What is protein?

Protein is an essential nutrient that plays different roles in our body.
Without it, we cannot live.
 
Protein contains about 16% nitrogen, which we need and which can almost only be found in protein. We measure protein by the amount of nitrogen present. The more nitrogen there is in a food, the higher the amount of protein there is.
 
Our bodies are continuously using protein and it can’t be stored, so we need to put it back into our bodies by consuming food that provides the necessary amino acids that we need for protein synthesis.

Amino Acids

Protein is made up of a chain of amino acids. There are 20 amino acids and they can be classified into three groups:
  • Essential
  • Non-essential
  • Conditionally essential
Amino acids are arranged in a precise sequence in a chain; think of beads on a necklace. Throughout the day our body is losing certain beads from the ‘necklace’ and we need to replace them by eating protein-containing foods.

Protein-combining myth

In the past there was the protein-combining myth that said in order to obtain complete protein from plant foods we had to combine certain combinations of foods, which complimented each other. The amino acids lacking in one food are found in the other and vice versa.
Frances Moore Lappé, author of the best-selling 1971 book, ‘Diet for a Small Planet’ wrote that plant foods needed to be combined in order to compensate the missing amino acids. However, that myth has been debunked and ten years later, in the tenth edition of the book, she corrected that statement.
We do not need to eat complimenting foods to get all the necessary amino acids, but if you like the combinations, go for it!
A few examples of protein-combining are:
  • Rice and beans
  • Barley and lentils
  • Hummus and pita bread
  • Peanut butter on wholemeal bread
  • Cornbread and beans
 
As long as you are eating enough calories of an assortment of plant-based foods in a day, you shouldn’t have any problem whatsoever getting all the amino acids needed to complete the amino acid chain.

Complete plant-based protein sources

There are a few plant-based foods that actually contain all the essential amino acids and are therefore considered ‘complete’ proteins.
  • Quinoa
  • Buckwheat
  • Amaranth
  • Hempseed
  • Chia seed
  • Tofu (soybean ‘cheese’)
  • Tempeh (made with fermented soybeans)
  • Edamame (young soybeans)
  • Spirulina * (it doesn’t contain all the amino acids, but it’s almost complete)
Let’s not forget though, if you are eating a good selection of plants, you should be covered protein-wise. There's no need to fixate on complete proteins.

So the next time you are asked where you get your protein from, you'll have an answer ;)

Protein

Amino acids

How much protein do we need?

Examples of plant-based protein meals

Plant-based protein & athletes

Protein FAQs


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