It’s one reason the newly updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans calls for an overall increase in consumption of plant-based protein.
Here are some of the unique advantages of eating more plant foods—plus practical tips on how you can go about doing so.
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What is plant-based protein?
Getting more plant proteins in your diet may be easier than you think as plant-based sources of protein are abundant—and a handful of them are even “complete” sources that contain all nine amino acids the body needs.
“These sources include pistachios, hemp seeds, quinoa, and soy foods such as tofu, soy milk, edamame, and fermented soybeans (tempeh),” says Jill Weisenberger, a Virginia-based registered dietitian and author of Prediabetes: A Complete Guide.
Other foods that are high in plant proteins include a host of seeds, beans, nuts, and grains such as lentils, walnuts, sunflower seeds, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, spirulina, chia seeds, chickpeas, flaxseeds, almonds, split peas, peanuts, oats, seitan (wheat gluten), and ancient grains such as spelt, barley, and teff.
Seeds pack a lot of nutrients into a very small space—including protein and fiber. Top row: sunflower and hemp seeds. Middle row: Flax, chia, and poppy, seeds. Bottom row: sesame and pumpkin seeds. Photograph by REBECCA HALE, NGM STAFF
(Black beans. Pinto beans. Cannellini. How do they stack up nutritionally?)
Common vegetables like yellow corn, potatoes, avocado, green peas, brussels spouts, and asparagus contain respectable amounts of protein as well. “It’s also often surprising to people how much protein is in broccoli—nearly two grams in a single cup,” says Christopher Gardner, director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center in California.
And while such foods may not individually contain as many amino acids as animal protein sources, “when we eat a variety of plant foods throughout the day, we get all the amino acids we need,” says Weisenberger.
Advantages of plant-based protein over animal proteins
Eating more plant protein is important—but not just because of protein alone. Although this nutrient is essential for overall health, “the vast majority of Americans meet and exceed their protein intake requirement and there are only rare cases of protein deficiency in the general population—even among vegetarians and vegans,” explains Gardner.
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At the same time, he says, “the average American intake of fiber is roughly half what’s recommended.” This underscores one of the biggest advantages of plant-based protein: foods like lentils, green peas, broccoli, corn, chia seeds, barley, potatoes, quinoa, and pistachios are all abundant in fiber, which is critical for digestive health, blood sugar regulation, lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and reducing cancer and heart disease risk.