Protein and the Vegan Athlete: All You Really Need to Know
Can you be a plant-based athlete and still meet your protein needs?
Can you get all the protein you need without having supplement your vegan diet with it?
Unless you’ve been living in some magical No Meat Athlete bubble we don’t know about, you’re probably no stranger to vegan protein questions.
And luckily, neither is science.
For a long time, athletes, coaches, and trainers alike have worried that vegan and vegetarian diets may not be sufficient to support the nutritional requirements and performance goals of athletes. They wonder if animal products are necessary to perform at one’s highest level.
I’m happy to report, the research says otherwise. And that there’s an easier way to think about how (and where) you get your protein on a plant-based diet.
But before we get into the details, let’s take a step back:
What the Heck is Protein Anyway?
Your body contains thousands of different proteins that serve different functions, all made from amino acids. It’s the arrangement of these amino acids that determines the type and function of a protein.
There are 20 different amino acids that combine to form proteins, and although your body requires all of them, you only have the ability to make 11 of them. These are termed non-essential amino acids.
The other nine—those you can’t make—are termed essential amino acids, and must be obtained from the diet.
While it is true that all animal-source foods (meat, dairy, and eggs) contain all essential amino acids, they can also be obtained by eating a variety of plant foods.
Proteins containing all nine essential amino acids can be used immediately by the body. If a protein is low in one or more of the essential amino acids, the availability of the protein is limited until the body can complete it. Which brings us to… wait for it…
Complete vs. Incomplete Proteins (The Old Way of Thinking)
More often than not, when you hear someone talking about getting enough protein, they refer to something called “complete” protein.
The notion of complete vs. incomplete protein was popularized in the 1971 book, Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappé. Lappé said that plant foods are an incomplete protein because they’re deficient in one or more of the essential amino acids. Thus, being a healthy vegetarian would mean that you need to combine plant proteins at each meal to get a “complete” protein.
This led to the impression that plant proteins are completely devoid of at least one essential amino acid.
Nope. False.
All plant proteins have some of every essential amino acid. Did you get that? All of them.
While certain (quite delicious, I might add) foods—like quinoa, chia, buckwheat, and soy—contain all nine essential amino acids in roughly equal amounts, other plant proteins have a lower amount of at least one essential amino acid. (See our list of vegan protein sources and their amino acid breakdown.)
But that’s not a problem because your body does the work of making complete proteins for you.
All you have to do is rub your belly three times, wiggle your nose, and count to ten…
Only kidding. It’s actually way cooler than that.
Your body creates a “pool” of amino acids from the food you eat throughout the day. So, if you eat oats in the morning, a salad at lunch, and legumes for dinner, your body will pool together all the essential amino acids from these foods and use them as needed to make proteins.
This means you don’t have to worry about getting all the essential amino acids at any given meal. As long as you are eating an assortment of plant foods over the course of a day, your body will take care of the rest.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
Lysine: The Limiting Amino Acid in Vegan Diets
Alright, so there is one thing in particular we vegans need to consider more than others.
Lysine (very different than Lysol… do not consume that).
Lysine is an essential amino acid that plays an important role in producing carnitine—a nutrient that helps convert fatty acids into energy and helps lower cholesterol, and it also helps produce collagen—a fibrous protein found in bone, cartilage, and skin. Lysine is considered a limiting amino acid because plant foods generally only contain a small amount of it.
The Recommended Daily Allowance of lysine is 38 mg per kg (1 kg = 2.2 lbs) of body weight. So, if you weigh 132 lbs (60 kg), you would need 2,280 mg of lysine. (Update: Calculation corrected)
Some vegan nutritionists argue that meeting your daily lysine need is more important than meeting your overall daily protein need.
By focusing only on the amount of protein in food, you might hit a huge number of one thing, but totally miss the mark on something else. If you aim instead for your daily lysine requirements, you’ll almost certainly meet your overall protein requirements as a result.
