Protein for Vegans and Vegetarians ( this is quite long , but great information for vegans and vegetarians)

Protein for Vegans and Vegetarians:


The most important thing to be aware of regarding protein in vegan diets is that you need to get enough of the amino acid lysine. Make sure you read the section on lysine below and check out the high-lysine foods. Beyond that, there is evidence that erring on the side of more protein (1.0 to 1.1 grams of protein per kg of healthy body weight per day for adults) is a good idea, and especially for people 60 years and older.


Protein is important for maintaining muscle and bone mass, for keeping the immune system strong, and to prevent fatigue.
People not familiar with vegan nutrition often assume it is terribly hard to get enough protein on a vegan diet, and that's if they even think there is any protein in plant foods at all (how they think vegans survive is an interesting question, though many of them probably don't think we do). On the other hand, once "educated", most vegans have the diametrically opposite view, considering it impossible for someone not to get enough protein on a vegan diet.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle. It is easy to get enough protein on a vegan diet if you eat multiple servings of high-lysine foods (legumes, seitan, quinoa, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds) each day. But there are many vegans who are probably not eating enough high-lysine foods.
Legumes include soybeans and their products (tempeh, tofu, soy milk, soy meats, etc.), beans (garbanzo, kidney, pinto, etc.) and their products (falafel, hummus, refried, etc.), peas (green, split, black-eyed, etc.), lentils, and peanuts.
Vegans who do not eat enough calories to maintain their weight also need to pay special attention to making sure they are getting enough protein.


Per serving, legumes and seitan are the foods highest in the amino acid lysine. Tofu, tempeh, soy meats, lentils, and seitan are the highest, followed by other legume foods. Quinoa, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds are also decent sources of lysine.
It is very hard to design a vegan diet that meets lysine requirements for a person who does not exercise daily without including legumes, seitan, quinoa, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds without having too many calories. It is much easier to do for regular exercisers whose calorie requirements are higher - the low lysine foods will add up to provide enough. While many vegan, raw foodist athletes appear to thrive on the diet many raw foodist non-athletes struggle with raw diets; it might be the case that part of this is due to the athletes eating more calories and thus meeting lysine needs with low lysine foods.

Per serving, legumes and seitan are the foods highest in the amino acid lysine. Tofu, tempeh, soy meats, lentils, and seitan are the highest, followed by other legume foods. Quinoa, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds are also decent sources of lysine.
It is very hard to design a vegan diet that meets lysine requirements for a person who does not exercise daily without including legumes, seitan, quinoa, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds without having too many calories. It is much easier to do for regular exercisers whose calorie requirements are higher - the low lysine foods will add up to provide enough. While many vegan, raw foodist athletes appear to thrive on the diet many raw foodist non-athletes struggle with raw diets; it might be the case that part of this is due to the athletes eating more calories and thus meeting lysine needs with low lysine foods.

Table 3: Protein & Amino Acids in Common Foods

In the box below, you can enter your healthy or ideal body weight (IBW) and click the button. Table 3 will show you how much of any given food you need to meet the RDA for protein and amino acids. This is not to suggest you get all your amino acids from one food, but it can give an idea of what sort of combinations might be required.
If you do not know what your IBW is, put your height in either inches or centimeters (and choose the appropriate selection from the drop down box). See the table footer for an explanation.

Enter:

Ideal Body Weight (lbs)  Ideal Body Weight (kg)     Height (inches)     Height (cm)

