“But where do you get your protein?” … it’s a question most vegans have been asked at some point in their journey! The truth is, all amino acids are available in various plant food combos. But should vegans take amino acid supplements if they’re not paying attention to the protein content of their daily meals? Well, it all depends on the type of food you’re eating.
Quick read: Vedge Nutrition Protein Powder Review (opens in a new window)
Should Vegans Take Amino Acid Supplements?
Yes, vegans should take amino acid supplements if their diet is not all that varied with a good mix of veggies and fruit. A high quality vegan protein powder is a great way to ensure you are consuming enough of the right amino acids to keep your body in tip-top shape.
Watch: Dr. Neal Barnard debunks the vegan protein myth!
(Dr Barnard will have you convinced within 3 minutes)
Quick read: Vedge Nutrition Protein Powder Review (opens in a new window)
Learning Enough About Human Nutrition
Deciding to go vegan is a big step for many people. Most of us have grown up being fed a diet rich in animal foods. Meat, eggs and dairy.
We’ve all been conditioned to believe that humans need animal products in the diet because they are nutrient-dense foodstuffs. That last bit is true.
Animal based foods are rich in many nutrients the human body needs so including meat and dairy in your diet means you don’t really have to think too much about nutrition.
But we choose veganism because we cannot be responsible for the untold suffering and mass-slaughter of 10’s of billions of sentient land animals.
The primary driver for vegans has nothing to do with nutrition and everything to do with animal welfare. Yet these two things are inextricably linked.
Cutting out animal foods from your diet means you have to pay more attention to your daily nutritional needs, if you don’t want to get sick.
Don’t Be The Next “Ex-Vegan” Headline Story
There is a statistic regularly doing the rounds on social media and across the internet. It is claimed that 80% of vegans quit and go back to eating meat.
I’m not sure how much truth there is in that but what I do know is there are some very loud voices making claims such as “Veganism ruined my health”.
I mean, there’s an entire Subreddit dedicated to discrediting the vegan movement in any way they can. It’s called ‘AntiVegan’ … no ambiguity there then.
When you have toxic publications like the Daily Mail here in the UK picking up any little obscure tid-bit they can spin into an anti-vegan story, you know the vegans have them running scared.
But to avoid becoming that obscure tid-bit and having your story splashed all over the most read gutter rag here in these Great British Isles of ours (ehem!), you’d be well advised to learn a little more about what your body needs, nutritionally.
Because if you neglect your body’s requirements, as a vegan, you will likely experience some kind of nutritional deficiency.
(cue the carnivores claiming veganism is unnatural, or whatever)
It’s easy for animal eaters to stay nourished … plant eaters need to be a little more educated.
Why Does Everyone Bang On About Protein?
There is no doubt that a daily dose of protein is vital to maintaining optimum human health. All animals are essentially protein reprocessing units!
We consume protein in food, the body breaks it down into the individual amino acids and then recombines those amino acids into the proteins we need to build and repair all manner of different tissues.
Every single cell in your body contains a protein of some sort and there are over 10,000 different types of proteins which make us what we are!
So … yes … those amino acids are definitely something vegans should be paying attention to.
Human nutrition is a massive subject and entire careers are forged around the discipline. But not everyone has the time or inclination to school themselves in this area.
This is where protein supplements come in.
Many purists balk at the idea of taking supplements making claims like “A vegan diet can’t be right for us if we have to supplement”.
This is utter nonsense of course and a common regurgitation from the ‘human carnivore’ crowd … a very special bunch of weirdos.
Complete Amino Acid Profile Vegan Supplements
Let’s just get one thing straight … you don’t need to take a vegan protein supplement if you follow a well-planned diet containing a good varied mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
However, if your diet is a bit thin on certain elements or if you want to build extra muscle mass then a high quality vegan protein supplement is the way to go.
Check out the Vedge Nutrition protein powder review for Vegan Slate’s number one recommendation for a high performance vegan protein supplement with an optimum amino acid profile.
We love the stuff!
There are also plenty of options on Amazon of course but do make sure you read the reviews because there are some cheaper products which are really not up to scratch!
This one from Orgain is really good and with 10’s of thousands of happy customers it’s a great value alternative to the Vedge offering, if you can’t justify the price.
Conclusion: Supplements Are a Good Fallback
In summary … a protein powder supplement with a complete amino acid profile is great to have in the cupboard as a back-up when you think your diet may be lacking.
But to be very clear, protein supplements are not needed if you follow a well balanced plant-based diet. Numerous studies have confirmed this.
Many of us lead overly busy lives and our dietary requirements can be neglected as we rush around like blue-arsed flies trying to make a living!
In our household we always have stocks of our omega 3 supplement with EPA and DHA, multi-vits with the all important vitamins B12, D and K (along with around 20 other nutrients in there!) and of course a vegan protein powder.
I think it’s just common sense to ensure my family is adequately nourished on a daily basis and I honestly don’t feel this is an unnatural way to live.
I certainly prefer this way of life to the alternative which would see me being responsible for the extreme suffering of intelligent, sentient beings.
… and so I choose vegan, I choose life.
I hope this piece has helped answer your question today. We’d love to know what you think so please leave a comment below and share this with your friends.
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Thanks so much for reading and have a peaceful day.
Rohan.