this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024
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Great post!
I wanted to add that this isn't quite how proteins work. Those protein-rich legumes aren't what you would call 'complete proteins.' There's a number of amino acids our bodies use as proteins and while legumes are a good source of many of them, there's a couple proteins you won't get enough of from just the beans. Fortunately, brown rice- while not as rich in protein- gives you the proteins that the beans are lacking. That's why beans and rice are a match made in heaven.
Herbivorous animals are just better at metabolising proteins from plants and of course they're capable of eating much more than us. That's why they're able to live off of grass.
This just stuff I read up on a few years ago so if I've gotten something wrong please say so
It's extremely unlikely that anyone with an even vaguely normal diet isn't getting all the essential amino acids as those complementary to legumes are found not just in rice but in all grains and seeds. So it's not just rice, any kind of bread, pasta, oats, barley/spelt/etc. or nuts will do. And soy is pretty much a complete protein.
Yours and other comments have been insightful and have made me reconsider some assumptions I did not realize I had made, so thank you.
I'll concede that a sedentary person of normal weight doesn't need to worry much about getting all their essential amino acids. If I was interested in gaining muscle on a plant-based diet, would you say that I would still be wasting energy by stressing about eating all the proteins? Wouldn't that make my only issue getting the right amount of calories?
I'll look for some literature when I have the time but if you have any off-hand knowledge you could share then I would appreciate it.
It's very much possible. Look up Noah Hannibal, Nimai Delgado, John Thomas, Brian Turner, Lifting Vegan Logic, Lakshay Naidu, Patrik Baboumian.
They all eat Tofu and other soy products like edamame regularily, often for decades and can't exactly be called feminized.
So tofu is really your friend. Many benifits like high calcium content, isoflavones preventing specific cancers and the most complete protein in the plant world, IIRC. Quinoa and hempseeds have a pretty good amino acid profile too but are more cumbersome to consume than tofu. It tastes bland on itself but it can transform into many delicious dishes if prepared right.
If you want to learn more about the body building aspects you find a ton of information on the respectice YT channels of above mentioned body builders.
I'd refer to these channels if you want to learn how to cook good whole food plant based dishes:
https://www.youtube.com/@thenarddogcooks https://youtube.com/@pickuplimes https://youtube.com/@healthyveganeating https://www.youtube.com/@RainbowPlantLife https://www.youtube.com/@YEUNGMANCOOKING https://youtube.com/@cheaplazyvegan
I mean, I think it's fine to make sure your diet contains all these things. If you're eating vegan (even if you're not) yeah, do eat beans/lentils/soy etc., for sure. But I think stressing is overkill. If you just eat a good variety of foods you're likely to get what you need.