Question
Afke Teunen
How do I make sure I get all the amino acids I need on a Whole Foods Plant-Based diet?
Answer
You're talking about those complete proteins, right? With the essential amino acids in them. How do I, I make sure I get those amino acids. And you also ask about do you need to measure and calculate the protein intake one on a vegan diet? So you do not need to, as long as you're eating enough calories to support your age, gender weight, you will be getting enough protein in your diet. You don't have to be counting protein grams. Um, you don't need an app to help you do that. And what was considered a myth that I talked about in the very beginning where there are, there are these complimentary proteins. So for instance, um, grains and legumes, one's missing methionine or is low in methionine, which is one of amino acid and the other is missing lysine. What we used to think folks like 30 years ago, long time ago was that you had to eat the complimentary proteins together in one meal that has been debunked for over 30 years, but people still think it's a thing. So think of your body is having a pool of amino acids that are just floating around in it, waiting for your body to give a signal, ooh, make this hormone or help build this muscle or create this neurotransmitter, whatever it is, you have all your amino acids, the 20 amino acids floating around in there and your body will choose from that pool every day. But that pool is very robust. It's not like, um, it runs out quickly. So you don't have to eat a complimentary protein at the same meal. You could eat it a day later or two days later, right? So just making sure that you get a compliment of types of protein like your grains and your legumes and your vegetables. You'll make sure that you have enough of these complimentary, um, amino acids. They don't have to be eaten at the same time, you don't have to worry about it. Um, we have athletes that are vegan and, um, putting on a lot of muscle mass. And so you don't need to worry to worry about that unless of course you wanna be a competitive athlete and then you work with a dietician.
