Vegan Speak

Protein is an incredibly bio-available nutrient. We can get all the protein we want from plant sources without the potential health risks of eating meat, dairy and eggs (some forms of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, strokes, etc). The largest study ever done on vegan nutrient profiles show vegans on average get almost the same amount of protein as non-vegans without supplementation (see Figure 1). This is because all whole plant foods contain some protein and when we eat enough calories of a variety of these we can easily meet all our protein needs. Protein deficiency is only really seen in people with chronic under-eating. Even then, it is more likely that someone dies of fat deficiency than protein deficiency in a state of starvation.

If we were to eat 2000 calories of pure white rice, for instance, we’d get 41 grams of protein. This is already the recommended daily intake for sedentary women that eat 2000 calories per day. And rice is considered to be a low protein food, so if we add vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, pasta and tofu, we’re going to get more than enough. Even in the extremely rare case that someone wants to get an amount of protein that is not achievable eating solely plants (which is probably not healthy anyway), plenty of affordable vegan protein powders are available worldwide.

Further reading: Why Protein Isn’t a Problem for Vegans By Matthew Chalmers.