Foods richest in lysine are tempeh, seitan, lentils, and tofu. Amaranth, quinoa, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds are also good sources. (It’s also in Complement Protein, No Meat Athlete’s vegan protein powder.) Here’s a chart that breaks down the amounts of these high lysine foods:
| Food | Serving | Lysine (mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Tempeh | 1/2 cup | 754 |
| Seitan | 3 oz | 656 |
| Lentils | 1/2 cup | 624 |
| Tofu | 1/2 cup | 582 |
| Amaranth | 1 cup | 515 |
| Quinoa | 1 cup | 442 |
| Pistachios | 1/4 cup | 367 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1/4 cup | 360 |
Okay, So How Much Protein Do I Actually Need?
Protein and amino acid needs are the same for women as for men, and the amount is based on body weight in kg. For the general adult population (ages 19-59 years), the Recommended Daily Allowance for protein is 0.8 g/kg/day. That means if you weigh 60 kg (132 lbs), you would need 48 g of protein per day.
Put into practice? One cup of cooked oatmeal contains about 6 g of protein, add a tablespoon of peanut butter (4 g of protein) and ½ cup of soy milk (4 g protein) and you are up to 14 grams of protein at breakfast, which would be almost 30% of your daily requirement.
For athletes, however, it is a little different:
In a 2009 joint position paper on nutrition and athletic performance, the American College of Sport Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the Dietitians of Canada recommended a higher protein intake for athletes. They said that:
- Endurance athletes require a protein intake of 1.2-1.4 g/kg/day.
- Strength athletes require a protein intake of 1.2-1.7 g/kg/day.
- Vegetarian athletes should increase their protein intake by 10% because plant proteins are less well-digested than animal proteins. Intake should be 1.3-1.8 g/kg/day.
Update: This study has since been updated and now suggests a slightly higher amount of protein for athletes. Find more information here.
In other words, if you’re a vegan endurance athlete who weighs 60 kg (132 lbs), you need roughly 78-108 g of protein per day. Or about 40% more than non-vegan, non-athletes.
That might sound hard to do on a vegan diet, but let’s look at a few examples to see just how easy it is.
At first glance, that may seem difficult to do on a vegan diet, but don’t despair! It’s not as hard as you might think.
A Day in the Life
So far, this has been a lot of science and numbers. And while we all love science, sometimes it’s easier to just see examples. So, let’s put this all into perspective and look at sample menus for two vegan athletes:
Troy
Troy is 5’10” and weighs 155 lbs (70.3 kg). He’s training to run the Boston Marathon.
His protein requirement is: 70.3 kg x 1.3 g PRO = 91 g/day
His lysine requirement is: 70.3 kg x 38 mg = 2,671 mg/day
Here is a sample menu showing how easy it is for Troy to meet his protein (including lysine) needs.
| Meal | Food | Protein | Lysine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 2 slices whole grain bread | 7.3 g | 93 mg |
| 2 Tbsp peanut butter | 8.0 g | 290 mg | |
| 8 oz soy milk | 9.2 g | 439 mg | |
| Banana | 1.3 g | 59 mg | |
| Snack | 1/2 cup hummus | 4.0 g | 291 mg |
| 2 lavash crackers | 4.0 g | 144 mg | |
| 1 cup veggie sticks | 1.3 g | 102 mg | |
| Lunch | 1 cup vegetarian baked beans | 12.0 g | 488 mg |
| Medium baked potato | 4.3 g | 263 mg | |
| 1 cup broccoli | 3.6 g | 234 mg | |
| Snack | Orange | 1.2 g | 62 mg |
| 1/3 cup pistachios | 8.2 g | 489 mg | |
| Dinner | 5 oz firm tofu | 12.0 g | 651 mg |
| 1 cup quinoa | 8.1 g | 442 mg | |
| 1/2 cup peas | 3.9 g | 463 mg | |
| 1/2 cup corn | 2.3 g | 272 mg | |
| Snack | 1/4 cup dry roasted chickpeas | 3.6 g | 243 mg |
| 1 cup strawberries | 1.0 g | 37 mg | |
| TOTAL | 95.3 g | 5,062 mg |
Boom. Troy nailed it.