Table 3. Protein & Amino Acid Content of Plant Foods RDA for a 140 lb Person
USA Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) protein in g   |   amino acids in mg
	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
RDA - per kg of healthy body weight	0.8	14	19	42	38	19	33	20	5	24
RDA for 140 lb. person	51	891	1209	2673	2418	1209	2100	1273	318	1527
Soy
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Edamame Serving: 0.50 cup (78 g)	8.4	207	233	577	577	204	638	257	98	251
Number of servings to meet RDA	6.0	4.3	5.2	4.6	4.2	5.9	3.3	5.0	3.2	6.1
Soy Milk Serving: 1.00 cup (245 g)	9.2	174	353	590	439	213	644	277	105	345
Number of servings to meet RDA	5.5	5.1	3.4	4.5	5.5	5.7	3.3	4.6	3.0	4.4
Tempeh Serving: 0.50 cup (83 g)	15.4	387	730	1187	754	305	901	661	161	764
Number of servings to meet RDA	3.3	2.3	1.7	2.3	3.2	4.0	2.3	1.9	2.0	2.0
Tofu - firm Serving: 0.50 cup (126 g)	10.2	284	559	917	582	177	1013	518	155	573
Number of servings to meet RDA	5.0	3.1	2.2	2.9	4.2	6.8	2.1	2.5	2.1	2.7
Legumes
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Black Beans - cooked Serving: 0.50 cup (86 g)	7.6	212	336	609	523	197	627	321	90	399
Number of servings to meet RDA	6.7	4.2	3.6	4.4	4.6	6.1	3.3	4.0	3.5	3.8
Garbanzos (Chick Peas) - cooked Serving: 0.50 cup (82 g)	7.3	200	312	517	486	193	569	270	70	305
Number of servings to meet RDA	7.0	4.5	3.9	5.2	5.0	6.3	3.7	4.7	4.5	5.0
Kidney Beans - cooked Serving: 0.50 cup (89 g)	7.7	214	339	613	527	198	631	323	91	402
Number of servings to meet RDA	6.6	4.2	3.6	4.4	4.6	6.1	3.3	3.9	3.5	3.8
Lentils - cooked Serving: 0.50 cup (99 g)	8.9	251	386	647	624	193	680	320	80	444
Number of servings to meet RDA	5.7	3.5	3.1	4.1	3.9	6.3	3.1	4.0	4.0	3.4
Peanut Butter Serving: 2.00 T (32 g)	8.0	204	284	523	290	202	746	276	78	339
Number of servings to meet RDA	6.4	4.4	4.3	5.1	8.3	6.0	2.8	4.6	4.1	4.5
Peanuts - dry roasted Serving: 0.33 cup (48 g)	11.4	289	401	740	410	286	1055	391	111	478
Number of servings to meet RDA	4.5	3.1	3.0	3.6	5.9	4.2	2.0	3.3	2.9	3.2
Pinto Beans - refried Serving: 0.50 cup (121 g)	6.4	175	303	544	448	143	529	235	76	369
Number of servings to meet RDA	8.0	5.1	4.0	4.9	5.4	8.5	4.0	5.4	4.2	4.1
Nuts & Seeds
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Almonds Serving: 0.25 cup (36 g)	7.6	199	251	532	207	122	562	214	77	292
Number of servings to meet RDA	6.7	4.5	4.8	5.0	11.7	9.9	3.7	5.9	4.1	5.2
Cashews Serving: 0.25 cup (34 g)	5.2	137	250	440	280	191	439	203	81	356
Number of servings to meet RDA	9.8	6.5	4.8	6.1	8.6	6.3	4.8	6.3	3.9	4.3
Pecans Serving: 0.25 cup (25 g)	2.3	65	83	148	71	83	158	76	23	102
Number of servings to meet RDA	22.1	13.7	14.6	18.1	34.1	14.6	13.3	16.7	13.8	15.0
Pistachios Serving: 0.25 cup (31 g)	6.4	158	294	492	367	216	496	216	87	388
Number of servings to meet RDA	8.0	5.6	4.1	5.4	6.6	5.6	4.2	5.9	3.7	3.9
Pumpkin seeds - roasted Serving: 0.25 cup (30 g)	8.8	227	373	704	360	272	823	291	168	460
Number of servings to meet RDA	5.8	3.9	3.2	3.8	6.7	4.4	2.6	4.4	1.9	3.3
Sunflower Seeds Serving: 0.25 cup (32 g)	6.2	172	309	451	254	257	489	252	94	357
Number of servings to meet RDA	8.2	5.2	3.9	5.9	9.5	4.7	4.3	5.1	3.4	4.3
Walnuts - chopped Serving: 0.25 cup (29 g)	4.5	114	183	342	124	130	327	174	50	220
Number of servings to meet RDA	11.3	7.8	6.6	7.8	19.5	9.3	6.4	7.3	6.4	6.9
Grains
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Bread - white Serving: 2.00 slice (50 g)	4.1	89	161	290	112	159	320	121	48	180
Number of servings to meet RDA	12.4	10.0	7.5	9.2	21.6	7.6	6.6	10.5	6.6	8.5
Bread - whole wheat Serving: 2.00 slice (56 g)	7.3	78	125	227	93	130	256	97	52	152
Number of servings to meet RDA	7.0	11.4	9.7	11.8	26.0	9.3	8.2	13.1	6.1	10.0
Buckwheat - groats roasted Serving: 1.00 cup (168 g)	5.7	133	213	356	289	171	327	217	82	291
