Do vegetarian protein foods need to be eaten at the same meal to make a complete protein?
The most important aspect of vegetarian diets for pregnancy and lactation is total, usable protein. All proteins are made of small building blocks called amino acids. There are 20 kinds of amino acids. Foods containing protein have varying amounts and different combinations of amino acids. Animal proteins are called “complete proteins” because they contain ALL of the amino acids human’s requires. Soy protein (soybeans, tofu, soy milk) is also a “complete protein”. Most plant foods contain “incomplete proteins”, however, because they are low in one or more essential human amino acids. For example, legumes (dried beans and peas) have low levels of an amino acid called methionine. Cereals and grains have low levels of a different amino acid, lysine. Combining different vegetarian protein sources results in complete proteins with all the essential amino acids. Grains eaten with legumes results in a complete protein. Beans and rice are complementary proteins and combining these two foods pr
