‘How do you get enough protein?’
‘But vegan food is so expensive…’
‘Something something amino acids…’
There’s lots of reasons why someone might be a bit intimidated to try a vegan diet.As children, we’re told that milk gives you strong bones. As teenagers, we’re told that lean meats like chicken are vital for building a strong body. As adults, we get stuck in our ways and do what we’ve always done.
Myth #1 - A vegan diet doesn't provide enough protein
As we all know, Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle, and is important for healthy hair, nails, and collagen. The average person needs around 0.8 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight. But we can get enough protein in our diet from plant based sources. For example oats are an excellent source of protein packing 10g per 100g. Other foods such as pulses, tofu, seeds and quinoa can also provide you with protein gains.
Myth #2 - Plant protein is inferior to animal protein
The idea that you need to go out of your way to combine amino acids on a vegan diet is a myth, and has been dispelled by the nutrition community years ago.While some plants are admittedly low in certain amino acids, there is no need to eat complementary proteins together in every meal
The human body is extremely intelligent, and it maintains pools of free amino acids, meaning that our body will complement the food that we eat. It then effectively recycles protein; around 90 grams of protein are thrown back into our digestive tract every single day, in order to be broken down and reassembled.
This means that our body can easily mix and match amino acids to whatever proportions we need. The only reasons that animal products have 'complete' amino acid profiles, is because their body has already done this for them - but there's no need! Skip out the middleman and simply eat the plants.
Myth #5 - Vegans are weak and lacking in energy
The idea that vegans are scrawny and stick-thin is fading rapidly, in no small part due to the large amount of athletes who eat a vegan diet for performance.
Just to name a few, look at...
Lewis Hamilton, the most successful Formula 1 drivers in history
Serena Williams, who has won 23 grand slam tennis single titles
Morgan Mitchell, Australian Olympic 400m and 800m sprinter
Kendrick Farris, double American Olympic record holder in weightlifting.