Well a plant based diet isn't for everyone particularly if you believe that protein is the golden egg that the food industry want you to believe it is. Such is the power of the word 'Protein' you can label any rubbish "High Protein" and sell it as a health food to anyone who doesn't bother to validate it themselves.

In addition the meat industry drip feeds us from childhood the belief that meat is nutrient dense when it is the opposite.

Animal-based protein such as eggs, cow’s milk, meat, and fish contain adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids, making them complete proteins. Many plant-based foods, such as soybeans, chia and hemp seeds, spinach, and quinoa are also complete protein sources. Although many plant-based foods are considered complete proteins, some plant based foods may be deficient in one or more essential amino acids. These are known as complementary proteins. Complementary proteins can be combined throughout the day so that if one food is low in one essential amino acid, the deficit can be made up with another food. A variety fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes throughout the day will provide sufficient protein. In fact, the right plant-based foods are actually healthier sources of protein than animal products since they usually contain fewer calories, less fat, no cholesterol, more fibre and more nutrients (like potassium, iron, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A and C)

Excess animal protein is linked with kidney disease, osteoporosis, cancers, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Animal products, even lean-looking meats, are often associated with large amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol.

There is strong evidence to suggest it is excess protein per se which plays a part in all of these diseases.


The average adult needs to consume between 45 and 56 grams of protein per day.To give you a comparison between some meat and plant based products, a standard 50g beef burger contains 10.2g of protein; half a 415g can of baked beans contains 11.5g of protein; an average serving of pasta (190g cooked) contains 8.5g, an average serving of kidney beans (160g cooked) 12.4g.


The myth that we should eat more protein dates back to the beginning of the last century. The majority view back then was that health – and especially fitness – depended on eating generous amounts of protein, particularly meat (Millward, 2004). It was even reckoned that animal protein was the solution to wiping out child malnutrition in the third world (Autret, 1963; Gounelle de Pontanel, 1972; Stillings, 1973; Scrimshaw and Young, 1976).

The myth reached epic heights in the 1960s. A UN report was published which identified worldwide protein deficiency. It called for a ‘global strategy to avert the impending protein crisis’. International aid began to focus on projects to address the so-called protein gap. The US government, for example, subsidised the production of dried milk powder to provide high-quality protein for the world’s poor (Campbell and Campbell, 2005).

But not everyone accepted that protein was the most important nutrient of all. Wartime studies in the UK by Widdowson and McCance found that orphanage children grew faster than the general population when they ate a bread-based diet, with only a small fraction (14 per cent) of their protein coming from milk products. And the orphanage children grew no faster when nearly half of their protein was from milk! Bread provided the children with plenty of energy to support their growth, whilst meeting more than double their protein needs (Millward, 2004).

Insufficient protein in a plant based diet is a myth. But it's a belief that's widely held and despite scientific evidence its something that people just 'feel' to be true.
I consider it as successful marketing from the meat and dairy industry.