5 Questions: Gardner on the Intersection of Meat, Protein, and the Environment

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5 Questions: Gardner on the Intersection of Meat, Protein, and the Environment

1. The review estimates that the average person in the United States consumes about 200 pounds of meat in one year. How much protein does a person really need?

Gardner: The data we cite from the Food and Agricultural Organization encompasses meat intake in more than 150 countries and concludes that more meat per person is consumed in the United States than in any other country. The United States government’s guidelines have a “recommended daily allowance” that amounts to 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. That equals 45 grams of proteinfor someone weighing 125 pounds, and 64 grams for someone weighing 175 pounds. But what’s important to note is that this estimation already has a built-in buffer to account for variability across the population. The majority of people should interpret the recommended allowance as an amount with a buffer, not as a minimum requirement. If the entire population consumed the recommended daily allowance of protein, 97.5 percent would meet or exceed their requirement. And yet the average woman in the United States eats about 80 grams per day, and the average man about 100 grams per day. And that’s before adding protein bars, protein shakes and protein powders.

2. Does it matter if you get your protein by consuming plants or meat?

Gardner: In terms of meeting your protein requirement, it really doesn’t. Protein contains the same 20 amino acids, regardless of where it comes from. It isn’t the amount of protein consumed as much as the proportions of amino acids, which make up proteins, that matter most. Meat and animal products have amino acid proportions that align perfectly with human needs. Plants aren’t aligned as perfectly, but they’re really close — so much so that it doesn’t matter if there isn’t any meat in your diet. You can still get the needed proportions of amino acids from plants. A lot of people think that plants don’t have enough total protein to meet human requirements. But the truth is vegetarians and vegans usually meet and exceed their protein requirement as long as they’re eating a reasonable variety of foods. 

But there are other things to consider: Animal foods don’t have fiber, and plant foods generally don’t have saturated fat. In this sense, it’s actually more beneficial to choose plant foods over animal foods.

(Emphasis mine.)

There are nutrients that may require a little more effort to get enough of on a plant-based diet. Protein isn't one of them. Anyway, some useful information here.