THE POWER OF PLANT PROTEIN
Did you know that proteins are pretty important? Chances are you did, but do you know if you can get all your protein needs from plant-based foods?
Proteins are a type of macronutrient that is required for humans to survive. They are important for making new structural components of the body, hormone and enzyme production, transport of nutrients and supporting the immune system.
Proteins are made of smaller compounds called amino acids which are known as the building blocks of proteins. There are nine essential amino acids that our body cannot make and we get these from foods. The body is able to make other types amino acids.
Eating less protein than recommended can have a negative effect on hormone production, your immune system, bone health and also muscle development. UK dietary recommendations for adults are 0.75g of protein per kg of body weight. People over the aged of 65 are advised to eat more protein as are people who exercise regularly or have a chronic illness. This can be up to 1.5g of protein for every kg of body weight. If you are pregnant you will need an extra 6g protein of protein per day, rising to an extra 11g when breastfeeding.
In the UK 24% of protein consumption is from cereal sources, with 14% from milk and milk products and 35% from meat sources. To be able to meet your nutritional needs having protein containing foods 2 – 3 times per day will support you into meet your nutritional needs. Table 1, show some foods which have a good amount of protein per 100g.
Foods products that have 15% of energy from protein can claim they are a source of protein whereby a food saying it is high in protein is when protein provides 20% or more of energy of that food. Food companies can make these claims if they meet the recommendations so you might see some foods that say they are high in protein.
The nutritional quality of protein in a food can be assessed by comparing the quantity of amino acids in the food to what is needed by the body. You may have heard the terms ‘high biological’ and ‘low biological’ value and also ‘complete’ and ‘incomplete’ proteins, however this can be misleading. All foods contain all essential amino acids, but different foods have varying amounts of these amino acids if you are eating a balanced diet. It is also possible to meet protein and amino acids needs from eating just plant based foods.
So if you are a 60kg adult you will need approximately 45g which can be met through an oat based breakfast, nut containing cereal bar, plant based or meat based evening meal as well as 2 -3 portions of dairy or dairy alternative food each day.
It was once thought that you needed to compliment your foods so that the meal met all amino acids, however, so long as you have a variety of foods through the day that together meet your amino acids needs your body will be able to take what it needs. The body utilises approximately 20g animal based protein in one meal and approximately 30g from a plant base source. It finds it difficult to uptake anymore that this is one sitting.
With protein being key in maintaining overall health, we know that you need other nutrients alongside this to optimise health. Food is complicated and contains carbohydrates, fats and micronutrients, all in differing amounts. Protein is one part of a balanced diet and it is important that a variety of proteins, and the amino acids they are made from, come from different food sources in the diet. It is a myth that you can only get high quality protein from animal based products, plant based foods are just as good!
References
Food and Agriculture Organization. Protein quality evaluation. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/38133/1/9251030979_eng.pdf. Published 1991. Accessed November 29, 2016.
Marinangeli CPF, House JD. Potential impact of the digestible indispensable amino acid score as a measure of protein quality on dietary regulations and health. Nutrition Review. 2017;75(8):658-667.
Pan, A., Sun, Q., Bernstein, A.M., Schulze, M.B., Manson, J.E., Stampfer, M.J., Willett, W.C. and Hu, F.B., 2012. Red meat consumption and mortality: results from 2 prospective cohort studies. Archives of internal medicine, 172(7), pp.555-563.
PHE. Results of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) rolling programme for 2014 to 2015 and 2015 to 2016 [Internet]. 2018 [cited 5/11/2018]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ndns-results-from-years-7-and-8-combined
PHE. Government recommendations for energy and nutrients for males and females aged 1 – 18 years and 19+ years [Internet]. 2016 [cited Aug 2018]. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_d ata/file/618167/government_dietary_recommendations.pdf