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In addition, because most Americans eat so much meat and so few whole, plant-based foods, most of the protein our body has to work with is coming from an unfriendly source, namely animal protein. And animal protein is bad for our bones, creates an inflammatory state in our bodies, increases the risk of tumor development, raises cholesterol levels, and is harsh on the liver and kidneys.

For healthy individuals, the World Health Organization recommends the following formula to calculate your daily protein requirements: (0.8 grams) × (your ideal body weight in kilograms) = protein in grams. So, for a 175-pound guy like me using the above formula I should be getting 64 grams of protein per day. This is an absolute snap!

So instead of relying on a third-class version of protein, why not go to the mother source—healthful and healing plants. Let’s look at the amount of protein found in plant-based foods, so you can feel confident you’re getting all the protein you need from eating them.

Twenty-five percent of the calories in your average vegetable come from protein—with many leafy green vegetables boasting as much as 50 percent! Your average bean contains 25 percent protein—soybeans as much as 40 percent. Your average whole grain contains 12 percent protein—quinoa as much as 18 percent. And even your average fruit contains well over 5 percent protein—lemons as much as 15 percent. So take those lemons and make lemonade!

Here is a list of several fruits and their protein content, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food database:

As you can see, theoretically you could almost be a fruitarian in Fiji and still not run the risk of being protein deficient (not recommended, however!).

In fact, protein deficiency is so rare that I have never found a
single
person who knows the name of the medical condition that results from a serious lack of it in the diet. Not one person. What is that word? The answer is
here
.

The only two ways to blow it with protein are by (1) not consuming enough calories to maintain a healthy weight, and (2) eating mostly foods that are high in fat and sugar (the chips, donuts, French-fries-and-soda-pop diet). If you’re eating an unprocessed plant-strong diet while keeping a healthy weight, you’re covered!

T
he second big and widespread misconception about protein is that plant proteins are somehow not “complete.”

This one’s not only not factual, it’s not even a smart opinion. It is a fallacy, based on outdated research that was weak to begin with. So when someone slips this myth into conversation, take a deep breath and set up for an overhead slam.

But first, let’s look at the definition of proteins. Proteins are nutrients made up of one or more chains of amino acids, which are essential to the structure, function, and regulation of every cell in your body. In fact, proteins are the most plentiful substance in the human body besides water.

The nomenclature surrounding proteins is the first source of misinformation about them. Each protein chain contains twenty amino acids, eight of which (called “essential amino acids”) can be obtained only through food. Foods with all eight essential amino acids are known as “complete” proteins. These foods include various types of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, dairy, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Yes, you heard me: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds! The foods that you might sometimes hear called “incomplete” proteins aren’t incomplete at all! In fact, the only incomplete protein in food comes from an animal-based source: gelatin.

Some people believe that they have to combine different plant-based foods to create “complete” proteins. This belief, called “protein combining,” was a theory initially put forward in the 1971 bestseller
Diet for a Small Planet
by Frances Moore Lappé. It quickly became one of the biggest myths in the dieting world. Ten years later, Lappé
herself formally rescinded her position in a new edition of the same book: “In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high-quality protein, I reinforced another myth. I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually, it is much easier than I thought.”

By then, the damage had been done, but influential food-related organizations eventually began to come around. In 1988, for example, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also amended its position on plant-based proteins. The organization’s most recent statement on vegetarianism galvanizes their previous support of plant proteins:

“Plant protein can meet protein requirements when a variety of plant foods is consumed and energy needs are met. Research indicates that an assortment of plant foods eaten over the course of a day can provide all essential amino acids and ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy adults; thus, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed at the same meal.”

Translation: Don’t sweat it! You can eat a plant-strong diet and get your protein groove on.

So here’s the deal: Animal proteins and plant proteins are both complete. The difference is that the composition and proportion of the amino acids in animal protein are higher in the sulfur-containing amino acids, which in excess may be harmful.

On the flip side, plant proteins have a healthier composition and balance of essential amino acids, one that has been elegantly balanced by nature in a way that inherently protects us from inflammation and tumor growth. In addition, plants come with added gifts such as fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. All of which are sorely missing in meat.

So the next time someone questions you on the dangers of eating a plant-based diet that is “lacking” or “incomplete” in protein, let that person know you have found the mother source of protein, and it’s spelled P.L.A.N.T.S.!!

