Where do you get our proteins? It's hard to imagine, but vegetarians and specially vegans are still asked this question. For the record, you can get more than the required amount of protein from plants.
Discovery of protein:
Protein as a macro nutrient was discovered in 1830's. In the first few decades, it was thought that animals are the only source of proteins. When it was finally discovered that proteins are also present in plants, it was believed that the quality of proteins coming from plants is inferior to the ones coming from animal sources. This thinking was based on this notion that animal based proteins have all the amino acids that are required by the human body. This myth was later disapproved when it was found that plants can also provide all the essential amino acids that the human body needs to survive and indeed thrive. Watch this short video on the scientific research on the requirement of protein from Dr. Michael Greger.
Benefit of Plant based protein:
According to the scientific research based www.nutritionfacts.org, there are numerous benefits to eating plant based proteins. Here are some of them:
Lower risk of allergies
Lower risk of bladder cancer
Lower blood pressure
Smaller BMI and slimmer waist
Lower total cholesterol
Lower risk of Crohn’s disease
Lower risk of endometrial cancer
Lower heart disease and cancer mortality
Lower risk of inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis
Life extension
Good sources of plant proteins include:
Greens like broccoli, watercress, spinach, Bok choy, mustard greens, and collard greens
All types of legumes (Lentils, beans, pulses etc. - there are over 400 types)
Nuts such as almonds & peanuts (which actually are from the bean's family)
Quinoa, wild rice, millet, Oats, buckwheat
Hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds
Tofu and tempeh
100% Whole wheat pasta
These and many others plant based sources of foods offer high quality proteins that the body can easily absorb and utilize to recover and rebuild itself.
Dairy Protein
Often people consider dairy to be necessary part of a healthy diet. However a number of research studies including the world famous "China Study" has linked the higher intake of dairy protein to increase in cancer growth. Specially, the A1 variant of beta-casein (type of protein) that is produced by cow breeds such as Red, Holstein-Friesian and Ayrshire are now linked with several health conditions including but not limited to the following:
Asthma
Diabetes
High cholesterol
Coronary heart disease
Autism Spectrum Disorders
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