{"id":17233,"date":"2020-02-24T05:34:41","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T10:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/?p=17233"},"modified":"2023-11-08T09:36:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T14:36:29","slug":"where-vegetarians-get-protein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomeatathlete.com\/where-vegetarians-get-protein\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan Protein: A Simple Guide to Getting What You Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Where do you get your protein?”<\/p>\n

It’s question vegans and vegetarians get asked more than any other. We hear it so often, in fact, that we tend to forget that some people really do want to know the answer, and aren’t just asking it with the aim of poking holes in our silly, granola-crunchy plant-based diet<\/a> plan.<\/p>\n

And when it comes to supplements for vegans,<\/a> protein is the big one people want to know about (even if other nutrients, like Vitamin B12<\/a>,<\/span> are far more important).<\/p>\n

First, the short answer to the question Where do you get your protein?<\/em><\/p>\n

You don’t need as much protein as most people think, and it’s easy to get what you do need from beans, nuts, seeds, grains, and even greens.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then, a longer answer: in my new book, The Plant-Based Athlete<\/em><\/a>, we devote an entire chapter to protein, where we really dive in and cover our preferred sources, amino acid considerations, and sample meal plans that show just how easy it is to get what you need on a plant-based diet. (Of course, we also devote a chapter each to carbohydrates and fat, since they’re just as important!)<\/p>\n

And finally, a medium-sized answer… this blog post.<\/p>\n

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How much protein do vegans need?<\/h2>\n

Not as much as people would have you believe. Somehow, everyone got the idea that we need exorbitant amounts of protein, way more than is even recommended. I know, it’s fun to blame government agencies and cry conspiracy, but if you actually look at the recommendations, they’re not that high at all.<\/p>\n

For example, the U.S. recommended daily allowance of protein is .8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight (.36 grams per pound) for the general population.<\/p>\n

Protein for vegan athletes<\/a> is somewhat more complicated, as greater tissue-repair need require more protein and general, and athletes tend to pay more attention to amino acid balance.<\/p>\n

Some successful endurance athletes (see the fruitarian diet<\/a>) get as little as 5% of their calories from protein \u2014 and since a gram of protein contains about four calories, that’s less than 35 grams of protein a day for a 2500-calorie-per-day diet!<\/p>\n

At the other extreme are vegan bodybuilders and those new to the plant-based diet<\/a> who are accustomed to higher amounts of protein and worried about what will happen when they stop eating meat. They aim for higher amounts of protein, often 25 to 30 percent of calories. It’s hard to get this amount from whole plant-foods, so they often turn to vegan protein supplements<\/a> to get the extra boost they’re looking for.<\/p>\n

Several sources I looked at cited a study<\/a> which concluded that endurance athletes benefit most from 1.2 to 1.4 daily grams per kilogram of bodyweight, while strength athletes do best with 1.4 to 1.8 grams per kilogram. In pounds, that’s .54 to .63 grams per pound for endurance athletes, .63 to .81 grams per pound for strength athletes.<\/p>\n