Plant-based sources of protein are often deemed inferior to animal-based ones, as the former is said to contain “incomplete” proteins.
This causes many to fear they may be getting the wrong type or quantity of protein when following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
However, there are many reasons why this belief should be considered more of a myth than a reality.
This article discusses the difference between “complete” and “incomplete” proteins, as well as why vegetarians and vegans have little reason to fear getting too little of the former and too much of the latter.
Protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, only 20 are needed to make all of the protein found in your body.
Essential amino acids.
This category consists of nine amino acids that your body cannot make. Your diet is the only way you can get these.
Non-essential amino acids.
This category includes the remaining 11 amino acids, which your body can typically make from the 9 essential amino acids.
Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins, and they serve as the nitrogenous backbones for compounds like neurotransmitters and hormones. In chemistry, an amino acid is an organic compound that contains both an amino and carboxylic acid functional group, hence the name amino acid. Proteins are long chains or polymers of a specific type of amino acid known as an alpha-amino acid. Alpha-amino acids are unique because the amino and carboxylic acid functional groups are separated by only one carbon atom, which is usually a chiral carbon. In this article, we will solely focus on the alpha-amino acids that make up proteins.
Out of twenty, nine of them are essential:
- Phenylalanine
- Valine
- Tryptophan
- Threonine
- Isoleucine
- Methionine
- Histidine
- Leucine
- Lysine
Foods that contain good amounts of all nine essential amino acids are generally considered sources of “complete” protein, whereas those that don’t are labeled as “incomplete” protein.
For instance, meat, fish, eggs, and dairy contain high levels of all nine essential amino acids. On the other hand, plants tend to contain low amounts of at least one or two essential amino acids, depending on the category to which they belong.
For example, legumes and veggies tend to be low in methionine and cysteine, while grains, nuts, and seeds tend to be low in lysine
This is why animal-based foods are typically considered “complete” sources of protein, while most plant-based foods are considered “incomplete.”
The exceptions are soy, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and nutritional yeast, as well as hemp and chia seeds. These plant foods offer good amounts of all nine essential amino acids and are considered “complete” sources of plant protein.
There’s no evidence of protein deficiency among vegetarians or vegans, except perhaps in the small percentage who eat too few calories or follow monotonous or restricted eating patterns, such as fruitarian or potato-based diets.
The protein found in plants can be slightly more difficult for your body to absorb, compared with the protein in meat and other animal-based foods.
This causes most plant foods to be viewed as “incomplete” proteins, perpetuating the myth that plant-based diets may not offer the right amount or type of protein.
A common concern about vegetarian and vegan diets is that they may lack sufficient protein. But vegans can get protein from various plant sources, though some may be better than others.
Finally we came to the conclusion even though plant based protein may lack some of the amino acids but they are so healthy but when it comes to protein requirement animal based protein stands ahead.
Another reason is that animal based protein is a lean source of protein it literally has zero carb and zero fat.