Sarah
Sarah is 5’2” and weighs 125 lbs (56.8 kg). She’s a power lifter.
Her protein requirement is: 56.8 kg x 1.6 g PRO = 91 g/day
Her lysine requirement is: 56.8 kg x 38 mg = 2,158 mg/day
Here is a sample menu showing how easy it is for Sarah to meet her protein (including lysine) needs.
| Meal | Food | Protein | Lysine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 3/4 cup steel cut oats | 7.5 g | 501 mg |
| 1 Tbsp chia seeds | 2.0 g | 150 mg | |
| 1 Tbsp cocoa nibs | 1.0 g | 70 mg | |
| Kiwi fruit | 1.1 g | 200 mg | |
| Snack | 6 oz soy yogurt | 6.0 g | 439 mg |
| 3 Tbsp pumpkin seeds | 6.6 g | 270 mg | |
| Lunch | Medium whole grain bagel | 10.0 g | 186 mg |
| 2 Tbsp peanut butter | 8.0 g | 290 mg | |
| 8 oz soy milk | 9.2 g | 439 mg | |
| Snack | 1/3 cup roasted soybeans | 22.6 g | 427 mg |
| Orange | 1.2 g | 62 mg | |
| Dinner | 1 cup cooked amaranth | 9.3 g | 515 mg |
| 1/2 cup black beans | 7.6 g | 523 mg | |
| 1/2 cup lentils | 8.9 g | 624 mg | |
| 1/2 cup cooked spinach | 3.0 g | 115 mg | |
| TOTAL | 104 g | 4,811 mg |
As you can see, Sarah had no trouble hitting her lysine goals for the day.
Looking deeper at these two examples, you’ll notice they both include a well-rounded mix of:
- Fruits,
- Veggies,
- Legumes, and
- Nuts.
And they don’t include any:
- Protein powders,
- Fake meats, or
- Crazy mega protein meals.
See, contrary to popular belief, it’s really not hard to hit your dietary requirements as a plant-based athlete, even without resorting to processed foods and protein powders as so many athletes or people transitioning to a vegan diet assume you need to.
Let’s Put the Protein Myth to Rest
The idea that plant sources are insufficient to meet protein requirements is an outdated myth. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supports the notion that an appropriately planned vegan or vegetarian diet can meet the energy and macronutrient needs (including protein) of athletes.
But the key words here are appropriately planned. Meeting your protein needs as a vegan athlete isn’t rocket science, but it may take a little effort or at least forethought.
- Eat a variety of foods throughout the day.
- Include high-lysine foods when possible.
- Know roughly how many grams you need and plan accordingly.
While the protein question may never go away completely, at least you know you can be healthy and reach your goals.
And now you know the science to prove it.
About the Author: Stephanie MacNeill, is an aspiring registered dietitian, currently completing her MHSc in Nutrition Communication at Ryerson University in Toronto, and is interning with Pamela Fergusson, . Stephanie is a competitive runner, having competed in many local, provincial, and national championships races ranging in distance from the 3000m all the way up to the half marathon.
Leave a Reply
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Hey Maddy, Thanks for pointing out the mistake! The article has now been corrected. It’s definitely 2,280 mg of lysine and NOT 5,016. Shew!
And thanks to the other comments about the error. I’ve removed them below but appreciate all the help!
– Doug and the NMA Team
What about supplementing with lysine, especially during travel or other times when diet may not be entirely under my control?
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I am a huge believer in the food first approach. Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, I think it’s best to ask your doctor or dietitian about supplements.
One question I have about estimating protein needs is the role of body composition. The formulas I frequently see base the amount of protein an athlete should consume daily on body-weight. Body weight, by itself, does not describe how much lean body mass a person has. Someone weighing 165 with 12% body fat would actually have more lean mass than someone weighing 190 at 25% bodyfat. So, my question is: Do the grams of protein-per-kilogram of bodyweight formulas assume a certain body fat percentage? Or are they inherently flawed, as they do not take into account differences in lean body mass? Thanks.
