Plant-Based Protein Power
Why plant-based protein is better for your health and how to incorporate it into your diet, even if you love steak and fried chicken.
WHEN MOST PEOPLE think of protein, what comes to mind first is usually meat. But powerful, muscular animals like bulls, stallions and elephants build their massive strength without ever eating meat. All their protein needs are met through a diet of plants, and experts say our own health would be better if we took a cue from these herbivores to incorporate more plant-based protein into our diets.
Protein, along with carbohydrates and fat, is a basic nutrient that all humans require in their diet. Protein fuels growth and strength. It’s essential for maintaining the structures of the body including tissues and muscles, as well as synthesizing the enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters that control countless critical processes.
Every protein molecule is constructed out of building blocks called amino acids. Of the 20 identified amino acids, our bodies can manufacture 11. The other nine—referred to as essential amino acids—must be acquired from our diet. Because animals are unable to manufacture essential amino acids, these all originate in plants.
In other words, meat, eggs and dairy products reliably contain all nine essential amino acids only because some animal somewhere ate some plants. Most people are surprised to learn that nearly all plant foods contain protein. Grains, legumes and nuts are especially good sources. Many beans, especially soybeans and soy products like tofu and tempeh, are as rich in essential amino acids as meat.
“Everyone is so concerned about protein,” says Dr. Alberto Nacif, a lifestyle medicine certified physician at the East Brighton IHA primary care practice. Most of us get more than enough protein, he adds. We generally need about 0.8 grams of protein daily per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-pound woman that translates into about 54 grams of protein per day. On a plant-based diet that is easily achieved by eating two cups of beans and three servings of grains daily.
“What we really should be concerned about is fiber,” says Nacif. Animal protein doesn’t have fiber, he explains, but most plant protein does. “Fiber is probably the most important nutrient we should be paying attention to. It’s the matrix that holds all the other nutrients together. It slows down digestion so nutrients are released gradually, and we feel more full and don’t get hungry as quickly.”
Nacif says health is built on five pillars: a plant-based diet, daily exercise, adequate sleep, positive personal relationships and minimizing toxic substances including alcohol and tobacco. These habits promote health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Meat tends to promote inflammation in the body, Nacif says. That inflammation is the root cause of many diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, kidney disease, cancer and even acne. Mood and emotional health can also suffer when inflammation affects the nervous system.
All About Amino Acids
All proteins are constructed of 20 common amino acids. All but nine of these can be synthesized by the body. These nine essential amino acids must be consumed in the diet.
Animal proteins such as meat, fish and dairy contain all nine essential amino acids. Some plant proteins including soy, quinoa, chia seeds, amaranth and buckwheat also provide all nine, while others provide only a partial list. By eating a variety of plant foods, especially legumes and grains, it’s easy to get all nine amino acids in a plant-based diet.
Plant sources of essential amino acids include:
Histidine: quinoa, chickpeas, rice, wheat, corn, oats and legumes
Isoleucine: lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, pumpkin seeds and almonds
Leucine: soybeans, lentils, peanuts, almonds and quinoa
Lysine: tofu, tempeh, lentils, black beans, kidney beans and quinoa
Methionine: Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, tofu, tempeh and oats
Phenylalanine: soybeans, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, peanuts and almonds
Threonine: lentils, peanuts, spinach, quinoa and soybeans
Tryptophan: quinoa, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, oats and soybeans
Valine: black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils and peanuts
Source: goplantbased.me
“What you put in your mouth reflects your future health,” he says.
“Diet is super important because this is the fuel for your body. You’re not just eating to run your body’s motor; you’re creating the actual building blocks of your body.”
Christine Quinnan, a registered dietitian with IHA, spends her days counseling patients on diet changes to manage their health conditions, but she is, above all, a lover of good food. She credits her Italian grandmother for inspiring her love of cooking. Before she became a dietitian, she apprenticed as a chef and worked as an instructor at the former French Culinary Institute, now known as the International Culinary Center, in New York City.
“As a French chef I was using cream and butter in everything,” she says. She cooked this way for her family too and began to realize that it just wasn’t healthy. “If I considered food to be love, I was loving them to death,” she says.
One of her greatest lessons as a dietitian was recognizing the health benefits of a plant-based diet. In our bodies, there just isn’t much difference between plant and animal protein, she explains. “However, animal protein tends to come along with a lot of fat, especially saturated fat.” Saturated fat is a big contributor to heart and vascular diseases, but unsaturated fat, which is more plentiful in plant foods, doesn’t have the same effects.
