What is Protein? This is more complicated question than you might imagine. Proteins are any combination of amino acids, which are complex molecules used to synthesize muscle and organ tissue. There are 21 different amino acids used by the human body and they’re not all created equal. While the body needs them all, it’s capable synthesizing 12 of them, so we don’t need these in our diet. The remaining 9 we must get from our food. So these are called the essential amino acids:
• Histidine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Valine
Food scientists rank the quality of protein with a “Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score,” or PDCAAS. The highest possible score is 1.0. The good news is that there are some top-scoring foods for every level of vegetarian:
Soy Protein (vegans): 1.0
Whey Protein (lacto vegetarians): 1.0
Casein (lacto vegetarians): 1.0
Milk (lacto vegetarians): 1.0
Egg (lacto-ovo vegetarians): 1.0
Black Beans (vegans): 0.75
Peanuts (vegans): 0.52
Wheat Gluten (vegans): 0.25
Beef (carnivores): 0.92
• Anything rich in soy protein (tofu, textured soy protein, soy milk).
• Quinoa
• Seitan
• Lentils
• Brown Rice
• Nuts, including walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts.
If you’re not a vegan, you’ll enjoy a wider variety of protein-rich foods:
• Milk
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Whey powder
• Casein powder
• Egg white protein powder