Amino Acids

The Mythology of Rice and Beans

Zachary Bartsch3 Comments

I’ve written about proteins twice before. Once concerning protein content generally and then another concerning amino acid content of animal proteins. The reason that I stuck to animal proteins initially was because I held a common and false belief: Singular vegetarian foods aren’t complete proteins. The meat-eaters gotchya claim is that meats contain complete proteins. After all, we’ve heard a million times that beans and grains are often eaten together because they form a complete protein. The native North Americans? Corn and beans. Subcontinent Indians? Rice and Lentils or chickpeas. Japan? Rice and soy. Choose your poor or vegetarian population in the world, and they combine beans and grains. We’ve always been told that it’s because the combination constitutes a ‘complete protein’.

But you know what else constitutes a complete protein? Any of those foods all by themselves. What the heck. I haven’t been lied to. But I’ve certainly been misled. Let me briefly tell you my research journey. My recommended daily intake (RDI) are from the World Health Organization and the amino acid data is from the US Department of Agriculture. Prices are harder to pin down in a representative way, but I cite those too.  

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The Price of a Complete [Animal] Protein

Zachary Bartsch2 Comments

I wrote about the protein content of different foods previously. I summarized how much beef versus pea and wheat flour one would need to eat in order to consumer the recommended daily intake (RDI) of ‘complete proteins’ – foods that contain all of the essential amino acids that compose protein. These amino acids are called ‘essential’ because, unlike the conditionally essential or non-essential amino acids, your body can’t produce them from other inputs. Here, I want to expand more on complete proteins when eating on a budget.

Step 1: What We Need

To start, there are nine essential amino acids with hard to remember names for non-specialists, so I’ll just use the abbreviations (H, I, L, K, M, F, T, W, V). The presence of all nine essential amino acids is what makes a protein complete. But, having some of each protein is not the same as having enough of each protein. Here, I’ll use the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for essential amino acid RDI for a 70kg person. See the table below.

Step 2: What We Need to Eat

What foods are considered ‘complete proteins’? There are many, but I will focus on a few animal sources: Eggs, Pork Chops, Ground Beef, Chicken, & Tuna. Non-animal proteins will have to wait for another time. Below are the essential amino acid content per 100 grams expressed as a percent of the RDI for each amino acid. What does that mean? That means, for example, that eating 100 grams of egg provides 85% of the RDI for M, but only 37% of the RDI for H.

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Protein, Protein Everywhere

Zachary Bartsch8 Comments

If you’ve ever been vegetarian or if you have ever spoken to a vegetarian about their diet, then you have probably heard or asked “How do you get enough protein?”.  While it’s important for health and economic achievement to get adequate protein, not too long after comes the questions about types and sources of protein. This question is relevant for vegetarians and vegans, but also people with meat allergies and people with religious dietary guidelines that prohibit meat always or seasonally. Let’s break it down.

Some omnivores are incredulous that vegetarianism can provide adequate protein or protein quality. But protein itself is relatively easy to get and any judgmental attitudes on both sides are mostly just vibes. Legumes and nuts tend to have a lot of protein. But relative to what?

The World Health Organization recommends that an 80-kilogram (176 lb) adult should get 66.4 grams of protein per day (0.83g per kg). That’s the protein content of about a 9oz of peanuts. Protein is super important and it’s luckily not that hard to get if you eat a variety of foods. Even if you’re trying to consume double the WHO recommended daily intake (RDI), it’s an easy feat.

Below is a table of some popular protein sources. The table includes the grams of protein per 100 grams of food, which makes the protein content a percent. The table also includes the number of grams needed in order to achieve the WHO protein RDI of 66.4 grams. The last column is for our American readers who need the serving to be in ounces.

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