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The formulas do not differentiate based on body fat percentage. Ideally protein calculations would be done using lean body mass, however that involves getting a body composition assessment.
Great article Stephanie. It’s real important that people start to shift away from this old myth about incomplete and complete protein foods.
I appreciate all of the information you have presented here. I do take issue with your comments on protein requirements. According to Dr. John McDougall, we are eating far too much protein. And that is part of the host of health issues a lot of people are facing. Since I have only read one of his books, and am starting another one now, I will simply refer you to his website which is drmcdougall.com
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You can read 1000 books but the only one who know you is you. I have gone low protein and higher protein and do a lot better on high. It is an individual decision, but it’s good to know how to do high protein if you are vegan.
Are you basing the meal plan on a particular calorie need?
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Meal plans were not based on particular calorie needs. Individual calorie needs will depend on activity level, something which I left out of the examples just wanting to focus on protein.
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This was really informative! 🙂
Could you please do one with a blended calorie/protein needs approach? I tossed the powerlifter daily diet into My Fitness Pal and it came out to be 2422 calories. If we assume Sarah is 21y/o, the 5’2 highly dedicated female powerlifter might be able to manage that calorie load and maintain her weight (using the LipstickLifters TDEE calculator setting as Very Active). As a less dedicated female powerlifter and climber about a decade older than Sarah, I maintain ~68kg at 5’6 with the same calorie amount.
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This. Is a great post and I really appreciate the clarity and detail. I don’t react well to soy milk but don’t know if any alternative that provides as much protein, not even close. Could you do a post like this on how to meet protein needs on a soy free vegan diet?
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Yes I’m also interested in an answer to this
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Me too. My wife and I are just starting our transition to a plant-based diet, and want to make sure that we get enough protein in our diet. It was easy to figure out eating chicken and fish, but there are so many plant-based foods with relatively low amounts of protein, it’s harder to put together a meal plan with an adequate amount of protein.
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Same question as Doris. How about supplementing with Lysine?
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I am a huge believer in the food first approach. Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, I think it’s best to ask your doctor or dietitian about supplements.
Great article, thanks for posting. Loved that you pointed out what a great amino acid Lysine is. I agree how much protein you need is entirely individual to you and your needs which can change over time.
I read tbis after reading one of the first articles on NMA, the vegan diet athlete. I am quoting Matt: I’ll never go back to those crazy 1-gram-of-protein-per-pound-of-body-weight rules again. Why the sudden change? It seems like you have to eat A LOT of food, like A Lot A Lot. So many snack, and all the food is filling. Where are the smoothies and salads Matt says he eats every day? I find your article very conflicting to other info here on the site.
BIG PROBLEM………………………………………………………..
I hope people will read this before they make the choice to go vegan without thinking too much.
Here is the big problems.
1, You need lysine BUT………. arginine ( the opposite amino acid ) competes with lysine! like zinc and copper does. Peanut better is higher in arginine then lysine, so this recommendation should be re-thought. To get lysine you need cheese ( like edam / gouda), yogurt, milk which is much higher in lysine then arginine. So thats animal products!. If you can find a plant based food higher in lysine you might be on to a winner…….. I cant think of one though although one or more may exist.
2, you can take lysine tablets but………
be carefull!, your liver does not appreciate much lysine in tablet form, it chalks up the liver I would not recommend any more then one 1000mg ( 1 gram) tablet per day with a lot of water. ( unless you have shingles, the take 4-6g per day for 3 days only.
