A Short Guide to Protein for Vegan Athletes

This is question so often asked of vegans and vegetarians. The easy answer is that the human body makes all of it own proteins. Our food contains proteins which are broken down into their constituent amino acids, which are then used by the body to form its own protein. But what people are really asking is: "are you eating enough protein?" We should start in answering this question by first figuring out how much protein in our food we really need. Two facts are certain in response to this question: (1) it is dangerous to not get enough protein from diet (2) when consuming adequate calories, it is virtually impossible to not get enough protein from a diet of a whole, fresh plant food.

How much do you need?
According to various international scientific organizations, including the World Health Organization, human dietary protein needs range from 2-10% of total calories. Even the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans¹ says, "Protein is not limiting in vegetarian diets as long as the variety and amounts of foods consumed are adequate." For an athlete consuming 2500 calories per day, 2-10% translates into 12.5-62.5 grams of protein per day, within the range of what the Institute of Medicine recommends².

"Yes, but athletes need more protein than the average person." For some athletes less than 100 grams of protein per day means withering away. It is true that athletes have greater protein requirements than sedentary people, but in direct correlation to the increase in caloric needs. Active people will need to consume more calories to meet their energy needs. If these calories come from whole plant foods, then protein needs are also met. Consider this: human infants who are developing at rate much faster than any of the world's athletes need only 5% of their calories to come from protein. Human mother's milk contains approximately 1.5 grams of protein per 100 calories. With this in mind, we can use the table to compare various foods for their protein content.

This table shows clearly that fruits, in all their deliciousness, contain an optimal quantity of protein for humans. Fruits are also nature's best source for vitamins, and they are rich in simple, easily utilized carbohydrates - perfect for athletes.

There Is No Food
There's a myth that eating large amounts of protein translates into stronger, bigger muscles, as if beef muscle "becomes" human muscle or protein stimulates muscle growth. However, there is no food or nutrient that will cause you to gain muscle. If that were the case, bodybuilders would be in the kitchen getting stronger, not the gym.

Just for Insurance
Isolated protein supplements are often touted and sold as a recovery elixir. Many athletes take a protein supplement or eat animal products just to be "sure" they get enough protein for recovery. There is a certain danger in this. First, high protein diets are associated with numerous diseases. Secondly, athletes should be keen to give their body exactly what it needs nutritionally. Anything less than that and the body will weaken in trying to make up for a deficiency. Excess protein is exhausting for the body to deal with, leading to loss of strength and endurance and eventually disease. Give yourself health assurance by eating your fruits and vegetables.

For Optimal Health and Performance, Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
The body becomes stronger and faster with the adaptations from training; therefore, recovery is tantamount to athletic development. Fresh fruit and vegetables not only provide optimal amounts of protein, but uncooked fruit and vegetables do not the challenge the body with mutagenic substances resulting from the cooking process⁴. Cooking changes the chemistry of the fats and proteins in food, rendering many of them carcinogenic. Carcinogens and other toxins diminish the body's capacity to recover quickly from training.
So leave the protein powders at the store and let the animals roam, and you will still reach your peak potential. With dedicated training, a healthy lifestyle, and a diet rich with fruits and vegetables you can achieve your health and fitness goals.

References

¹The USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans

²The Institute of Medicine's Dietary Reference Intakes: Macronutrients

³Data for the table is from the USDA's nutrient data laboratory.

⁴For a listing of the mutagens caused by cooking, refer to Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer.