Vegetable proteins: benefits, where to get them and how to take them

The vegetable proteins can provide essential amino acids in the right proportion for the body. And they also lack cholesterol or contaminants that are usually concentrated in animal tissues. It is true that plants provide less protein than animal products and that these are less complete. But this ignores the ways to improve the quality of vegetable proteins that have been shown to be effective on five continents, or the reality of those who prefer to follow a pure vegetable or vegan diet. Know their benefits, where to get them and how to take them

Benefits of vegetable proteins

Even today two thirds of humanity are essentially nourished with vegetable proteins, with which they prepare dishes that respond to a wise protein combination. If these dishes were analyzed instead of isolated foods, the quality of those proteins would increase remarkably. Vegetable foods, in addition to energy and protein, provide vitamins, trace elements and essential fatty acids, so that They are protective against cancer, inflammatory and circulatory diseases. Vegetable proteins:

They are less acidifying because they are accompanied by more mineral salts.They contain less fat and these are unsaturated (healthier).They do not contain cholesterol.They contain less purines and they are best removed.They provide fiber.They are easy to digest.They overload less the liver and kidneys. ideal for diets low in calories. They are cheaper for the personal and planetary economy: allow feeding more people with the same area of ​​land.

How much protein does the body need?

WHO recommends ingest a minimum of 0.8 grams per kilo of body weight, This number is usually rounded to 1 gram. In the period of growth these proportions almost double and also increase in pregnancy and lactation.

The human body is made up of 20% protein. The structures of all cells, tissues and organs are created from them. That is also why proteins are so important in growth stages of children and adolescents and for tissue renewal in adults. In addition, they fulfill important metabolic functions. Enzymes are basic proteins for numerous biochemical reactions and for the formation of antibodies.

However, proteins contain nitrogen, unlike carbohydrates, so if they are consumed in excess your metabolic waste (urea) are toxic to the body, like uric acid, responsible for various joint disorders.

Despite the efficient elimination systems available to the body, excess protein represents a certain degree of intoxication that favors tissue destruction and premature aging. Thus it is advisable to avoid eating more protein than necessary. The excess amino acids could accumulate in the membranes of the blood capillaries and be the cause of cardiovascular diseases.

What is the biological value of protein?

Protein digestion takes place mainly in the stomach, where, thanks to pepsin, they are broken down into their basic elements, amino acids. There are 22 different ones. Of them, there are 8 that our body cannot produce on its own and must be provided by the diet. They are called essential amino acids and they are:

TryptophanLeucineIsoleucineLysineValineThreonineCysteineMethionine

These amino acids must be absorbed in certain proportions so that the body can make its own proteins – in a similar way to the letters with which a specific sentence would be written. If any of them is missing, the nutritive value of the proteins is reduced, while the excess of one or several in particular is not used.

The biological value of the proteins of a food establishes the degree of similarity of the proportions of its essential amino acids with the pattern of maximum use. The food whose amino acids are most similar to those required by the human body is the chicken egg: 94% net utilization of protein. They are followed by foods of animal origin: milk and derivatives (82%), meat and fish (80%), since those of vegetable origin usually show deficiencies in one of the eight amino acids.

However, food is not consumed in isolation, but as part of dishes and menus where the deficit of a food in a certain amino acid can be counteracted by its excess in another. So, two vegetable foods can be combined and increase their final protein use.

Vegetable protein foods

To optimize the combinations, it is necessary to detect which plant food groups contain a higher percentage of protein, as well as what are its surplus and deficit amino acids:

Legumes

Its proportion of proteins is on average 20% dry, although in soybeans and lupine it exceeds 36%. But keep in mind that, when cooked, these percentages are reduced by half, since they absorb water, and even more so when they germinate.

the quality or the biological value of these proteins if taken in isolation fluctuates a lot: lentil: 30%; dry beans: 38%; chickpea: 43%; broad bean: 52%; mung bean: 57%; soy: 61%; tofu: 65%.

Legumes are deficient in tryptophan (except in the case of soy) and in the sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine ​​and methionine; instead they are rich in lysine and have sufficient levels of isoleucine, just the opposite of cereals, nuts and certain seeds. That is why combining in the same meal about three parts of cereals (rice, wheat, cornmeal…) for one of legumes increases the degree of use of their proteins by between 30 and 50%.