I know from personal experience, you’ve got to be careful with a lot of supplements and tablets. watch out for things like coconut oil ( clogs the liver ) as does apap ( paracetomol ) for uk folks. If your smart you can unclog the liver by continuously drinking hot ( not hot enough to burn your mouth ) water! think of your liver as a greasy sponge……. what helps ungrease a sponge??? hot water. Its not a nice drink, add lemon if you can – but hot water helps us more then imaginable. One more recommendation while im here to prove im not a one trick pony – Ive been in the health scence for longer then I wish i have been( worked at holland and barret and taken a personal interest ( passion ) in health and natural medicine / supplements for some years, but everyone should take ‘betaine hcl’ ever get indigestion / heartburn / reflux ??? you do not heave enough stomach acid!!!!!!! thats right its not too much its TOO LITTLE. important for vegans as you need the extra acid to break down foods low in amino acids and nutrition , not enough stomach acid and your health will suffer, you need pepsin too for breaking down the proteins. So the problem with peanut butter? sure eat it if it is low in added oil ( unlikely ) peanuts are fatty enough, but you’ll need a lysine tablet to offset all that arginine which promotes cold sores, chicken pox, mono, and shingles.
I hate to say this to you vegans, but for simplicity in life – eat meat and never worry about any balances of amino acids, iron , b12 ect……… we have canines why? its nature telling us – we need meat – sure, put the animals before yourself and survive, but why survive when you can thrive!!!!. Frogs eat flies so do spiders… what do lions and tigers hunt and eat? Big fish eat smaller fish…. its a food chain……………… we are a part of it. we might not like killing animals for food I feel very bad about it too ( ever quizzed a lion as to how she or he feels about feasting on a carcus ??? we dont know how they feel ( other then satisfied! ), but we have to accept we are not herbivores. runners / bodybuilders and athletes especially need meat, unless you want to take a long time to recover between sessions!. by eating meat, we are getting bits of cartilage, muscle, fats, ligaments, puss, and all sorts of yucky bits that accelerate recovery because those bits contain in very decent amounts the nutrition we need to fix ourselves when exercising !
It sound gross but that what we contain aswell.
I would love to be vegan, but the cold facts are, I want to be a succesfull athlete, and meat will help me recover faster then plants ( as meat/ muscle funnily enough contains muscle! aka protein! ) my body does not have to MAKE a SUBSTANDARD cocktail of amino acids from foods I consume throughout the day, It can instead, take the nice steak I just ate, break it down within 60-90 minutes and it has all the ingredients necessary, and after the 60-90 minutes commence muscle regrowth, and strengthening. thats the hard to swallow truth, even for me as an animal lover….. why do you think meat smells so good? why does the smell of a bbq in summer make you go crazy! Its the circle of life, and the food chain – we as humans have canine teeth, we are designed to eat animals, just as many animals are also designed to eat animals, we may be able to talk and feel that we have a higher consciousness, but that does not mean we should put a lamb first, before our child – or ourselves – would a bird feel sorry for a worm and die instead? would a cat let the tuna fish swim away? Its life. Embrace it – As long as animals die in the least pain possible, we should consider we are doing a better job then the lions ripping animals to pieces whilst alive to eat them – we are doing our bit as humans to be as humane as possible to do an in-humane task of killing animals to eat them.
I get the whole guilt thing, but you have to let it go. do you want to put a 1000 cows, and 1000 chickens and 1000 lambs and 1000 fishes lives before yours? would you REALLY, I mean REALLY die for those beings? re read that! Are you prepared to sacrifice your life? Ok then…. when will you do that? or would you just accept the food chain and put yourself first? Im sure…. you will put yourself first….wont you. Tells you all you need to know.
Eat meat and dont feel bad about it.