Number of servings to meet RDA	8.9	6.7	5.7	7.5	8.4	7.1	6.4	5.9	3.9	5.2
Corn Serving: 1.00 cup (82 g)	5.4	150	218	588	232	158	460	218	38	314
Number of servings to meet RDA	9.4	5.9	5.5	4.5	10.4	7.7	4.6	5.8	8.4	4.9
Flour Tortilla Serving: 1.00 med (46 g)	4.0	90	141	276	98	154	322	113	49	164
Number of servings to meet RDA	12.7	9.9	8.6	9.7	24.7	7.9	6.5	11.3	6.5	9.3
Oatmeal - boiled Serving: 1.00 cup (234 g)	5.9	126	271	505	316	335	568	225	236	374
Number of servings to meet RDA	8.6	7.1	4.5	5.3	7.7	3.6	3.7	5.7	1.3	4.1
Quinoa - cooked Serving: 1.00 cup (185 g)	8.1	235	290	483	442	295	496	242	96	342
Number of servings to meet RDA	6.3	3.8	4.2	5.5	5.5	4.1	4.2	5.3	3.3	4.5
Rice - brown, med grain Serving: 1.00 cup (195 g)	4.5	115	191	372	172	156	402	166	58	265
Number of servings to meet RDA	11.3	7.7	6.3	7.2	14.1	7.8	5.2	7.7	5.5	5.8
Rice - white, med grain Serving: 1.00 cup (186 g)	4.4	104	192	366	160	195	385	158	52	270
Number of servings to meet RDA	11.6	8.6	6.3	7.3	15.1	6.2	5.5	8.1	6.1	5.7
Seitan Serving: 3.00 oz (85 g)	31.0	671	1293	2247	656	1077	2915	839	0	1498
Number of servings to meet RDA	1.6	1.3	0.9	1.2	3.7	1.1	0.7	1.5	0.0	1.0
Spaghetti - white Serving: 1.00 cup (140 g)	6.7	136	258	456	127	292	498	176	85	284
Number of servings to meet RDA	7.6	6.6	4.7	5.9	19.0	4.1	4.2	7.2	3.7	5.4
Spaghetti - whole wheat Serving: 1.00 cup (140 g)	7.5	175	290	510	165	275	566	200	97	323
Number of servings to meet RDA	6.8	5.1	4.2	5.2	14.7	4.4	3.7	6.4	3.3	4.7
Vegetables
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Baked Potato Serving: 1.00 med (173 g)	4.3	93	175	260	263	121	351	157	67	244
Number of servings to meet RDA	11.8	9.6	6.9	10.3	9.2	10.0	6.0	8.1	4.7	6.3
Broccoli - cooked, chopped Serving: 1.00 cup (156 g)	3.6	82	180	216	234	88	244	152	48	212
Number of servings to meet RDA	14.1	10.9	6.7	12.4	10.3	13.7	8.6	8.4	6.6	7.2
Carrot - 5 12 inches long Serving: 1.00 small (50 g)	0.5	20	38	51	51	52	51	96	6	35
Number of servings to meet RDA	108.3	44.5	31.8	52.4	47.4	23.3	41.2	13.3	53.0	43.6
Kale - cooked, shredded Serving: 1.00 cup (130 g)	2.5	52	148	173	148	56	215	111	30	135
Number of servings to meet RDA	20.4	17.1	8.2	15.4	16.3	21.6	9.8	11.5	10.6	11.3
Romaine Lettuce - shredded Serving: 1.00 cup (56 g)	0.7	16	58	54	58	22	60	42	6	48
Number of servings to meet RDA	72.7	55.7	20.8	49.5	41.7	55.0	35.0	30.3	53.0	31.8
Tomato Serving: 1.00 med (123 g)	1.1	17	22	31	33	18	50	33	7	22
Number of servings to meet RDA	46.3	52.4	55.0	86.2	73.3	67.2	42.0	38.6	45.5	69.4
Fruit
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Apple Serving: 1.00 med (138 g)	0.4	7	8	18	17	2	9	8	1	17
Number of servings to meet RDA	127.3	127.3	151.1	148.5	142.2	604.5	233.3	159.1	318.2	89.8
Banana Serving: 1.00 med (118 g)	1.3	91	33	80	59	20	69	33	11	55
Number of servings to meet RDA	39.2	9.8	36.6	33.4	41.0	60.5	30.4	38.6	28.9	27.8
Orange Serving: 1.00 med (131 g)	1.2	24	33	30	62	39	62	20	12	52
Number of servings to meet RDA	42.4	37.1	36.6	89.1	39.0	31.0	33.9	63.6	26.5	29.4
Strawberries - whole Serving: 1.00 cup (144 g)	1.0	17	23	49	37	12	59	29	12	27
Number of servings to meet RDA	50.9	52.4	52.6	54.5	65.4	100.8	35.6	43.9	26.5	56.6
Seaweed
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Spirulina - dried Serving: 1.00 tbsp (7 g)	4.0	76	225	346	212	126	375	208	65	246
Number of servings to meet RDA	12.7	11.7	5.4	7.7	11.4	9.6	5.6	6.1	4.9	6.2
Protein Powders
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Naturade Soy Protein Serving: 0.33 cup (28 g)	24.0	618	1178	1939	1552	640	2184	912	305	1157
Number of servings to meet RDA	2.1	1.4	1.0	1.4	1.6	1.9	1.0	1.4	1.0	1.3
Naturade Soy-Free Protein Serving: 0.33 cup (28 g)	22.0	533	1182	1785	1455	445	1957	918	228	1115
Number of servings to meet RDA	2.3	1.7	1.0	1.5	1.7	2.7	1.1	1.4	1.4	1.4
Animal