Nuts and seeds

He protein content of these foods is 20%, similar to that of legumes, and its biological quality is higher on average: it ranges from 45 to 60% (peanut: 43%; pistachio and Brazil nut: 50%; sesame: 53%; cashew and sunflower seeds: 58 %; pumpkin seeds: 60%). This data is very interesting since these are foods that are eaten raw or lightly toasted, so their protein percentage is not diluted in water, although they are usually taken in smaller doses than legumes due to their abundance of calories.

These products are characterized by their high content of tryptophan and sulfur amino acids –except peanuts, which is still a legume–, but they are deficient in lysine and isoleucine, so their ideal combination is with legumes. For example, taking sesame and chickpeas together (in equal parts) improves the quality of their respective proteins by 27%. They also benefit from the association with dairy products. Seeds and nuts are not just an excellent appetizer or part of breakfast or snack, but a source of protein that can be used to enrich any salad, filling or sauce. And they are always appetizing.

Cereals

Especially if they are integral and their derivatives, such as pasta, they have an amount of protein that oscillates between 7.5% of rice and 14% of oat flakes. Although they do not seem like many, they are very interesting from a dietary point of view because their consumption is substantial, since they constitute the basis of the diet. Some cereals have a very high biological quality, such as brown rice (70%) and oats (65%). In wheat, barley and bulgur it amounts to 60%. In rye it is 58% and in millet 55%.

Its deficient amino acids are lysine and isoleucine, except in wheat germ. To alleviate this deficit, they can be supplemented with legumes, brewer’s yeast and wheat germ, as well as dairy products. Bread that combines wheat and soy flour is highly recommended in this regard. Quinoa and buckwheat, which are not strictly cereals, have high protein quality. Seitan (25% protein) is made from wheat gluten, which is prepared in a similar way to meat and can be substituted in numerous recipes.

other foods

Brewer’s yeast, like wheat germ, is very rich in protein. and in the amino acid lysine, therefore it enriches salads and completes the amino acids of cereal or pasta dishes. Pollen has a vegetable origin although it is obtained thanks to the work of bees. It contains between 25-35% fairly complete proteins.

How to take vegetable proteins: sample menu

Providing the body with protein is not a task that is carried out once a day, but a set of actions that are added throughout the day. An example of a day based on vegetable proteins could be:

Breakfast. Soy drink, oats or rice, or soy yogurts. If you feel like it, you can add a tablespoon of pollen, brewer’s yeast or wheat germ, or add these supplements to a fruit juice. It is accompanied by whole wheat toast, rice pancakes or a muesli of assorted cereal flakes with nuts and seeds. If a vegetable pate made with tofu is spread on the toast, a wide variety of vegetable foods rich in complementary proteins will be available. Sesame butter or hummus (chickpea pate) are another option for spreading on toast.Noon meal. You can take a first course of salad that includes sprouted seeds (mung beans, soybeans, alfalfa, lentils, soybeans…), enriched with brewer’s yeast or wheat germ. In the second course, carbohydrates (energy) and combined proteins will predominate. For example, it is traditional to add all kinds of fresh legumes to the paella, such as peas, broad beans or beans of various sizes. Minced hazelnuts, almonds and bread can also be added to stews and dried bean dishes. Lentils with rice are a classic, while millet goes perfectly with chickpeas, and corn goes perfectly with beans. And the pasta? The market offers pasta enriched with soy flour or spirulina algae, which improves its proteins. You can also add pine nuts (as in pesto), and fillings made with tofu or textured soy protein, which cooks just like minced meat and is excellent in lasagna, cannelloni, and ravioli. If it is also garnished with mushrooms or spinach, the result will be delicious.Dinner. At night you can take advantage of more purely protein dishes, such as seitan, tofu or tempe steaks, or hamburgers or vegetable sausages (it is worth reading the protein content on the labels, as sometimes it barely reaches 10%: little more than bread). Another option is the “encarnitas”, delicious meatballs made with textured soy protein, garlic and parsley. A vegetable broth ahead and a salad to accompany and dinner will be resolved. And all this without counting the proteins that may be contained in fruits, vegetables and tubers, whose amounts are small, but also add up.

Proteins of animal origin are not essential for health of people or the growth of children. The experience of thousands of vegetarians proves it. But it is also true that this type of nutrition, being less concentrated at the protein level due to the lack of food of animal origin, requires…