Dietary protein is essential for various physiological functions and plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health. Protein consists of more than twenty “building blocks” called amino acids. The human body can synthesise amino acids through de novo production or modification of existing ones. Nine amino acids — histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine — are essential and must be obtained from the diet. A diet including a wide variety of plant-based foods can provide all the essential and nonessential amino acids.
In developed countries, most people eat more than double the recommended amount of protein and have a low risk of protein deficiency even when following a plant-based diet.
In whole plant-based foods, proteins come together with dietary fibre, minerals and phytochemicals and with low levels of saturated fat. Excellent sources of plant proteins are:
- Legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas, beans, soya, peas, faba, lupin)
- Whole grains
- Nuts and seeds
- Tofu
- Healthier plant-based meat
Legumes contain the highest amount of protein per 100g, so adding them to your meals is a great way to boost healthy protein intake and feel fuller for longer.
Sources
- Mariotti, François, and Christopher D. Gardner. ‘Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A Review’. Nutrients 11, no. 11 (4 November 2019): 2661. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112661.
- Ko, Gang-Jee, Connie M. Rhee, Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, and Shivam Joshi. ‘The Effects of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health and Longevity’. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: JASN 31, no. 8 (August 2020): 1667–79. https://doi.org/10.1681/ASN.2020010028.
- Ahnen, Rylee T, Satya S Jonnalagadda, and Joanne L Slavin. ‘Role of Plant Protein in Nutrition, Wellness, and Health’. Nutrition Reviews 77, no. 11 (1 November 2019): 735–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuz028.
