Protein has been somewhat of issue in this forum so I’m going clear it up once and for all. The human body contains approximately 50 000 different types of proteins, and 15000 known enzymes. All These proteins and enzymes are created by rearranging different amino acids, and all have specific and important purpose. There are only 22 amino acids that the human body uses to create those proteins and enzymes of these 22 amino acids the body can manufacture all but 8 of them. Which are: soleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These amino acids must be ingested in the form of protein there are 2 other amino acids vegans must concern themselves with, cystine and tyrosine. These are semi essential, meaning the body can only form them when other amino acids are sufficient. So when a vegan worries about protein it’s these 10 amino acids your thinking about animal meats are considered complete proteins, meaning they contain all essential amino acids, raw egg being among the best. With a good source the average human only needs 40-50 grams of protein per day to meet minimum standards all plants are considered incomplete proteins, meaning they do not have all the essential amino acids, or enough of all them. This is why it so important for vegans to eat a varied diet and find the protein they need. Keep in mind the body stores amino acids, so you don’t need to eat every type every day. Some of the best plant sources for all 8 essential amino acids. tryptophan - oats, bananas, dried dates lysine -green beans, lentils, soybean, spinach methionine - whole grains Valine - grains, peanuts, and soy proteins. Leucine -sesame seeds, peanuts, lentils Isoleucine -lentils, seeds, soy, wheat, almonds Threonine -beans, nuts, and seeds Phenylalanine - almonds, avocados, lima beans, peanuts. not: Vegetarians and vegans often have low intakes of the amino acid lysine. cooking also destroys many amino acids Vegans must be aware that most of the amino acid supplements available have an animal-base. There are supplements derived from vegetable sources in a crystalline free form that are more stable and preferable because of their rapid absorption. However, labels must be read carefully. Also, beware of alkali-treated soy products. This treatment tends to reduce three amino acids -- lysine, serine, and cystine -- as well as produce a toxic amino acid derivative called lysinoalanine.
Almost all vegans/vegetarians I know drink lots of soymilk, eat lots of tofu, and otherwise consume at least enough soy protein to have high intakes of lysine, if not very high intakes. As long as you make sure you consume enough soy, you're good, and since most veg*ns do, I don't think it's accurate to say that many lack a strong intake.
*sigh* No offense to anyone, but I am sick of hearing the "health risks" of being vegan. As with ANY diet there are health risks... but, is it so hard to understand that as long as you're educated and balance it out, you'll be healthy. It doesn't matter if you EAT meat, or DONT eat meat... if you balance it out, chances are you'll be at less of a risk for any health problems, or lack thereof from essential vitamins and nutrients. If you're completely self indulgent and only live off of certain foods because "they taste good" obviously you're going to have issues. I consume everything I need in a day... Protein usually from a soy/tofu source, vegetables, fruits, calcium from my orange juice and/or soy milk, which also provides protein, and grains. The point is...if you're a veg or planning on going veg... you dont live soley off of green beans and carrots. This is a common misconception amongst the majority of people who do not follow veggie diets, and are uneducated about it. They somehow have this idea planted in their heads that because someone is a "vegetarian" it must mean they solely live off of raw or cooked vegetables, which is so untrue. If you lived solely off of meat, you'd be in danger for health risks as well. I agree that vegetarians/vegans who DONT KNOW how to balance it out may be lacking certain things such as protein... but usually a person who doesn't know how to balance it out, and is lacking something, will not STAY veg. I'm just a tad bit sick of the hype of all these health risks. For fucks sake, everything is a health risk... should I live in a bubble and be fed through a feeding tube?!
by the way you mentioned something about cooking them, leeches out some of the important acids... if you cook a steak would it do the same? or... is it expected that people are actually going to eat a raw steak?! if you cook anything you're going to leech out essential nutrients. This is why MANY vegans/veggies eat a great deal of raw veggies and fruits. Nuts and seeds are NORMALLY eaten uncooked as well. I don't know many people that insist on their fruits or nuts/seeds being cooked, that is unless it's part of a recipe.
Bragg's makes an excellent soy sauce that has all the amino acids in it. i use it as a salt replacement in cooking. www.braggs.com i think:H
http://www.bragg.com/ A+O, this was a pro veggie post and good info for newbies. I also see little cause for concern UNLESS a vegan is on the 400 calories a day trip. which is not enough food overall to get the amounts of nutrients we are used to getting. But if one is experimenting with ultra-low cal diets, one should be VERY well educated. I know people they work for, I know people who just got listless.
sorry, it wasn't supposed to come across offending, i was mainly reffering to this sentence: Vegetarians and vegans often have low intakes of the amino acid lysine. cooking also destroys many amino acids I just haven't found a problem with staying healthy being vegan so I guess it sort of gets to me when there's any kind of hype or comments made about vegans or veggies having health issues or difficulties getting what they need. And, again sorry if it sounded rude; I need to start letting go of the small things
That's the average. But If you really want to know exactly how much protein you need (because your not so average, ), you should take your weight in kg. For every kg one should consume 0.8 g of protein.
