I know that all vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds have protein but I always wondered if it would be difficult to satisfy my protein needs by eating mostly vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, while keeping animal protein, grains and legumes at a low level.
For example, I wondered how one would go about getting complete protein from a variety of vegetables and fruit. So I did a search and came up with the following report: "Protein myths debunked: Setting the record straight"
According to this report, vegetables ARE complete proteins. It says that the need for careful combining of plant foods to get complete protein is a rumor not based on science. And this is backed up by the American Dietetic Association.
I suppose this means if I decide to eat a meal of beans and broccoli flavored with onion and olive oil, I don't need rice or any other grain to balance the beans for complete protein. That's good news.
"Protein myths debunked" is an eight page report and I'll be reading it tonight. So far I have only read the first two pages. This will likely put me on a whole new diet plan as I am not that enthusiastic about eating animal protein or certain grains. I might go back to my plant based diet without the worry of exact combining of foods to get complete protein. We'll see what happens.
In the mean time I welcome your comments, if any.
Last edited by JohnR41; 03-16-2011 at 12:19 PM.
Reason: "certain grains" that may be bad for type O
Vegetables do have a high PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score)
This is a standard score, which measures the -completeness- of a protein. It is how the federal government determines protein quality. If a protein contains each amino acid essential for life, it is called a "complete protein" and is given a high score. The highest PDCAAS is 1.
The only issues with that diet are insufficient: vitamin B12, possibly other fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D, and total calories.
Yes, thanks, I can deal with the vitamin issues because I was on a plant based diet for 4 years before the beginning of this year. I took B12 and D supplements.
The big problem I had was feeling like I was tied to combining legumes with various whole grains. Now I'm following, "Eat Right for Your Blood Type". So I'll be eating certain grains and certain legumes (in limited amounts) that are said to be compatible with my blood type (O). By eliminating those grains and legumes that are incompatible, I hope it will be an improvement and I may not need to be eating animal protein.
I'd be combining a "plant based diet" (as described in The China Study)with "Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type".
The object is to avoid getting cancer and hopefully alleviate overactive bladder. The bladder problem is somewhat better already.
Anyway, you're right about the calories. So it's a good thing I'll be able to eat some rice, barley and Ezekiel bread, among others. But not whole wheat. With that, olive oil, nuts and seeds, I hope to get the calories I need.