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Brian,
You may want to study how long meat sits in your gut becoming putrid. You also may want to study intestinal length of carnivores vs herbivores. You may want to study what the world health organization says about the risks of eating meat. As well as study what meat does to your cholesterol levels and cardiovascular systems. A child does not naturally bash a skull of a rabbit and start sautéing the flesh… And for your meat smelling so good statement… I’ve been a vegetarian for 3 years now and have to tell you, when people simmer meat in a skillet or cook sausages, I start vommiting in my mouth it smells so bad. A lot of what you smell is spices to cover the decaying flesh smell… I will stick with a plant based diet…-
Wow Brian, one would need half a book to point out in detail why most of your comments are highly flawed; not because of the terrible spelling and punctuation, which is painful to see in itself, but more so because of the staggering amount of untruths. Canines? Have you seen the canines on gorillas and hippos – and are they carnivores? Can you rip through an animal’s skin with your canines, Brian? And killing animals humanely… obviously you have not seen any of the footage about slaughterhouses in the various documentaries that have exposed the truth about the animal food industry. Worse still, you have not read ANY of the scientific studies that show a clear correlation with animal protein and calcium consumption, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes type II and all kinds of cancers. Or you have, but decided that these facts go against your belief, and therefore dismissed them. Please try to back up opinions with facts, otherwise you just make us feel sad for you…
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Mmmm, I started only skimming the “arguments” after the bit about drinking hot water to “ungrease your liver like a kitchen sponge.” o.O
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This is a great breakdown!
But this particular line is not really accurate:
“And they don’t include any:
Protein powders”
Soy milk, Tofu and Soy Yogurt all contain soy protein isolates, which is compositionally no different than a soy, pea, rice or hemp protein powder – they are all protein isolates, just in different states based upon what has been added to them.
In the making of soy milk and soy yogurt they both start with soy protein isolate powders, so they are actually made with “protein powders”, no different than making a smoothie with a protein powder.
Tofu has been stripped of it’s fiber and most of the carbs, leaving a high amount of fat and protein.
Keep up the great work in destroying the myths!
Thanks so much for this fantastic post. It’s very much appreciated! I have a qustion about the amino acid pools the body holds. Do these ever become depleated? I am someone who is underweight and am trying to gain back to a normal range. The dietician I am working with said that my protein needs are higher because of the bodily repair that is needed and that because I am underweight my protein pools have been depleated and therefore I need ot be consuming complete proteins at every meal. Do you know if this is accurate? Thanks so much!!
Excellent write up. Now vitamin B12 is the new Protein for vegetarian bashes.Their attack now comes to B12 is found only in animal food.
Any advice so someone who is Gluten Free and trying to be vegan while on an active lifestyle? I tried doing a vegan, gluten free diet when I was first training aerial acrobatics (I needed both strength and endurance for this!) I failed at the vegan, gluten free diet because I wasn’t getting enough of what I needed, not to mention I was more limited on my vegan diet being Gluten Free. A lot of vegan items are NOT gluten free (however, the gap is closing a little on this). Is there any updated charts or science for taking gluten (regular breads, bagels, seiten, etc) out of the mix?
Thanks for the reminder about lysine.
Withva few recent health issues i have really adjusted me meals and many of the lysine heavy items fit in there.
Look forward to more info.
Marty
Grateful for this site and your guidance- I also have medical restrictions for my diet to avoid soy and gluten… is it possible to meet these requirements still?
This is.all good and well but would you mind doing an example on not just Troy and Sarah – maybe an example of what a daily protein intake would look like for a 220lb weightlifter? It’s absurdly easy to talk about people who weigh as much as a midsize kettlebell and have energy requirements of a desk lamp – how about some more challenging examples?
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Yes , agree . I d also like to see the breakdown for a 220lb athlete
So I’m big into plant based, and an amateur endurance athlete. Thanks for the article, it’s appreciated. That said, a LARGE percentage of athletes in the US are far heavier than 155 pounds. For someone looking to lose weight, improve performance, and who currently weighs 200 pounds (6′ 3″), it’s really a LOT harder than what’s suggested here to ingest the recommended amount of protein on a plant-based diet. Sure, I can consume more calories, but I’m in winter mode and trying to get down to 185. Really hard to get enough protein from plant sources and control calories. Any help for us larger fella’s?
