It is no secret that a vegan diet usually cannot provide a person with protein in full. In addition, the protein in vegetables is of lower quality in terms of nutritional value. Even the various soy-based meat substitutes that exist today cannot compare with real meat. For example, soy tofu cheese contains only 8 grams of protein per 100 grams of product, while chicken breast contains 31 grams of protein per 100 grams of product. But have you ever wondered why meat has more protein than vegetables?
Meat has much more protein than vegetables. Photo source: liter.kz
Contents
- 1 How plant cells differ from animal cells
- 2 Why is the protein in vegetables and meat of different quality
- 3 Why people should not give up eating meat
- 4 What products can replace meat
How do plant cells differ from animal cells
As you might guess, meat contains more protein than vegetables due to differences at the cellular level. But what is the reason for this? The thing is that animal and plant cells have different tasks. Animals need to maintain active functions – muscle contraction, metabolism, cell regeneration, etc. All this activity is provided by proteins.
For example, enzymes and hormones are specialized proteins. Actin and myosin, which form muscle fibers that enable active muscle movement, are also proteins. Plant cells have very different tasks, so they rely more on carbohydrates than on proteins to structure and store energy. Hence the difference in protein content.
Plant and animal cells perform different tasks, so they have different compositions. Photo source: livescience.com
Of course, carbohydrates are also an important source of energy, not only for plants, but also for animals. However, carbohydrates cannot replace proteins due to their simpler molecular structure.
Why the protein in vegetables and meat is of different quality
As mentioned above, the protein found in vegetables and other plant products is of lower quality. That is, even if a plant product contains a lot of protein, such as legumes, this does not mean that it can completely replace meat. This is why, according to scientists, people should not give up eating meat.
Meat, unlike vegetables, contains all the amino acids necessary for the body. Photo source: metro-cc.ru
But what is this connected with, because, it would seem, in both cases a person consumes protein? It's all about the molecular structure. As scientists explain, proteins can be imagined as beads, which consist of beads (amino acids). The human body collects “beads”, which consist of a variety of amino acid “beads”. This is necessary so that different proteins perform different functions.
There are 20 different types of amino acids, each of which plays a unique role in cellular processes. For example, amino acids are responsible for tissue repair, nutrient transport, brain function, etc. Simply put, the human body needs different proteins to function properly. However, the body itself does not produce nine types of important amino acids. Therefore, they must be obtained from food.
Why People Should Not Give Up Eating Meat
A vegan diet, even the most varied and carefully planned, does not allow you to completely replace meat. The fact is that proteins found in animal foods have all nine types of essential amino acids. That is why they are called “complete” proteins.
Proteins in vegetables are less digestible. Photo source: yamdiet.com
Plant proteins lack one or more essential amino acids. Therefore, plant foods are incomplete sources of protein. But this is not the only reason why people need to eat meat. The fact is that the protein found in vegetables and meat is absorbed differently.
Animal proteins are the most bioavailable, meaning that it is easier for the body to break them down and absorb all the necessary amino acids. Plant proteins contain more indigestible materials, such as fiber. Therefore, the body needs to work harder to process such protein.
People who have given up meat need to diversify their diet as much as possible. Photo source: ru.theskinnyfoodco.com
What products can replace meat?
So, as we have found out, it is almost impossible to completely replace meat. But what should people do who, for one reason or another, do not eat it? According to experts, it is necessary to combine different types of plant protein. That is, you need to eat different products that contain a lot of plant protein.
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For example, soy is one of the richest protein products. However, you cannot eat soy products alone. They need to be combined with nuts, legumes, and whole grains. This will allow you to “gain” the necessary amino acids from different sources. However, in order for all the proteins in the body to function properly, it is necessary to receive a sufficient amount of other elements – fats, carbohydrates, etc. That is why a vegan diet, that is, based only on plant foods, is not the best idea for health.