First, let’s get clear on something (according to Joel Fuhrman, MD, and my own personal and professional experience)–assuming that you are eating a nutrient-rich diet, you can only be deficient in protein, if you are deficient in calories. All protein comes from plants in the form of amino acids that animals eat to build muscle. You could not, not get enough protein as hard as you tried, unless you were eating a third- class, nutrient-barren diet that is really devoid of food, macro and micro nutrients. By it’s definition, nutrient-rich food is ‘nutrient rich” and that includes protein.
Here’s was a recent comment on the Dr Fuhrman Member Forum from Outdoorgrrl that further illustrates this point, in response to a question on the forum by a gentleman, who was asking about whether or not he needed to supplement a nutrient-rich diet with protein.
She quoted some great facts: “Depending on the source you consult, only a small percentage of the calories we consume need to be protein. Professional estimates are as low as 2 ½ percent. The World Health Organization recommends about 5 to 10 percent, depending on various factors. And the U.S. government’s recommendation is about 9 percent, depending on calorie intake.
Looking at the chart to the left (based on the USDA nutrient database), you’ll see that every single whole plant food has more than 2 ½ percent protein, and they all have more than 10 percent except for fruit. Protein is one of the easiest macronutrients to consume. I guess I’m still confused as to why you feel you need to supplement your diet with protein powder. As long as you are eating a variety of vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains AND getting sufficient calories, it is nearly impossible not to get enough protein.”
Note: The China Study, the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted, also weighs in on the subject of protein in The Top 12 Findings of the China Study. But I’m not really addressing the question of whether or not you need animal protein in this blog post, rather, I am answering the question: Do You Need to Supplement a Nutrient Rich Plant-Based Diet, with Proteins like soy, rice, pea, and hemp protein?
If you want to find out why you might need supplement protein eating a nutrient rich diet, see that blog post I did on this very subject. Just keep in mind that protein is generally not something you need to supplement. If Jonny Hinds doesn’t need to, you probably don’t need to.
Animal protein of course, has become a national pastime. It has become a source of worry and fear and great debate, in the nutritional community, as to whether or not we need to be eating meat for protein, and whether or not you can get enough protein by eating a plant-based diet, especially when you hear stories of lost muscle and lethargy from many people who have tried it, but are unaware of that they are suffering from detoxification symptoms and the revelation of how low their energy is when they stopped eating super stimulating food like animal protein for the most part, and the fact that when you start taking in foods of superior quality, your body will literally break down and rebuild itself.
It’s called …
The Law Of Quality Selection
When the quality of nutriment being received by the living organism is higher than that of the present living tissue, the organism will discard lower-grade cells to make room for appropriating the superior materials into new and healthy tissue.
The body always improves its quality and integrity whenever the opportunity presents itself. Whenever we improve our dietary quality, and, of course, our way of life, corresponding improvements are made by the body. This is our way of improving our overall health, by changing our own specific conditions, and laws like this one guarantee benefits.