A question was posed recently from a reader that addressed concerns about not getting enough protein and calcium as well potential other macro nutrients.
Emalaie writes:
I’ve been cutting out dairy and meat altogether at home, and almost completely at restaurants and guest’s homes. I was looking at the almond milk I put in my husband’s smoothie this morning and noticed there was no calcium in it, and that got me thinking about a lot of things. How can I be sure I’m getting enough protein (we do eat a lot of legumes), calcium, iron and other important nutrients that we often get from dairy and meat? I’m afraid I’m not getting enough calcium now that I don’t have milk or cheese or yogurt, although I do eat this delicious coconut milk yogurt. Anyway, just was wondering if there is a post that addresses this issue, or if you could give me a super quick run down of how you ensure you and your family are getting all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need. Thanks so much!
Hers is an excellent question, one that is common and probably the most frequently asked question I get. Here’s my response:
In short, it is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to be deficient in protein if you are 1) eating a variety (ie. more than 2 or 3 foods in a day) of whole, unrefined plant foods 2) Eating sufficient calories (most people need AT LEAST 1200 calories a day, and your caloric needs are based on your gender, age, muscle mass, activity level, whether or not your pregnant/lactating, ect.). I’m not for calorie counting or even portion control for a number of reasons. First, it becomes unnecessary once you completely switch over to a whole foods diet. Whole plant foods, are, with very few exceptions (nuts, seeds, avacados, olives, coconut), calorie dilute and nutrient dense. They contain the proper amount of fiber, and the ratios of macro and micro nutrients are balanced, so that your body can digest, absorb, and assimilate those nutrients with maximum effectiveness, while storing or discarding/eliminating the unneeded nutrients. Because of this, your body will let you know when you are hungry and when you are full (whereas, with refined, calorie-dense foods, your body is “tricked” and you could consume literally limitless amounts of potato chips and soda pop without being full). Where calorie counting and portion control may be necessary is if you are eating the SAD (standard American diet), it is not necessary if you are eating a whole foods plant-based diet. If you are eating the typical American fare, then yes, I would suggest being very careful and watching every calorie you put into your mouth, as it is nearly effort less to gain weight eating the SAD if you’re not paying attention.
However, I am not, nor will I ever recommend that anyone eat the SAD, particularly if you care at all about achieving superior health. Further, I’ve said before, the calories listed on labels are often 10 and as much as 20% higher than listed (as allowed by the FDA), so you could run into some problems there. Also, your calorie needs vary day to day, just as your activities vary from day to day. When I’ve tracked my food intake on the CRON-o-meter, my caloric intake ranges from 1600-3000 calories a day, and this is based on nothing more than eating whole foods and listening to my body. You can plug in some numbers to determine how many calories you MIGHT need in a day, but this is just a very loose approximation, and really it’s anyone’s best guess.
A whole foods vegan diet is one of the easiest ways to meet all of your nutrient needs. You do not need to eat soy foods, consume beans with every meal, or even drink plant milk (fortified or not) to meet your nutrient needs.
Dr. McDougall and others have preached this for years. Just to be sure, I’ve tracked EVERY morsel I put into my mouth for extended periods of time using the CRON and I always averaged 12-16% calories from protein (sometimes consuming as much as 110 grams of protien a day, and not from soy either), 7-10% fat, and 75-80% from carbohydrate a day. I have ALWAYS met every single nutrient need, aside from B-12 (I take a sub lingual 500 mcg b-12 every few days, when I’m nursing/pregnant, every day). During these times I ate no soy foods (aside from a daily scoop of JuicePlus complete in my smoothie, which does contain some soy), no nuts, no plant milk.
To give you an example of how EASY it is to meet your needs here’s what I have eaten so far today:
Green smoothie (spinach, orange, mixed frozen berries, brewer’s yeast)
Moroccan stir-fry (bok choy, spinach, onions, red pepper, garbanzo beans, millet, spices)
Both soy free and gluten-free foods.
Here’s the nutrition summary from CRON. Notice how I have consumed plenty of protein, have already met or exceeded many my nutrient needs for the day, and have already consumed 78% of my DV for calcium without any milk whatsoever! I still have much more food to eat, including a breakfast smoothie (which will be my afternoon shake today!), thus ensuring that I will more than meet, even exceed my nutrient needs.
Yes, I eat quite a bit of greens, and a lot of people aren’t too keen and those. Even without eating a large amount of greens, you can certainly meet your DV for calcium as well as others (although I do recommend eating as much greens as you can realistically handle!). I recommend (taking from Dr. McDougall, Dr. Popper, and others) basing your meals around starches, with the addition of fruits and veggies. Here’s a good rule of thumb: 1/3 green/yellow veggies to 2/3 starch if weight is not an issue. 1/2 green/yellow veggies to 1/2 starch if you want to lose weight. 2/3 green/yellow veggies to 1/3 starch for those needing to lose a lot of weight quickly. Starches, contrary to popular belief are not straight carbohydrate. They range from 7-25% calories from protein (legumes are obviously around 25%), so even if you ate nothing but starch, assuming you’re meeting your calorie needs, you would not be protein deficient.
Nutrition Summary for February 8, 2010
Oranges, raw, navels 1 fruit (2-7/8″ dia) 68.6
Brewer’s Yeast Lewis Labs 0.33 tbsp 19.1
Mixed Berries 0.75 1 cup 52.5
Spinach, raw 6 cup 41.4
Bok Choy, 0.5 head 54.6
Onions, raw 0.75 cup, chopped 48.0
Peppers, sweet, red, raw 1 medium (approx 2-3/4″ long, 2-1/2 dia.) 36.9
Millet, cooked 0.5 cup 103.5
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, canned 0.25 cup 71.4
Energy 496.1 kcal
Protein 23.9 g
Carbs
100.7 g
Fiber
22.8 g
Fat
3.8 g
Vitamins (68%)
Vitamin A
39733.5 IU
1703%
Folate
818.2
µg
205%
B1 (Thiamine)
0.8
mg
76%
B2 (Riboflavin)
1.2
mg
108%
B3 (Niacin)
8.2
mg
59%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
1.8
mg
36%
B6 (Pyridoxine)
2.3
mg
175%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
0.0
µg
2%
Vitamin C
494.4
mg
659%
Vitamin D
0.0
IU
0%
Vitamin E
6.2
mg
41%
Vitamin K
1066.9
µg
1185%
Minerals (69%)
Calcium
782.1
mg
78%
Copper
0.9
mg
95%
Iron
11.4
mg
63%
Magnesium
324.6
mg
105%
Manganese
3.2
mg
178%
Phosphorus
482.5
mg
69%
Potassium
2983.1
mg
63%
Selenium
17.5
µg
32%
Sodium
617.7
mg
41%
Zinc
4.0
mg
51%
Lipids (16%)
Saturated
0.6
g
3%
Omega-3
0.6
g
51%
Omega-6
1.0
g
24%
Cholesterol
0.0
mg
0%
So Emalalie, do not fear! You can and will get everything you need and more if you consume your plant foods unrefined, and as whole as possible, get some variety, and make sure you’re not going hungry (ensuring adequate calories). It really is much easier than we’ve made it out to be!
I also recommend you check out one of the many recommended books in my Amazon store, check out sites like PCRM or Dr. McDougall (see side bar under resources for links).
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