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I have to agree with User - by eating a variety of plant based protein sources you'll hit all the amino acids.
Well, why take a chance that you missed one or more amino acids? Why not just eat a food with complete protein to begin with instead of hoping that you ate the right variety of plant based protein? We drink green smoothies for dinner - that is what we have every night - we add hemp powder which is a complete protein - so we know that should we miss something in our plant combo, we have covered our bases. I'm not sure why this is such a difficult and resistive concept to some. We eat a wide variety of foods and include foods that are complete proteins - why are some so completely opposted to this idea? Stubborness? Egotism? A driving force for always having to be right? How about all three.
I would never take iron unless directed to by my doctor.....find out if you are in need of iron before taking a supplement.
Iron deficiency is super common for women who are menustrating. I have heard that 30% of women are. And your body does a poor job of absorbing plant iron. My doctor told me to take up to 3 supplements a day. I mentioned this to a few friends and all of the said their iron was low as well!
We eat a wide variety of foods and include foods that are complete proteins - why are some so completely opposted to this idea?
Umm....never did I suggest people should avoid complete proteins...instead I said that vegans do not need to seek out complete proteins.
Many people mistakenly believe that plants have "incomplete proteins" because they are missing one or more of the essential amino acids, but that isn't true. The vast majority of plants contain all 9 essential amino acids, just not always in the right proportion for human needs. But since they all have different proportions, vegans just need to make sure they eat a healthy mix of foods to met their protein needs.
When vegans come sort on protein, its not because they aren't eating complete proteins instead its because they are eating too much sugar and refined fat (and the processed foods made from them) where as meat eaters can eat a lot of these foods and still meat their protein needs due to the high concentration of protein in most meat.
And your body does a poor job of absorbing plant iron. My doctor told me to take up to 3 supplements a day.
Its absorbed less, but not poorly. The absorption of non-heme iron is more variable than heme-iron, how much is absorbed depends a lot on what foods have been consumed. For example phytates slow iron absorption, where as vitamin C greatly increases it.
The daily recommended values already account for the relatively low absorption rate of iron, even meat has 60%+ non-heme iron. But some suggest that the daily recommended value be increased for vegans, but even the increased values aren't hard to meet with food alone assuming a healthy vegan diet. Many people find that they eat more, not less, iron on a healthy vegan diet because they increase the number of iron rich foods they eat. Contrary to popular belief, things like red meat aren't iron super sources. Green leafy vegetables, lentils, etc all contain more iron per calorie than red meat.
Iron deficiency is super common for women who are menustrating. I have heard that 30% of women are. And your body does a poor job of absorbing plant iron. My doctor told me to take up to 3 supplements a day. I mentioned this to a few friends and all of the said their iron was low as well!
I would still not take iron without a doctor's approval....and testing needs to be done. Taking iron when you don't need it can be dangerous. It makes no sense to expect that you are iron deficient....the only way to tell is through a blood test. I was anemic as a child, I'm anemic now (I'm 62) but I was never anemic during my child bearning years - it would have been foolish and even dangerous had I taken iron supplements without making sure I was in fact anemic.
The only nutrient will have some trouble obtaining is B-12. As other posters stated you can take supplements for that. But if you really don't want to take additional supplements, B-12 is sometimes added to soy milk.
The best foods to replace meat are avocados, beans, lentils, chickpeas and hummus, organic tofu, eggplant, squash, quinoa.
If you feel the need to talk a healthcare provider about going vegan, it's much better to talk to a nutritionist or dietician. Many doctors are not that well educated in nutrition, they know some basics but not enough to always advise you what is right (my dad's doctor told him to drink orange juice everyday, which is never recommended by a nutritionist because of all the added sugar). Most medical schools only require a 3 credit nutrition course, which I hear is a joke course from my friends who have MDs or DOs. In order for a doctor to have adequate knowledge in nutrition, they need to get an additional certification.
i highly reccommend a vegan diet; with two caveats:
1. you will have to eat a lot of calories for protein(about 800 cals worth pf nuts a day minimium) and large quantities for nutrients and trace minerals. This is not a weight loss program.
2. steam the veg. too much raw veg - there are no studies, but i know my body has problems processing and utilizing it. I was told to steam it or eat less by a gp.
also, some vitamins, such as calcium, cannot be absorbed all in one sitting. you have to eat throughout the day.
Eating a healthy, well-balanced plant based diet can definitely be a weight loss diet and there are many other protein sources besides nuts.....beans, tofu, hemp protein powder, tempeh, wheat gluten, grains, etc. I have lost a total of 72 lbs. on a plant based diet...my recent physical was quite extensive because of my diet and my way of eating....I am 100% healthy with all tests normal.
I certainly do not eat 800 calories in protein every day. I also eat a large amount of raw vegetables......I like the taste and the raw veggies are a great source of fiber and bulk....they make you fuller than cooked veggies....I also eat cooked veggies but to a lesser degree.
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