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What You Need To Know About Plant Based Protein | Nutritionist Explains | Myprotein
Jan 30, 2025
Expert dietitian explains what plant based protein is and why it is important to know what else you need with it.
One of the biggest misconceptions about both vegetarian and vegan diets is that it’s difficult to get enough protein, especially for those who are active. If you chose to go veggie or vegan, you certainly don’t have to worry about getting enough protein, but it might just take some awareness and more thoughtful planning to help you reach your training and performance goals.
This video is for anyone who wants to know more about plant-based protein. Check out this video with Elle Kelly, a specialist sports dietitian.
Follow Elle on IG: ellekellynutrition
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Chapters:
00:00 - What is protein?
01:31 - Amino acids
02:59 - Muscle protein synthesis (MPS)
04:36 - Muscle growth
05:56 - Creatine
06:59 - Any more plant based questions?
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0:00
one of the biggest misconceptions about
0:02
both vegetarian and vegan diets is that
0:05
it's difficult to get enough protein
0:06
especially for those who are active
0:08
there are more nutrients than just
0:10
protein that should be considered in a
0:11
plant-based diet but today we're going
0:13
to go through what vegetarians and
0:15
vegans need to know about plant-based
0:17
protein
0:21
my name is Elle and I'm a specialist
0:23
Sports dietitian let's start with what
0:25
protein is and why does it matter where
0:27
it comes from protein is an essential
0:30
nutrient and unlike other macronutrients
0:32
we cannot store protein in the body like
0:34
we can store carbohydrates and fats
0:36
protein is not only important for the
0:38
maintenance and growth of muscle mass
0:40
and strength but also for our hair nail
0:43
and hormone production too
0:45
the body is in a constant state of
0:46
muscle protein breakdown and repair and
0:49
in order to maintain a balance between
0:50
protein synthesis and degradation it is
0:53
recommended that we eat protein at
0:55
regular intervals throughout the day the
0:57
recommended protein intake for adults is
0:59
0.75 grams of protein per kilogram of
1:02
body weight however exercise increases
1:06
the rate of muscle protein breakdown
1:07
which is why for those who are active
1:09
the requirement of protein increases to
1:12
between 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram body
1:15
weight per day depending on the type of
1:17
activity for example strength athletes
1:20
will likely need more protein than
1:22
endurance athletes so we know that
1:24
getting enough protein is important but
1:26
the quality is also important and not
1:29
all proteins are made the same protein
1:31
is made up of amino acids and different
1:33
proteins contain different combinations
1:35
of amino acids there are 20 amino acids
1:38
that are needed for bodily functions but
1:40
nine of these are considered essential
1:42
essential amino acids are the amino
1:44
acids that we cannot make within our
1:46
body and so we must obtain them from
1:48
food generally speaking the protein we
1:50
get from animal-based protein sources
1:52
like Meats fish eggs and dairy are
1:54
considered complete sources of protein
1:56
meaning that they contain all nine of
1:59
the essential amino acids that our body
2:01
needs whereas plant-based sources of
2:03
proteins such as beans and lentils are
2:06
typically missing and essential amino
2:07
acid or have lower levels of amino acids
2:10
however there are some exceptions soy
2:13
based protein sources like soy protein
2:15
isolate soy milk or yogurt and tofu or
2:18
tempeh contain all nine essential amino
2:20
acids now this doesn't mean that unless
2:23
you eat soy you will be able to obtain
2:25
all of the essential amino acids in your
2:27
diet because by combining different
2:29
sources of plant-based protein at a meal
2:32
you are likely to be able to compensate
2:34
for the missing amino acids through
2:36
other protein sources these are called
2:38
complementary proteins for example beans
2:41
are high in lysine but low in methionine
2:43
whereas bread is low in lysine and high
2:45
in methionine which makes beans on toast
2:47
a meal that can provide all essential
2:49
amino acids in comparison to eating
2:51
beans or bread without another plant
2:53
protein Source when it comes to muscle
2:56
repair and growth the importance of
2:57
amino acids are emphasized whilst we
3:00
know that 20 to 40 grams of protein is
3:02
required to maximally stimulate muscle
3:04
protein synthesis we also know that a
3:07
certain amount of leucine and essential
3:09
amino acid is required to stimulate this
3:11
process
3:12
leucine is typically obtained quite
3:14
easily through animal protein sources
3:16
but it can be trickier to obtain for
3:18
vegetarians or vegans for vegetarians