Food	PRO	HIS	ISO	LEU	LYS	MET CYS	PHE TYR	THR	TRP	VAL
Beef - ground, 15% fat, pan-broiled  Serving: 3.00 oz (85 g)	20.9	681	924	1631	1733	745	1459	811	108	1028
Number of servings to meet RDA	2.4	1.3	1.3	1.6	1.4	1.6	1.4	1.6	2.9	1.5
Chicken - roasted Serving: 1.00 leg (52 g)	14.1	417	708	1028	1152	562	1004	583	158	684
Number of servings to meet RDA	3.6	2.1	1.7	2.6	2.1	2.2	2.1	2.2	2.0	2.2
Egg - hard boiled Serving: 1.00 large (50 g)	6.3	149	343	537	452	342	591	302	76	384
Number of servings to meet RDA	8.1	6.0	3.5	5.0	5.3	3.5	3.6	4.2	4.2	4.0
Milk - 2% fat Serving: 1.00 cup (244 g)	8.1	178	447	808	569	464	768	251	98	532
Number of servings to meet RDA	6.3	5.0	2.7	3.3	4.2	2.6	2.7	5.1	3.2	2.9
Tuna Serving: 3.00 oz (85 g)	21.7	638	999	1762	1992	874	1579	950	243	1117
Number of servings to meet RDA	2.3	1.4	1.2	1.5	1.2	1.4	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.4
Protein is measured in grams   |   Amino acids are measured in mg PRO = Protein |   HIS = Histidine |   VAL = Valine |   MET CYS = Methionine + Cysteine ISO = Isoleucine |   THR = Threonine |   LEU = Leucine |   PHE TYR = Phenylalanine + Tyrosine TRP = Tryptophan |   LYS = Lysine |   IBW = Ideal Body Weight The RDA's are given in grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Fat mass does not require much protein for maintenance, so "body weight" is generally interpreted to mean "ideal" or "healthy" body weight even though the RDA's do not specify that. The formula here for calculating IBW by way of height uses a body mass index of 22, the middle of the range considered to be healthy. Muscular people without much excess body fat should probably use their current body weight rather than height. The essential amino acid methionine is paired with the non-essential cysteine, and the essential amino acid phenylalanine is paired with the non-essential tyrosine. That is because the RDA is calculated for these pairs of amino acids together, assuming there are similar ratios in most foods. In plant foods, there are about equal amounts of methionine and cysteine, and usually more phenylalanine than tyrosine. Sources: RDAs were taken from Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients) (2002) by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the Institute of Medicine, p. 680. Link The protein and amino acid content of foods was taken from the USDA National Nutrient Database and Naturade protein powder labels. Amino acid content for pumpkin seeds was taken from the USDA database entry for Food #12016, Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, without salt. According to correspondence with Robin G. Thomas, MS, RD of the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory, the entries for 12014, 12016 and 12516 are for pumpkin seeds only (i.e., not squash seeds also) (January 2013). Seitan information is extrapolated from White Wave seitan label. The label lists wheat gluten, garbanzo flour, and soy flour as the main sources of protein. For this table, it was assume that 5% of the protein was from garbanzo proteinand 5% from soy flour. Wheat gluten amino acid composition was taken from: Rombouts I, Lamberts L, Celus I, Lagrain B, Brijs K, Delcour JA. Wheat gluten amino acid composition analysis by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with integrated pulsed amperometric detection. J Chromatogr A. 2009 Jul 17;1216(29):5557-62. Epub 2009 Jun 3. (link), and Molecular weight for amino acids was taken from ExPASy The amount of tryptophan in wheat gluten is negligible, and thus no amount is listed for seitan. However, the soy and garbanzo protein alone will provide 38 mg of tryptophan per serving (which is not included in the table since it is not clear how much soy and garbanzo protein is actually in seitan).

