Americans are oddly obsessed with protein.
They eat twice as much of it as the USDA recommends, and
60 percent of US adults are trying to get even more of it into their diets.
And this obsession could be
making us sick: Excessive protein consumption is correlated with
increased risk of cancer and heart disease.
This doesn’t just affect those following keto, paleo, or low-carb diets (which, combined, was
1 in 7 Americans in 2019); it’s a problem for most Americans, and
especially men. (One
small, informal study in the UK even found that some men who want to reduce their meat consumption are embarrassed to order vegetarian meals among male friends.)
Globally, most people exceed protein consumption recommendations, but Americans (and Canadians) take it to another level. Despite eating more protein than any other region, Americans and Canadians eat the least amount of plant-based protein.
This explains why one of the first questions people ask when they learn someone is vegetarian, or just reducing their meat intake, is: “Where do you get your protein?”
If you’re new to all of this, you might be asking it yourself. But there are many
plant-based foods high in protein, like beans, tofu, tempeh, peanut butter, plant-based meat products, nuts, and soy milk. (There’s also protein in most vegetables and grains, though less than in the previously mentioned foods.)
Unless you’re an Olympic weightlifter, you don’t really need to worry about whether you’re getting enough protein. “On a vegetarian or vegan diet, you can get enough protein if you eat an adequate number of calories from a variety of whole foods,”
according to Nancy Geib, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Diabetes and Nutrition. And even if you are an Olympic weightlifter, it’s
possible to compete at that level as a vegetarian or vegan (and
other Olympic sports, too).
But one nutrient the average American isn’t eating nearly enough of is fiber, and eating more plant-based foods is a surefire way to do that.
THE FIBER GAP
A recent study found only
7 percent of Americans get enough fiber, a problem nutritionists call “the fiber gap.” Fiber is a
superfood because it’s “amazingly helpful in many ways: It slows the absorption of glucose — which evens out our blood sugar levels — and also lowers cholesterol and inflammation,” says Vox senior health correspondent Julia Belluz.
A fiber-heavy diet is associated with reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, hypertension, certain cancers, and more. It’ll also improve your gut health and help keep you more regular, if that’s important to you.
Luckily,
the most fiber-rich foods happen to be plant-based: beans, avocados, berries, whole grains, broccoli, potatoes, nuts, and dried fruit.
Aside from getting more fiber, reducing your meat intake may have
other positive health benefits, too.
There are many health benefits to be reaped from a fully vegan diet as well — according to the
American Dietetic Association, well-planned vegan diets are healthful and nutritionally adequate, and can contribute to the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. But let’s be clear: It’s not going to cure cancer, give you perfectly glowing skin, or make you feel amazing all the time, as some of the more fringe corners of the vegan internet might suggest.
Health and nutrition is a sensitive issue, as there’s loads of pseudoscience out there. I try to be clear-eyed about it and remind people that you can be an unhealthy vegan or a healthy omnivore, or anywhere in between.
According to a Faunalytics
report published in 2015, 26 percent of vegetarians and vegans quit their diet because they felt it wasn’t good for their health. That said, the main problems described — like not getting enough protein or iron — easily could have been addressed with some basic nutrition guidance. Let’s tackle those concerns.
B12, IRON, AND MORE
The most important nutrient for vegans to pay attention to is
vitamin B12, as it’s almost exclusively found in animal foods.
Vitamin B12 is
critical to central nervous system development and function, healthy red blood cell formation, and DNA synthesis, and ignoring it can cause
short- and long-term health issues for vegetarians and vegans, though healthy meat reducers need not worry about it.
But it’s easy and cheap to get adequate B12 (the
recommended daily amount for adults is 2.4 micrograms).
Take vitamin B12 in whatever form you’d like — pills, lozenges, or oral sprays, all of which can be purchased at your local pharmacy or grocery — and when possible, eat B12-fortified foods (e.g., most breakfast cereals,
nutritional yeast, and plant-based milks).
Another critical nutrient is iron. As with protein, some think it’s hard to get enough iron on a less- or no-meat diet, since meat and other animal products are high in iron.
However, many plant-based foods are high in iron, too. For example, half a cup of cooked lentils has almost
twice as much iron as four ounces of beef, and vegans and vegetarians usually consume more iron than omnivores,
according to registered dietitian Ginny Messina. The catch is that iron from plant-based foods — called non-heme iron — doesn’t absorb as well in the body as iron from animal sources. Because of this, vegetarians should eat
almost twice as much iron as the recommended daily amount, which ranges from 8 mg to 27 mg, depending on age, sex, and whether you’re pregnant or lactating.
Like eating enough protein, that’s manageable because iron is found in a lot of commonly eaten foods:
beans, soy products, nuts, seeds, squashes, dark leafy greens, oats, dried fruit, and quinoa. I recommend Messina’s
“vegan nutrition primers” for more practical, evidence-based nutrition guidance.
TODAY'S CHALLENGE: UP YOUR FIBER
Now that you’re aware of the fiber gap, try to close it by eating a few fiber-rich foods this week — and be sure to forward this email to anyone who asks how you’ll get enough protein on a less-meat diet.
—Kenny Torrella
Resources
Vegan nutrition primers (The Vegan RD)
Nearly all Americans fail to eat enough of this actual superfood (Vox)
Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian diets (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
How much protein do we need? (New York Times)
www.vox.com
