Is there any disadvantage in getting protein just from whole foods?

[all4hisglory]

I used to drink protein powders (Huel specifically) way way before getting into working out. I did it mainly because it saves so much time, it especially saves me sleep in the morning. However, I’ve overdone it the past two weeks and I’m sick of it. I don’t want to see another protein shake in at least 2 weeks.

So yesterday I basically only ate whole foods and tracked that into cronometer. I was surprised. It was like 1.57 g/kg of bodyweight and I feel like I could’ve easily gotten much higher had I just made seitan (which I’ve dabbled with in the past. I’m not the best at it but I’m sure that I could improve). Granted I spent a lot of time at home and munched quite a lot but still. Since Huel was always a convenience thing for me as opposed to a fitness thing it got me wondering if I could just eat real foods and see the same results. I vaguely read some stuff about most plant proteins not absorbing as well with isolates like pea isolate, soy isolate, etc basically being the exception. What’s the truth on the matter? I’m also concerned about having to eat just a ton of seitan and soy. I like those foods but basically all soy products save for soy milk are more expensive than other legumes and idk, I just want more variety and don’t fancy pressing tofu for 3 meals a day (I do use silken occasionally but it is pricier, ditto for tempeh).

 

[jjgodman]

@all4hisglory Since you’re aiming for 85-95g of protein, it’s doable.

There are lots and lots of different ways to make bean salads - many of which have a decent amount of protein (like this, which has 25g of protein per 320cal).

Over the long haul, though, having to have such a large percentage of your diet be just legumes might start to feel like a grind, too - so I’d recommend including both a) a lot more whole food sources of protein and b) still adding in some shakes/soy products, as well.

 

[all4hisglory]

@jjgodman Fair. I do eat a decent amount of soy products and not just legumes, has space for some grains and some other stuff. Would protein quality be an issue? (idk very much about this but I heard that pea and soy is particularly good. it used to be more than 50% of my protein intake so I’m thinking of how replacing it with soy, legumes, nuts, seitan and the like will influence things).

 

[jjgodman]

@all4hisglory Protein quality is a factor when it comes to protein powders - but less so otherwise.

When it comes to WHOLE foods, considering protein QUALITY in isolation of protein DENSITY usually causes more problems than it solves. For instance, combining rice and beans to try to obtain “complete” protein primarily just dilutes it: because rice has so much less protein in it (per gram) than legumes, the practical result of this tactic is obtaining LESS methionine (the limiting amino acid in legumes) than if one had just eaten legumes by themselves.

I find it simpler to just look at total grams of protein and try to overshoot my target.

 

[jacobleea]

@all4hisglory As someone else said, it depends on your total protein and caloric goal, and if you're trying to hit specific macros. I try to get 200+g protein and staying around 2300 kcal. There's now way I could acheive that through whole foods alone bc of all the extra macro nutrition whole foods bring - there's not a SUPER lean source of whole foods plant protein. It's all processed , even if slightly. I wouldn't necessarily call seitan a "whole food" either, bc it's absolutely processed. I eat 4 meals a day with 30+g protein. Two meals are seitan. Other two are soy - tofu or tempeh.

How many shakes a day were you drinking that made you sick of it? I drink two shakes a day, but also see if as a means to an end, rather than an enjoyable food experience. If I really want to enjoy the shakes, I'll add agave syrup and extra cocoa powder.

I use Plant Fusion Complete Protein chocolate.

 

[all4hisglory]

@jacobleea I mean I’m not too fussy but roughly I want 85-95g of protein within 1600-2000kcal (ik that this is a very big range, ideally 1800kcal but realistically I have many days where I eat a little less or a little more). I weigh 54 kg. I’m not too concerned about the “whole foods” thing per se, I just kinda miss having more real food according to my subjective definition, purely due to taste (and in my book seitan is real food). I used to have a shake a day and that was fine but I’ve had so many days with 3 or 4 shakes now that I think I need a break, at least for a few weeks. I also saw it as a vehicle for convenience (I get to sleep more by like an hour. I’m a slow eater so a quick shake saved a ton of time) but also got a decent amount of taste pleasure out of it.

