Do vegans need more protein ?

henry_thinman

I read from a vegan athlete Melody Schoenfeld that whatever is recommended for what you are doing as an omnivore a vegan should double the protein and also heard a vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke say that with vegan protein you should subtract 30% from the protein amount.

An interesting calculator . . .
How much protein do I need, and how do I get it from plants?
https://karinainkster.com/vegan-protein-calculator

p0wer_lifter

I don’t understand the logic of doubling protein for vegans. Perhaps it’s to ensure complete amino acids? If so, then a better approach, in my opinion, is to ensure more variety rather than more overall protein. Having more incomplete proteins won’t help.

Did this person explain the reasoning?

henry_thinman

I did some 100% vegan diet and used Cronometer to see the amino acids and they were even, maybe one had to be brought up to level. The people I mentioned didn't say why but I read this article . . .

Soy and wheat proteins helpful for building aging muscles, but not as potent as animal protein

https://physoc.org/news_article/soy-and-wheat-proteins-helpful-for-building-aging-muscles-but-not-as-potent-as-animal-protein/

Karen_Cronometer

Protein from meat is more available than proteins from plants. They are easier to access and digest. You might digest >90% of protein from meats but more like 70-90% from plant sources.

Hypothetically, if a plant food had the same amount of protein and the same amino acid profile as a meat source you wouldn't get quite as much protein out of it for your body to use.

p0wer_lifter

Thank you, Karen, that makes sense, though the recommendation to double seems a bit much.

Susan_RD_101

I LOVE chatting about plant-based protein as it's an area of expertise (and one that I apply daily as an OCR athlete). In general, vegans should aim for about 10% higher protein than their matched controls, but it depends on the type of protein you include. Soy and wheat gluten are absorbed as well as meat (>95%), pulses and grains are absorbed at 80-90% efficiency, and all other plant foods with protein are absorbed at 50-60%.

If you are an older adult, pregnant, or an athlete, your protein needs will be higher than standard recommendations.

In general, it's helpful to aim for at least 1 g of protein per kg of healthy body weight as an adult. For athletes, it depends on the sport and how well "trained" you are (new athletes need more protein to build muscle). For my sport, which combines both endurance and strength, I'd aim for a protein intake around 1.5 g per kg. This is easy to obtain since athletes eat A LOT of calories.

The only other key message is to divide your protein throughout the day to maximize absorption. Most vegans I work with lack protein at breakfast or are consuming amounts that are too small.

Happy to answer any other questions you may have on this topic!

CookieRehab

My dietician said that as a vegan I should be eating 20% more protein. I guess the body has absorbing uncomplete proteins. So to offset that vegans should just eat a bit more.

The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to: 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.

For weight loss and muscle gain the general recommendation is .5-.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight or 1.1-1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight.

So adding 20% would be 1 gram per kilogram of body weight, or .56 per pound. For weight loss and muscle gain .7-.9 grams of protein per pound.

I aim for 85-109 grams of protein. I have actually noticed a positive difference after upping it.

Before hand I was eating a little under the normal recommend amount and got very sick from it.