How To Pack Protein Into A Plant-Based Diet

According to Oxford University research, in high-income countries such as the UK, adopting a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle could reduce your food bill by up to one-third. But it must have a home-cooked, wholefoods focus – highly processed meat replacements, takeaways and eating at restaurants don’t produce the same level of savings! Additionally, a shift towards plant-based diets is considered necessary if we are to tackle the various environmental challenges currently facing humanity. So, there are plenty of reasons to reassess our meat and dairy consumption.

However, adopting a vegan diet is not something you should just dive into; you need to be aware of a little bit of science. Belle About Town spoke to Aria Beheshtaein, founder of B’liev plant-based protein shakes, about how best to pack our vegan diet full of protein.

The protein problem

Protein has been increasingly recognised as being important for sports men and women to support their performance. In sufficient quantities protein can repair muscle and connective tissue. But even if you’re in the couch potato club, protein is crucial in your diet. It plays a lead role in the creation and maintenance of every single cell in your body. It also controls hunger, helps keep blood sugar levels stable and is used in the regulation of hormones.

On average, women need around 45g per day and men need 55g. Although sportspeople and/or gym enthusiasts may want to include a bit more.

Traditionally, meat has been considered the go-to for fulfilling our protein needs, along with eggs and certain dairy products. This is because protein is made up of amino acids.

There are nine amino acids that are considered essential – Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan and Valin – and meat contains all of them, forming a complete protein.

But meat and dairy are no longer considered essential for a healthy diet. And while excluding them from our diet can present challenges, it doesn’t have to if we know where to look for it.

Protein doesn’t have to come from meat and dairy

There are plant-based foods that contain complete proteins, including soy, quinoa, hemp and chia. But they’re not the only options. And you don’t need to consume all nine amino acids in one sitting. Your liver will store amino acids so, by eating a combination of plant-based proteins throughout the day, you can easily consume all the amino acids you need.

Brown or white rice combined with beans or lentils produces a complete protein. But let’s take things further.

Are vegan protein sources healthier?

While a vegan diet can be more sustainable and ethical, is it healthier? If you are consuming large quantities of meat in order to boost your protein levels, you are likely ingesting larger amounts of saturated fat. This can raise cholesterol and, therefore, your risk of cardiovascular disease. Consumption of large quantities of meat is also linked to cancer. But that doesn’t automatically make plant-based proteins healthier.

Take peanut butter on whole-wheat toast. This is widely heralded as a good way to boost protein, particularly as the amino acids found in whole-wheat toast combined with those in peanut butter gives you the magic nine in one sitting. Two average slices of peanut butter on toast boosts protein intake by about 12g (around a quarter of our daily requirement). However, it’s also likely to contain over 500 calories and 40g of fat, including saturated fat and the dreaded trans fats that we really should be avoiding as much as possible.

If you want a quick, easy and cheap complete protein, baked beans on toast gives you the magic balance and is much healthier.

So, like all dietary choices, there needs to be balance. Don’t just assume that vegan always equals healthier.

What are good sources of vegan protein?

If you want to consume vegan protein, look out for simple ingredients that are high in protein and contain a good mixture of the amino acids. Here are some to keep an eye out for when making food choices:

Grains: These contain almost all the amino acids, although they lack in lysine.

Beans: Beans are high in lysine and, therefore, are great combined with grain in the diet. Fava beans (or broad beans) are absolutely packed with nutrients and utterly delicious, particularly when young and tender. Try them with a little garlic olive oil drizzled over them.

Broccoli: This is a renowned superfood. It boasts more protein than most other vegetables. It is highly versatile and can be eaten cooked or raw in salad and goes with pretty much everything.

Chickpeas: Largely known as the main ingredient of hummus, chickpeas can also be used in curries and stews, making them filling and hearty while packing in the protein.

Peas: Pea protein is considered a superior plant source because peas contain high levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine, which support muscle recovery and lean muscle mass.

Seeds: Scatter them over salads or avocado toast. Flax seeds contain branched-chain amino acids, they are also a great vegan source of essential fatty acids. Pumpkin seeds are a tasty snack and contain all nine of the essential amino acids, albeit that they are too low in threonine and lysine to be considered a whole protein.

Shakes & drinks: There are plenty of protein powders available, but these can be faffy and don’t always fit into a busy lifestyle. A great way to conveniently top up your protein is ready-made protein shakes. You’ll find flavours for every taste; B’liev’s plant-based range includes chocolate brownie, blueberry muffin, and cookies & cream. Shakes are also great to have in the fridge for the end of a busy day when you might be worried that you haven’t packed in enough protein. Just grab and gulp.