Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein?
Since every vegetarian follows a different diet plan it’s hard to say for sure. It is possible to get sufficient protein from a vegetarian diet. The minimal requirements are thought to be around, per day:
10 g for a baby, around 50 for a teenager, around 55 for an adult man, and around 45 for an adult woman. It varies a bit by body size and other factors.
Your average hamburger patty has 22 g of protein; an egg has 6 g of protein; and a cup of beans has 6 g of protein. The problem with vegetarianism and protein isn’t about “how much” it’s about whether the protein is complete. Humans need to consume nine different amino acids. Animal-based sources of protein are always complete. Plant-based ones are usually not. For example, corn is very low in lysine and leucine. In order to get a complete protein, vegetarians have to combine different plants.
So it is possible to get sufficient protein to live on a vegetarian diet, particularly if eggs and dairy are eaten. However, there are some studies showing that older individuals live longer if they consume more than the basic minimal amount of protein. Note that the “minimal amount” is the minimum needed to support life; it may not be the amount needed to support optimal health.
Of greater concern than protein levels is the extremely high carbohydrate content of a typical vegetarian diet. Most studies suggest carbohydrates consumed in excess contribute to many/most of the chronic diseases of middle- and older- age.
Another concern is the extremely low fat content of a typical vegetarian diet, and the possibility of the diet being deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Most vegetarian diets obtain most of their calories from grains, which means the diet is going to have an excessive amount of omega-6 type fatty acids.
Vegetarian diets are often claimed to be very healthy, but most of the evidence suggests that the observed health benefit is from the increased vegetable intake of the average vegetarian, not from the lack of meat intake.
In summary, if the diet is properly planned, a vegetarian diet can provide sufficient protein.