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Hi Chris,
I weight just under 200 pounds and i’m a strength athlete who’s been vegan for over 2 years now. Here’s an example of what I eat in a day which hits 204g of plant-based protein:
– Morning coffee with Soy milk (8g)
– 2 cups of Pinto Beans (baked beans) (24g)
– “Earth Protein” shake with 2 scoops (46g)
– 1 serve of Chicken Free Chicken by Sunfed (36g)
– 2 cups of Broccoli (7g)
– 1 cup of brown rice (6g)
– 1/2 block of Tofu (20g)
– 2 tablespoons of Peanut Butter (7g)
– 2 cups of Kale (1g)
– 1/2 tablespoon of Spirulina (2g)
– “Earth Protein” shake with 2 scoops (46g)All the best dude 🙂
Great article, really useful as a (amateur) marathon / ultra runner trying out a vegan diet. One thing I’ve struggled with though is balancing all those legumes, veggies etc with not having too much fiber and being left feeling constantly bloated. Any tips?
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Thank you so much for the great article and the examples of daily menu, which I found particularly helpful! I think the vegan athlete community would greatly benefit from a book with daily menu compilations. It looks however, that the suggested menu examples rely heavily on the consumption of high-FODMAP foods, such as beans, for which, unfortunately, I have intolerance. This intolerance made it very difficult for me to go completely vegan. (I tried various supplemental enzymes to aid legume digestion without no success). Do you have any alternative menu suggestions for people sensitive to foods with high FODMAPs (like beans, broccoli, cabbages, etc.)? Thanks in advance for your response!
Nice write up about the protein, however all the examples used were for people who are smaller. What about guys like me who are really big trying to lose weight and we do mixed strength and high intensity interval training? According to the guidelines you laid out I need up to 1.8 g per kilogram of body weight. Which at my size being that I’m 360 pounds is astronomical. If I just use my lean mass which is 211 that’s still a huge number. At that point I would need 293 g of protein a day at 1.8 g per pound of lean mass.
So how does this work for a guy like me who does both weights and Hiit? I am currently working with a trainer and I got my numbers from an Evolt 360 scan.I don’t see anything that specifically addresses larger people be them obese guys like me or large bodybuilders who may want to go vegan or plant-based. At that point somebody needing well over 200 g a day how do they meet those needs please help?
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You probably already found the answer to this by now, but you should be calculating based on *lean* body mass.
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If your lean mass is 211 lbs, you have 96 kg of lean mass. This should help. That way the intake would be 176 grams (which is still a lot but well under your calculation of 293 grams). The recommendation is 1.8 grams per kilogram, not pound.
I’m not sure about the protein counts for some of the foods listed in the sample days of food. They seem 10-20% higher than the amounts listed on food labels. For example, a cup of plain soy milk says 8 G protein on the label, baked beans 10g/cup, bagel 8 g. I don’t find it easy to get 91 g/day.
I have a question for you, how do you go to the bathroom when you have so much fiber in your diet? I’m not currently following a vegan diet but have interest in increasing my protein intake from non-animal sources and I have a personal rule that the day when I eat oats I don’t eat lentils and I allow one day in between because I end up constipated and bloated otherwise, because of so much fiber… This is serious.
Good information. It would be nice to see examples for larger males. Many I know, like myself, are over 6’ tall, 190-210 lbs and may be strength training not running.
What a great ( and fun) read! Through my life I have always loved reading reference-style nutrition information. By no means am I exceptional in my dietary practice efforts; For me, this is a wonderful refresher on protein, protein types and protein requirements.
I can appreciate that when Stephanie stated the subjects she also presented thier sources, which puts my trust even more into the info given.
Thanks!
Hi, found this really interesting, but as a heads up some of the math is wrong. You state that “The Recommended Daily Allowance of lysine is 38 mg per kg (1 kg = 2.2 lbs) of body weight. So, if you weigh 132 lbs (60 kg), you would need 5,016 mg of lysine.”
It should be 38mg x 60kg =2280mg of lysine.
I was shocked at how much lysine was required otherwise!