3:20
including yogurt milk and eggs can be a
3:23
great source of both protein and leucine
3:25
in adequate quantities but for vegans
3:27
the amount of leucine in plant proteins
3:30
is often low this means that a higher
3:32
quantity of that food or a combination
3:35
of different plant proteins might be
3:37
needed in order to obtain the required
3:39
amount of leucine
3:40
some studies highlight that the
3:42
ingestion of plant-based proteins such
3:44
as wheat or soy protein results in a
3:47
lower muscle protein synthetic response
3:49
in comparison to the ingestion of an
3:52
equivalent amount of animal derived
3:54
protein and not just because some are
3:56
lacking leucine this lower anabolic
3:59
effect of plant-based proteins is
4:01
thought to be attributable to the
4:02
bioavailability of these protein sources
4:05
bioavailability refers to the amount of
4:07
a nutrient that we can actually absorb
4:09
when it is digested quite often
4:12
plant-based proteins are harder to
4:13
digest because they contain fiber but
4:16
also because they may contain phytates
4:17
which can decrease the absorbability of
4:19
amino acids calcium and iron the
4:22
American College of sports medicine
4:23
advises that vegetarian athletes need to
4:25
eat around 10 more protein than if they
4:27
were not vegan and this is to
4:29
accommodate for the lower levels of
4:30
essential amino acids in plant foods but
4:32
also due to the bioavailability of amino
4:34
acids in plant Foods what is interesting
4:37
to note is that it is thought that
4:39
insufficient calorie intake is more of a
4:41
limiting factor for muscle growth and
4:43
repair in vegetarians than a lack of
4:46
protein because vegetarian and vegan
4:48
diets can include a lot of high fiber
4:50
foods such as vegetables whole grains
4:52
beans and pulses and also mean that you
4:55
have to eat more of certain foods in
4:56
order to attain sufficient amounts of
4:58
protein it can limit the ability to eat
5:00
enough calories overall the reality is
5:03
that without eating enough overall
5:05
energy the capacity for maintaining and
5:07
building muscle is limited and protein
5:09
is not the only nutrient that is
5:10
important for building muscle in the
5:12
absence of sufficient carbohydrates
5:14
protein is used to fulfill the functions
5:16
of carbs which is to provide energy as
5:18
opposed to being used from muscle repair
5:20
and growth so whilst protein is
5:22
important overall energy and
5:24
carbohydrate intake are important to
5:26
ensure that protein can be used for what
5:27
it is designed to do for vegetarians and
5:30
vegans more compact sources of
5:32
carbohydrates and protein may help to
5:34
meet overall energy protein and
5:36
carbohydrate intake whilst fiber is
5:38
important for a healthy digestive system
5:40
and for lowering cholesterol and
5:42
reducing the risk of their health
5:43
conditions like type 2 diabetes it can
5:46
be filling and also inhibit the
5:47
absorption of certain nutrients
5:49
including more Compact and less fibrous
5:52
carbs can help to reach carbohydrate and
5:54
calorie requirements a little bit easier
5:56
something that is also worth considering
5:58
is taking creatine supplements creatine
6:01
has a similar structure to an amino acid
6:03
but it is a compound produced by the
6:05
body naturally creatine monohydrate is
6:08
one of the most popular supplements
6:09
taken by both recreational and Elite
6:11
athletes but it is also found naturally
6:13
in most meat products as the main source
6:16
of dietary creatine is meat fish and
6:18
poultry vegetarians will typically have
6:20
a lower muscle concentration of creatine
6:23
than non-vegetarians due to this
6:25
naturally low Baseline level of creatine
6:27
in vegetarians and vegans it is thought
6:29
that they may respond better to creatine
6:31
supplementation and exercise performance
6:33
would be enhanced to a greater extent in
6:35
vegetarians and vegans than meat eaters
6:37
however studies are mixed as to whether
6:39
creatine supplements have a greater
6:41
effect in vegetarians and vegans
6:43
regardless creatine supplements have a
6:45
place in the diet for vegetarians and
6:47
especially for vegans if you choose to
6:49
go veggie or vegan you certainly don't
6:51
have to worry about getting enough
6:52
protein but it might just take some
6:54
awareness and more thoughtful planning
6:56
to help you reach your training and
6:57
performance goals I my protein has a
7:00
range of vegetarian and vegan friendly
7:02
supplements to support your diet and
7:03
lifestyle and I hope this video cleared
7:05
up some of the misinformation around
7:07
plant-based protein as always if you
7:10
have any questions please drop them in
7:11
the comments below and be sure to like
7:13
this video And subscribe to my protein
7:15
YouTube channel for more great
7:16
evidence-based nutrition information
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