need help re: complete protein

[String Bean]

hey guys,

i've been looking around alot and have come across some conflicting information. i've read that only animal products contain the right proportion of the 8 essential amino acids but i've also read that some plant sources also contain complete protein. specifically, i read that quinoa and soy isolate are complete, although i've also seen hemp seeds and buckwheat mentioned.

the problem is that the only sources that make the claim for plant sources are wikipedia or vegetarian/vegan websites. conversely, the sources that make the claim for animal products tend to be bodybuilding articles. my problem is that i'm presented with conflicting information from what is essentially two ideologies that are typically opposed to one another. as such, it seems likely that bias is playing a role here somewhere. i have seen both cases put forth on sherdog, but never with a source.

i'm hoping that you guys can settle this for me. i need some legit sources because i got into this argument with my vegan friend and its getting pretty heated i.e., we're calling each other bitch, dick tits, etc.

i'm going to need some proof to shove in his face. i hope you guys can help. thanks!

 

[bigkick]

I'm 6'2" 190lbs and have been a vegetarian since 1991, so I can assure you it's possible to be healthy and athletic without meat in your diet.

That said, the best sources of complete protein are meats, but if you're conscientious about what you eat you can get what need from vegetable sources. Combining beans and grains is probably the best way for a vegetarian to get complete protein. Supplementing with something like flax oil or flax seed is important for omega 3 + 6 fatty acids. There are vegetarian sources for other important vitamins and nutrients (iron, for example) but our bodies do not seem to absorb these as well as those that come from dairy and meat sources.

Vegetarianism makes a lot of sense to me, obviously. Veganism not so much, especially since most of the vegans I know have crap diets full of processed foods (mock meat, mock cheese, etc.).

 

[RyanDrake]

"Protein combining (also protein complementing) is a theory, now largely disputed, that vegetarians, particularly vegans, must eat certain complementary foods like beans and rice together in the same meal, so that plant foods with incomplete essential amino acid content combine to form a complete protein, meeting all amino acid requirements for human growth and maintenance.

The theory was initially promoted in Frances Moore Lapp

 

[Torka]

It's a shame that veganism and ovo-lacto-vegetarianism are lumped together in the public consciousness, because the latter is far more reasonable and sane from a nutrition standpoint. I love meat but I'm pretty sure I could become a dairy-and-eggs vegetarian if I had to without much trouble. It's worlds apart from veganism.

 

[Long Dark Blues]

I thought hemp was the only plant-sourced complete protein.

 

[bigkick]

You don't have to combine bean and grain in the same meal to get complete protein, it's true, but vegetarians need to eat both on a regular basis to get complete protein and other nutrients that meat eaters get in their diet.

A lot of this is common sense and listening to your body too. Try eating only beans or only grains or only vegetables (or only meat, for that matter) for an extended period of time and see how you feel. As any nutritionist will tell you, the key is a balanced diet full of fresh foods.

 

[Origins]

You don't have to combine bean and grain in the same meal to get complete protein, it's true, but vegetarians need to eat both on a regular basis to get complete protein and other nutrients that meat eaters get in their diet.

How do grains provide a complete protein?

Besides that, there is a Lyle McDonald article I read where he basically said that soy and animal-based proteins both had a sufficient amino acid profile to sustain life, but some people (especially supplement/muscle mag companies) claim that an athlete "needs" different amino acid requirements like more BCAA's to perform at their best.

Here it is: What Are Good Sources of Protein? - Amino Acid Profile Part 1 | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald

And as I show in Table 2 on Page 56 of The Protein Book (which I’m not going to reproduce here), basically all high quality proteins, and this even includes soy protein, can meet the basic amino acid needs of an adult human being. Human milk, cows milk, eggs, beef, whey and soy all contain amino acids far in excess of the requirements for 2-5 year old children; by extension this means that they can readily meet the requirements for adults.

It’s conceivable (and, of course, supplement companies pander to this idea) that athletes or individuals in hard training might have specific requirements for amino acids.

 

[dropshot001]

I thought hemp was the only plant-sourced complete protein.

pea (gemma) protein is pretty complete and during this whey shortage is a good quality, affordable alternative.