“People worry a lot about not getting enough protein on a vegan diet,” she says. “Most people are surprised to learn that, calorie for calorie, broccoli has more protein than beef.”
Beans are practically a perfect food, in her opinion. “The protein already comes packaged with carbohydrates and fiber,” she says.
For people who want to eat more plant sources of protein, Quinnan recommends starting with small, simple changes. It’s fine to use canned beans, for example. For example, throw chickpeas on salads or incorporate beans into favorite dishes. Take it slow and gradually increase your familiarity and comfort with new foods.
Fill ’er up, vegan style
At Detroit Street Filling Station in the Kerrytown neighborhood of Ann Arbor, everything on the menu is plant-based. The restaurant sits cater-corner from the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, located in a brick building that long ago housed a filling station. Today it’s a sunny, plant-filled oasis. Owner Phillis Engelbert started it with her former business partner Joel Panozzo in 2017 and has had a central role in developing the menu from the beginning. She also runs The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe, a sister allvegan restaurant across town.
Engelbert—who has been vegetarian most of her life and vegan for the past 16 years—says, “I’m a vegetable person. I’m not a fake-meat person. I feel good eating close to the ground. Like, real brown rice and real fresh vegetables. I don’t want to just open a package.”
The PowerUp Bowl—with brown basmati rice, steamed kale, grilled red pepper and onion, marinated tofu, walnuts, avocado and creamy maple-Dijon drizzle—is one of the restaurant’s biggest sellers.
“[It’s] something I used to make for myself for lunch and people would say, ‘What is that?’ so we put it on the menu.”
Engelbert, 59, says for her, personally, her diet is providing her with all the protein she needs: “I get my yearly checkups. All my numbers are totally fine. I’m healthy. I have a lot of energy. I don’t have any reason to doubt I’m getting enough protein. If I’m eating healthy, real food, I feel like I’m fine.”
What About Fake Meat?
Plant protein disguised to look and taste like meat has made a big splash in recent years. Many brands of meat substitutes rely on protein derived from either soy or yellow split peas. While not exactly whole foods, these fake meats usually have more fiber and less saturated fat than their meat counterparts. On the downside, they may also be higher in sodium. They can be a good entry point into plant-based diets for people who are transitioning away from meat—but read labels carefully.
The menu at Detroit Street puts the emphasis on filling with hearty salads, soups and sandwiches. The plant proteins are varied and the classic bean and grain combinations show up in dishes like nachos and burritos. Both tofu and tempeh make appearances marinated, seasoned, grilled or baked, depending on the dish.
The flavors lean toward Asian like the pad Thai, where marinated grilled tofu stars with grilled vegetables and noodles in a bright tamarind sauce garnished with lime and peanuts. The tofu takes a turn to the Southwest in the Taco ’Bout It Salad, where grilled tofu pairs up nicely with tortilla chips, pico de gallo and avocado, all smothered in a cashew cheese sauce. Tempeh puts a twist on familiar favorites such the Tempeh Reuben and the World’s Greatest Wrap, which features grilled tempeh by The Brinery, melted provolone-style cheese, shredded cabbage, pickled carrot-radish, tomato, grilled red onion, guacamole and garlic mayo on a tortilla.
The Buffalo Wrap features soy curls marinated in the classic spicy Buffalo sauce. Soy curls are made from whole non-GMO soybeans and have a chewy, meaty texture reminiscent of chicken that takes well to sauces. Engelbert discovered this new twist on soy during a trip to Portland, Oregon.
As for the benefits of plant protein, Engelbert says she’s not a nutritionist but points to the amount of research that “talks about the deleterious effects of animal protein.”
Detroit Street Filling Station doesn’t try to tell people what or what not to do, she adds. “We offer something and you’re welcome to take advantage of it.”
Engelbert was an activist and community organizer for many years before she went into the restaurant business, and that comes through in her approach. She hires many staff who are newly in recovery from substance use. She’s an active supporter of the recovery community and also has led many fundraisers for various causes at the restaurant.
“Food brings people together. Food is part of community. That’s what’s driving this place.”
Laura Lyjak is a registered nurse and writer who believes healthy and delicious have a lot in common.
