Proteins and PLANT POWER FOOD
When shifting over to a plant-based diet, some people might be afraid of not getting enough protein. Don’t worry because it’s easier than you think. Here you will be able to read a bit about what proteins are, what proteins PLANT POWER FOOD’s current menu contains, and what foods you can include in your diet to make it more well-rounded.
Protein is one of three macronutrients. Proteins are large molecules consisting of different combinations of 20 amino acids. 9 of these amino acids are essential, which means our bodies are not able to form these by themselves. Therefore, we need to get them from elsewhere, our diet.
Let’s look at PLANT POWER FOOD’s course menu and how they do in comparison to WHO recommendations for complete protein intake for adults. PLANT POWER FOOD’s concept is to use minimally refined plants. This means no mock meats, no isolated protein powders, or other easy shortcuts to bring up the portion levels.
As shown in the table below the menu at PLANT POWER FOOD achieve to get all the 9 essential amino acids. Also, they fulfill all the recommendations to form a balanced amino acid profile. Leucine and Lysine are a bit lower but are very close to meet WHO’s recommendations (source). That said, one does not have to fulfill the recommendations of every nutrient every single day. Some days will be richer in some nutrients than others, but over the course of the week, you should be able to meet the recommendations with a well-balanced diet.
| Essential amino acids | WHO’s daily recommendation [mg/kg BW] | PPF menu content, recalculated to diet of 10MJ [mg] (person weighing 80 kg, [mg/kg BW]) |
|---|---|---|
| I Isoleucine | 20 | 1830 (22,9) |
| L Leucine | 39 | 2985 (37,3) |
| K Lysine | 30 | 2363 (29,5) |
| M Methionine + C Cysteine | 10,4 + 4,1 (total 15) | 768 + 645 (9,6 + 8) |
| F Phenylalanine + Y Tyrosine | 25 (total) | 2141,5 + 1215 (26 + 15) |
| T Threonine | 15 | 1687 (21,1) |
| W Tryptophan | 4 | 629 (7,9) |
| V Valine | 26 | 2529 (31,6) |
One thing to note when looking at nutritional recommendations is that the value is often higher than what the average person needs. This is due to people being different in anatomy and therefore require different amounts of nutrients. To ensure that people following the recommendations are well covered the provider sets it above average.
The menu is well-rounded and contains healthy protein contributors like cashew nuts, barley, and even potatoes. The reason why it is possible to get enough protein without focusing on protein is that all plants have protein and all amino acids come from plants.
If you are looking to add some healthy protein food to your diet, you can follow one of the new Danish nutritional advice to eat more legumes. Also nuts and seeds like almonds and sunflower seeds are good sources. Eating bread and other foods containing flour are good sources of protein as well.
In the table, you can see a list of the essential amino acids for adults, what the WHO recommends consuming of each amino acid and what your diet would contain if you were to consume PLANT POWER FOOD’s menu as a full day daily diet.
Simon Andersen
Sundhed & Ernæring