Going Plant-Based?

Plant-based eating is becoming increasingly popular, with more people ditching burgers and chicken for vegetarian alternatives every day. Cutting back on your meat consumption offers wide-ranging potential benefits, from losing weight to feeling more energetic, but a common concern is whether a plant-based diet can provide all the nutrients you need, especially if you lift weights or play sports.

The good news is, yes, it absolutely can, but you have to be strategic. Here are the FAQs on what you need to know to build a plant-based diet with enough power to fuel an active life.

What do you eat on a plant-based diet?

Being on a “plant-based diet” means you’re eating mostly plants, but you may sometimes eat animal products, too. It’s different from a vegan diet, which means you eat only plants.

“Vegan diets may also be referred to as plant-based; however, individuals who sometimes eat meat can follow a plant-based eating pattern, too,” explains Kelly Jones, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN. Plant-based eating also implies enjoying said plants as close to their original form as possible.

“A plant-based diet emphasizes whole plant foods such as legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds as the stars of most meals and snacks,” says Jones. “It may include animal products, but the frequency and portion sizes of animal products are smaller than in most conventional American diets.”

What are good plant sources of protein?

Soy, one of the most popular plant proteins worldwide, is a great option. Soy products such as tempeh, tofu, and edamame are easy staple foods, with a high protein count per serving.

Says Jones, “Soy is well known as the most high-quality plant protein when it comes to essential amino acid content and bioavailability.”

Despite the popular myth that soy will mess up your hormones, research suggests that to the contrary, isoflavones in soy may provide a variety of health benefits.[1] So, grill up some soy burgers or make a stir-fry with veggies and cubed tofu for an easy weeknight meal.

Other legumes such as beans, lentils, and split peas are also high in protein, as are grains such as faro, quinoa (technically a seed but acts like a grain), and bulgur.

Nuts provide protein, too. Eat lots of high-protein nuts like pistachios and peanuts (technically a legume but acts like a nut). Other nuts such as macadamias and pecans are lower in protein but high in other important nutrients, so don’t count them out.

Can you get enough protein from plants?

You may wonder how you’re going to live without steak and chicken for muscle repair and recovery, but you can actually thrive on plant-based proteins, with a little meat if you want. The key is to eat a wide variety of plant proteins every day. While animal proteins provide all the essential amino acids your body needs for muscle repair and growth, most plant proteins contain some, but not all EAAs. (Quinoa, soy, and pistachios are the exception, as they each provide the full lineup of EAAs.) By including a mix of whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes in your diet, you can rack up all the EAAs you would get from animal sources.

To maximize your EAA intake, Jones suggests prioritizing the grains, legumes, and nuts that are highest in protein. For example, rather than pairing lentils with rice, which is low in protein, consider swapping the rice for faro or quinoa which are both higher in protein. And spread your high-protein whole-grain bread with peanut or pistachio butter, rather than cashew butter, which is lower in protein than the others.

As you begin to replace animal products in your diet with plant-based alternatives, keep in mind that these foods are sometimes lower in protein than their animal counterparts.

“Foods such as jackfruit, almond milk, coconut yogurt, and many veggie burgers do not contain significant amounts of protein,” Jones says.

Be creative with your meal planning. Add hemp and chia seeds to that coconut yogurt to up the protein. Pour almond milk over granola with nuts. And remember, it’s still OK to eat meat in moderation, so when it’s time to fire up the grill, an occasional turkey or chicken burger can be a good choice.

Why is leucine important?

All the essential amino acids are important for health, but the one that’s most important for muscle and strength is the branched-chain amino acid leucine. If you eat a variety of plant foods but still feel you aren’t maximizing your fitness gains on a plant-based diet, you may need more leucine.

“Leucine is the BCAA found to act as an important trigger to muscle protein synthesis post-workout, and it’s found in greater amounts in tofu, soy milk, adzuki beans, lentils, buckwheat, and pumpkin seeds, for example,” Jones says.[2]

You can also up your leucine with a BCAA supplement. Look for plant-based BCAA products—if it isn’t labeled as vegan or fermented, it’s probably made from animal sources.

References

1. Rizzo, G., & Baroni, L. (2018). Soy, soy foods and their role in vegetarian diets. Nutrients, 10(1), 43.
2. Breen, L., & Churchward-Venne, T. A. (2012). Leucine: a nutrient ‘trigger’ for muscle anabolism, but what more? The Journal of Physiology, 590(Pt 9), 2065.