Food: Animal Protein vs. Plant Protein

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Animal Protein vs. Plant Protein
Monday, November 20, 2006

Protein is an essential element of nutrition for optimum health. It can be obtained from both animal and vegetarian food sources. However, the health benefits of the two sources are not equal. Protein derived from animal sources is always accompanied by fat; saturated fat mostly, in case of land animals. Plant protein on the other hand has little fat with it. It carries a little lipid, which is mostly oil. Researchers in nutrition and health have long studied the effects of protein sources in relation to heart diseases. Their findings conclude that people who eat large quantities of meat suffer more frequently from heart diseases than those who rely on a heavy intake of vegetables. This difference in the frequency of heart diseases has been attributed to higher fat content that comes with meat as compared to the less inimical lipids in vegetarian sources.

Studies reveal that diet containing purified animal protein raise blood cholesterol levels higher than a similar diet containing purified plant protein. Long use of animal protein in diet was found to cause arteriosclerosis (deposition of plaque at the inner lining of arterial walls) in experimental animals. For animals fed on plant protein, this condition did not develop. So people with a high blood cholesterol level should bring down their blood cholesterol by using more plant protein than getting it from meat or animal diets. Most of the people today consume animal proteins twice the quantity of plant protein; this ratio should be not more than 1:1, i.e. equal quantities of both sources. However, it should be remembered that some animal protein sources also lower blood cholesterol, e.g. milk.

Meat, milk, and eggs provide ample quantity of high-quality protein. Plant protein, on the other hand, is of comparatively low quality. So it is not advisable to go easy on all animal protein. In addition, plant sources provide lower protein than animal sources of the same quantity/weight. However, vegetables and other plant foods can deliver a surprising amount of their own protein to the diet. Among plants, legumes are especially rich in protein due to their especially adapted root system. Vegans (strict vegetarians who do not take any animal derived food products) know how to combine various plant foods in order to obtain a balanced provision of all the essential amino acids. They combine two protein-rich foods (called mutual supplementation) to get complementary proteins. Such combinations of food are given below:

Grains

These include barley, rice, oats, whole-grain breads, bulgur, cornmeal, and pasta.

Legumes

These include dried beans, dried peas, dried lentils, peanuts, and soy products.

Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables, broccoli, and other vegetables are all plant protein sources.

Seeds and Nuts

Proteins are contained in sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews, some other nuts, and nut butters.

Liver and Protein Intake

Liver monitors the amino acid composition of protein that is eaten at a meal. Research has revealed that if the meal is low in certain types of amino acids, liver breaks down some of its own proteins to supply the lacking amino acids. Liver then replenishes its proteins for next such provision. This specialized function of liver has relieved the concern of health scientists who suspected that eating solely vegetarian protein might cause deficiency of essential amino acids and affect the health. Practically, protein deficiency does not occur unless someone heavily relies on fruits and certain vegetables as the core of his/her food intake.

Sources of Protein and their Contained Energy

Each of the following foods provide about 7 grams of protein:

1 ounce of lean meat, poultry, or fish (55 calories)
Half a cup legumes (80 calories)
One cup egg noodles (160 calories)
One cup broccoli or Brussels sprouts (50calories)
7 ounces of milk or yogurt (80 calories)
One ounce cheese (100 calories, since this is high fat)
One-fourth cup cottage cheese (55 calories)
2 tablespoons of peanut butter (200 calories, since it is high fat)
1 to 2 ounces of nuts or seeds (175 to 250 calories)
One-fourth cup tofu (75 calories)

Each of the following foods provide about 3 grams of protein:

One slice of bread (80 calories)
Half cup cooked cereals and grains (80 calories)
Half cup cooked rice (80 calories)

Each of the following sources provide 2 grams of protein:

Half cup cooked vegetables (25 calories)
One cup raw vegetables (25 calories)

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