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References

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2. Dietary Reference Intakes: Macronutrients. National Academy of Sciences. Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. DRI table for carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids and protein. (Link)
3. Rand WM, Pellett PL, Young VR. Meta-analysis of nitrogen balance studies for estimating protein requirements in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jan;77(1):109-27. (Link)
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7. Calculations:
Average healthy body weight of the men based on a BMI of 22 and average height of 1.74 m = 66.6 kg
78 g protein per 66.6 kg = 1.17 g/kg
96 g protein per 66.6 kg = 1.44 g/kg
Actual average body weight of the men was 77 kg
78 g protein per 77 kg = 1.01 g/kg
96 g protein per 77 kg = 1.25 g/kg
Averageing the healthy body weight with the actual body weight gives 1.09 and 1.34 g/kg
8. Gaffney-Stomberg E, Insogna KL, Rodriguez NR, Kerstetter JE. Increasing dietary protein requirements in elderly people for optimal muscle and bone health. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009 Jun;57(6):1073-9. (Link)
9. Paddon-Jones D, Short KR, Campbell WW, Volpi E, Wolfe RR. Role of dietary protein in the sarcopenia of aging. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1562S-1566S. (Link)
10. Morais JA, Chevalier S, Gougeon R. Protein turnover and requirements in the healthy and frail elderly. J Nutr Health Aging. 2006 Jul-Aug;10(4):272-83. (Link)
11. Doyle MD, Morse LM, Gowan JS, Parsons MR. Observations on nitrogen and energy balance in young men consuming vegetarian diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 1965 Dec;17(6):367-76. (Link)
12. Haddad EH, Berk LS, Kettering JD, Hubbard RW, Peters WR. Dietary intake and biochemical, hematologic, and immune status of vegans compared with nonvegetarians. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):586S-593S. (Link)
13. Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109:509-527. Link.
14. Andrich DE, Filion ME, Woods M, Dwyer JT, Gorbach SL, Goldin BR, Adlercreutz H, Aubertin-Leheudre M. Relationship between essential amino acids and muscle mass, independent of habitual diets, in pre- and post-menopausal US women. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2011 Nov;62(7):719-24. Epub 2011 May 16. (Link)

Also Reviewed

Evans WJ. Protein nutrition, exercise and aging. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Dec;23(6 Suppl):601S-609S. (Link)