I
’m willing to bet that another argument you’ll hear all the time is: If you don’t eat meat, you’ll die from lack of vitamin B12!

What most misinformed meat eaters don’t know is that vitamin B12 doesn’t originate in animals—or plants, for that matter. Vitamin B12 is actually found in soil and is made from microorganisms that live in our environment. But before you decide to dive into a pile of dirt and start chomping away, let’s take a look at vitamin B12’s history.

B12 was the last vitamin to be discovered (in 1948), and only accidentally, while scientists were searching for a cure for a disease called pernicious anemia (a terrible condition that stops the body from making enough red blood cells). It turns out vitamin B12 cures it, along with many other disorders. So everyone needs B12.

Now, most people know that they can get vitamin B12 from eating meat—and meat eaters love to tell you this. But here’s what they probably don’t know (and what you should feel free to inform them): It’s actually not the meat itself that gives animals their B12. It comes from the plants the animals eat, and specifically from the dirt that is attached to the plants!

So where should you get your vitamin B12 if you set sail on the plant-strong course for years to come?

You could eat more dirt, and actually, if you live near an organic farm that sells fresh vegetables with a little dirt on them, that’s not a bad idea. However, for most of us, the answer is B12 supplementation. Take a pill (either 100 to 200 micrograms [mcg] once a day, or two 1000-mcg pills twice a week. If pills aren’t your thing, say hello to fortified whole-grain cereals, the smorgasbord of plant-based milks at your disposal, and/or various brands of nutritional yeast that contain B12.

How much B12 is necessary? The RDA for vitamin B12 is a minuscule 2.4 mcg. A plant-based eater can get that much at breakfast from fortified cereal, which contains anywhere from 1.5 to 6 mcg per cup, depending on the brand. Soy-based “meats” contain 2 mcg to 7 mcg, and fortified plant milks can range from 0.2 mcg to 5 mcg per serving.

And by the way, even if you forget to take your vitamin B12 one morning, all week, or even all month, there’s no need to start freaking out. Humans have, on average, a staggering three-to five-year supply of B12 stored in the liver.

If you don’t know your B12 level, it’s not a bad idea to have your doctor test it. I do this, and mine is 854. A normal blood level is 250 to 1100 picograms per milliliter.

T
here’s a reason why the most grueling triathlon competition is called the “IronMan.” Iron has long symbolized strength and power. And it’s absolutely essential to life. Iron supplies oxygen to blood and muscles, assists biochemical reactions, helps in cell growth, and is essential for good health. Without it, you’ll come down with fatigue, compromised immune response, headaches, heart murmurs, and more.

Many of the meat eaters lurking out there will pop out from behind a hanging cow carcass (like the one Rocky Balboa slugged into mincemeat) and tell you the only way to get iron is from meat. But your susceptibility to iron deficiency doesn’t depend on whether or not you eat meat. In fact, iron deficiency affects Americans on all diets; studies comparing vegetarians and vegans to omnivores have shown no correlation between diet and iron deficiency.

So, yes, we all want to be iron men and women. And figuring out how much iron we need and the best way to get it doesn’t have to be like a high school physics experiment.

Iron deficiency is actually the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that two billion people, or more than 30 percent of the world’s population, are anemic, often due to iron deficiency. Furthermore, lack of iron is one of only a few nutritional deficiencies found in industrialized countries like the United States where, WHO says, it “exacts its heaviest overall toll in terms of ill-health, premature death, and lost earnings.”

There are two types of dietary iron: heme and non-heme. Heme iron comes from hemoglobin, and can only be obtained by eating animals that once had red blood cells. Foods with heme iron include red meats,
poultry, and fish. The iron derived from plants, which don’t bleed, is non-heme. This is also the type of iron used to fortify foods.

Some uninformed sorts will tell you that meat is a better source of iron than plants because heme iron is absorbed more efficiently by the body, at rates ranging from 15 percent to 35 percent. In contrast, non-heme iron is absorbed at rates ranging from 2 percent to 20 percent. Non-heme iron absorption is also influenced by other foods eaten with it. For example, vitamin C will greatly boost absorption by about 30 percent; dairy products and the oxalates in certain leafy greens blunt absorption.