Yesterday I got like 85g within 1900 kcal. So I guess it would be doable physically. I’m just concerned about whether the protein is of such significantly worse quality that it doesn’t absorb and concerned that my meal planning will become time consuming and meticulate (I used to not think about it at all, huel and two cups of soy milk gave me 55g in like 500kcal so the rest of the day was a total breeze).

 

[marysnare]

@all4hisglory thats only 30g per meal. eat a pb sandwich with soy milk, eat half a block of tofu with toast or rice, and eat a can of beans/lentils with rice.

 

[all4hisglory]

@marysnare Yeah getting that amount in itself isn’t that hard. I’m more wondering about bioavailability.

 

[marysnare]

@all4hisglory bioavailability is a bro science buzz word mostly. just eat a variety of foods and limiting amino acids will not be an issue don't think too much ab it. the limiting amino acid in most grains is lysine, the limiting amino acid in legumes is methionine. the methionine content is only around 10% higher in soy than it is in other legumes, thats why its considered "complete", because if you only ate soy you could theoretically reach the rda of protein. likewise the lysine content of quinoa is a bit higher than other grains and is why it's also considered "complete".

 

[all4hisglory]

@marysnare So is the amino acid thing literally the only reason why they are considered lower quality?

 

[marysnare]

@all4hisglory yes, it just means if you ate 2 tbsp of peanut butter you'll only get around ~3g of protein usable for muscle synthesis if that is all that you ate in a day. but if you eat other foods throughout the day you'll fill in that gap and utilize the full 8g.

 

[coreyd]

@all4hisglory Look up the PDCAAS chart for more about the digestability of different proteins. If you aren't actively trying to build muscle, it's not a big deal. Otherwise, it's probably best to continue supplementing.

 

[gianghomobile]

@coreyd Saw a downvote which is dumb. The reality is that there are significantly more reliable proteins than others. Peanuts/peanut butter and seitan both have super low scores. Best bets for absorption are legumes/pea protein and tofu.

 

[thechristenedviking]

@all4hisglory Getting your calories from whole foods will ALWAYS beat getting them from processed foods. I’ll probably get downvoted for this but protein powder is just empty calories. Whole plant foods are typically loaded with nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and phytochemicals, whereas protein powder is just protein with nothing else that your body needs.

1.5g/kg should be plenty of protein to gain muscle. Try it out and if your progress stalls maybe add more back in but more likely your progress will be even better with Whole Foods because they’re more nutritious

Edit: I’m not trying to knock protein powder, I use it on occasion but I’ve been getting away from it more and more in favor of real food

 

[jesuspleasesaveme]

@thechristenedviking Protein powder, per definition, have proteins. Therefore, it cannot be empty calories. They are usually ultra-processed food, but not empty calories. Empty calories refer to things like Coca Cola.

 

[thechristenedviking]

@jesuspleasesaveme That’s like saying Coca Cola has carbohydrates, therefore it’s not empty calories or that oil has fat, therefore it’s not empty calories. Your body needs protein, carbs, and fat but any of them alone in the absence of micronutrients is what most people would define as empty calories. Calories with no micronutrients.

 

[jesuspleasesaveme]

@thechristenedviking Not really. Empty calories refer to solid fats, alcohol and sugar, not to proteins, fiber or micronutrients. Protein is a nutrient that is not usually used for energy, unlike sugar and fat. That’s why protein powder has comparatively not that many calories.

 

[rustyw]

@all4hisglory How much protein per day do you need?

Missing from your list was peanut butter. There are also peanut butter powders. I buy the peanut butter that is just peanuts. Many have canola oil in them so read the label.

The biggest suprising to me fairly high protein food is pumpkin seeds.

Oatmeal is about 20grams of protein per cub. Add the peanut butter powder and you are more than half way to the 50grams of protein needed per day for the average person.

I travel lots and those are my security foods for when I'm in the middle of nowhere surrounded by fast food.

 

[lastattempt]

@rustyw With you on natural peanut butter and pumpkin seeds! Plus I think most of my meals include lentils!