Battling the Protein Myth

It’s a no-brainer that we know a lot more about nutrition than we used to. But old habits die hard, and the protein myth—namely, that vegetarian and vegan diets do not contain enough protein—is so prevalent that even some vegetarians still think it's true.

The sneaky part of this myth is that it is partially based on a truth—vegetarians do tend to get less protein. To compete with the protein intake of your average North American meat-eater, you would (as vegetarians are often warned) need to eat an awful lot of beans. The real fallacy is that you need this much protein to be healthy. The average meat-based diet actually has way too much protein—twice as much as is needed. An excess of animal protein in the diet has been linked to osteoporosis, kidney stones, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

In fact, if you have a reasonably healthy diet (one without a lot of sugary, processed foods), it would be difficult to consume as many calories as you need for the day and not get enough protein. Beans, tofu and soy products, tempeh, nuts, seeds—most people know these foods are protein superstars. But protein is also lurking in smaller amounts in grains and many vegetables (the green ones in particular).

Nutritional research has also systematically debunked the ideas that a balanced vegetarian diet is deficient in iron, calcium, vitamin D, and omega-3’s. With modern supplements and fortified dairy substitutes, even consuming adequate amounts of B12—a vitamin found primarily in meat, eggs, and dairy—need not be an issue for vegans.

So not only are fears about a plant-based diet being deficient unfounded, but unfortunately the protein myth has scared many people away from a balanced diet that could give them more energy, lower their risk of disease, help them avoid hormones and chemicals prevalent in animal products, and is downright delicious.

The good news is, it's never too late to feel better. And don't believe the protein hype.