Proteins are currently the celebrated stars among nutrients, and there are several reasons for this. Proteins are true all-rounders: we need them as building materials, for example to build muscles, hair, nails, hormones and enzymes in the body. They also saturate for a long time. According to the best-selling author Bas Kast ("The Nutritional Compass"), this is due to the protein effect: We always eat until our protein needs are met. That is why we can feed chips and gummy bears without end, but we are fed up with scrambled eggs. In addition, and this is the third advantage, when protein is broken down into its constituents, the amino acids, up to 25 percent of the calories are lost – a practical side effect if you want to lose weight.
Combine wisely – how it works
So everything is fine? Yes and no. We actually eat enough protein, more than the 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight that the German Nutrition Society recommends. But that is mainly due to the high meat consumption, because meat and fish are real protein bombs: 100 grams of chicken breasts bring in a good 22 grams of protein – almost half of the daily needs of a 60 kg woman. However, women in particular are increasingly eating little or no meat at all, or even completely foregoing animal products to protect livestock and the climate. And then unfortunately it gets a little more complicated.
Basically it is like this: Animal and vegetable proteins are used differently by the body. This is mainly due to the content of the nine essential amino acids such as lysine or methionine. These are the protein building blocks that our body cannot build itself. Just like vitamins, we have to ingest them through food, because we absolutely need them.
The problem: If even a single essential amino acid is present in too small an amount, the others are not used to build protein and are instead converted into fats or sugars. Here, animal protein from egg, milk, chicken breast and Co. clearly has an advantage, because it contains more essential amino acids and can be used better by us. Plant-based foods, on the other hand, are often incomplete. For example, many cereals contain little lysine. Legumes or soy are good suppliers, but they lack the important methionine.
For vegans in particular, the solution is: combine wisely. For example, if soy is eaten with cereals, this contributes to the lack of methionine. Lupins, chia seeds, spirulina algae or soy products such as tempeh, for example, also have relatively good amino acid patterns. In order to be able to better assess the protein quality, there is the biological value: This is a kind of ranking of how much of the protein consumed is converted into the body's own protein.
Why is vegetable protein so much healthier?
A chicken egg, for example, is considered to be of extremely high biological quality and has a reference value of 100 – because egg protein is very similar to human protein and contains many essential amino acids. But: Together with potatoes, for example in a farmer's breakfast, the biological value can be increased to 136. This is because the different amino acid profiles of both foods complement each other quite ideally, even though potatoes contain little protein overall.
Getting these values with a purely vegan diet is somewhat more difficult. Good plant teams are, for example, combinations of soy products or lentils with quinoa or rice, then the biological value increases. Soy schnitzel and whole grain rice have a value of 111. Rice with chickpeas or whole grain pasta with lentils and whole grain bread with hummus also go well together.
Experts agree that a balanced diet is also enough for vegans to be well supplied with proteins. However, it can be critical for fast food fans – and if fruit or white flour products are the main food source. And another good news for meat despise: there is a second difference – and this time the plant protein wins. Because the greens contain a lot of vitamins and health-promoting substances that have a positive effect on our intestinal bacteria and heart health.
This is mainly due to one substance: "Vegetable proteins are almost exclusively taken up together with healthy fiber, such as in legumes, whole grains, leafy greens, tofu, seeds and nuts", says Prof. Andreas Michalsen from the Berlin Charité. "Animal protein, on the other hand, if we don't get it from organic meat, we always eat with lots of saturated fats. This is the key to the secret of why vegetable protein is so much healthier."
Good to know
If you want to be adequately supplied with proteins, it is best to distribute your intake in three to four servings a day, because the body cannot use more than 30 grams at a time!
Would you like to read more about the topic and exchange ideas with other women? Then check out the "Healthy Nutrition Forum" BRIGITTE community past!
Get the BRIGITTE as a subscription – with many advantages. Here you can order them directly.