6 prioritize protein

Unlike carbs, protein’s star has risen exponentially in the past few years. It’s the darling of the food industry as well as diet culture. I think it’s pretty unfair that protein gets all of the adoration while carbs are sent to the time-out corner. All in all, our love affair with protein is sort of warranted, but maybe a bit overblown at times. We need protein, but putting it into everything has become something of a marketing trick.

Protein is a multitasker if I’ve ever seen one. Not only does it provide vital nourishment, it’s also a big part of ensuring we feel fuller, longer after eating. And it’s tasty! I’m talking steaks, tofu, bacon, and chickpeas. Protein, both plant and animal, is a valuable nutrient.

When it comes to weight loss and maintaining weight, you may have heard that eating a lot of protein can help make and keep you lean. This is probably why companies are putting protein into everything now, including granola bars, water, and vodka. Okay, maybe not vodka… yet. That’s totally happening, though.

Research does indeed suggest that people who eat more protein—and note that I’m not saying fewer carbs, I’m just saying more protein, calories being equal in both instances—tend to lose more weight than their lower-protein counterparts.1 This is probably because protein is the toughest macronutrient for the body to break down. Carbs are pretty easy, because they’re essentially turned into sugar. Fat is, well, fat. But protein is a whole other story.

Most of us get enough protein without even trying, even vegans, many of whom dread having to once again answer the question “But how do you get enough protein?” (Stop asking it.) But there are some things you need to know, like how much we really need at meals; how timing affects how protein can benefit us; how protein can help with appetite, weight loss, and maintenance; and yes: how vegans can get enough protein. This chapter will break down the ins and outs of this superstar macronutrient.

WHAT IS PROTEIN?

Protein, as we know it, is chains of amino acids that are present in food. During digestion, these amino-acid chains are broken down into individual amino acids by our digestive enzymes. The liver then reassembles these amino acids into different chains, to suit whichever process or area of the body they’re needed in, and sends them on their way.

Protein is like the cinder block of macronutrients: It’s the structure that holds up the house. Aside from making up most of our hair, nails, organs, and muscles, it’s also a part of our DNA, bones, skin, blood, and other fluids. It’s essential for the production of hormones, enzymes, antibodies, and cells. Unlike carbohydrate or fat, our body has no way of storing protein in its current form. Any extra-dietary protein that’s not used immediately by our body is broken down and stored as triglycerides in fat cells or excreted as nitrogen in the urine.

We’d be lost without protein. The body can even convert protein into glucose and ketones in a process called catabolysis if it absolutely needs energy, and carbs and fat aren’t available. This only happens in dire situations like starvation, and the source of this protein is usually muscle tissue. Not ideal, but then neither is death, and protein is working hard to avoid that. Not getting enough protein can cause problems such as the muscle breakdown, slow muscle recovery, low energy, lowered immunity, thinning hair and nails, dry skin, and nutrient malabsorption. That being said, it’s pretty rare for someone, even vegans and vegetarians, to inadvertently have a protein deficiency because protein can be found in so many of our favorite foods.

Proteins come from either animal or plant sources. You probably know that beef, chicken, turkey, eggs, and fish are basically all protein. Plant-based proteins include tofu, tempeh, seitan, legumes, natto (fermented soybeans), nuts, hemp hearts, and seeds. Other foods such as dairy, grains, and some vegetables also contain protein. We’ll get into the nitty-gritty of what each of these types of protein offers later on in the chapter.

Proteins are categorized as either being “complete” or “incomplete.” There are twenty amino acids, and a complete protein is one that has all twenty.2, 3 Your body needs all twenty of these to function. Our incredible body can actually make some of those amino acids on its own. Nine others are what we call “essential,” meaning that we need to get them from our diet. And then there are conditional amino acids, which we can make when we’re healthy, but not when we’re stressed or ill. In those cases, we need to get them in food or supplements.

Most animal sources of protein, including cow’s milk, and soy are complete. Plant-sourced proteins are usually incomplete, with one or two missing amino acids (what we dietitians call a “limiting” amino acid).

But most of us don’t make a point of eating one type of protein day in and day out, and even with a limited diet, amino acids are found in enough foods that getting all twenty isn’t really a problem. We used to recommend that incomplete proteins like beans, nuts, and grains be consumed together with complementary proteins to “make up” and “complete” them. Beans and rice were a favorite—beans supply the amino acids that the rice doesn’t have, and the other way around. Now we know that as long as a person eats a balanced diet throughout the day that’s rich in various proteins, their body will complete the proteins itself. No need to eat complementary proteins at the same meal.

PROTEIN AND WEIGHT LOSS

Other than, you know, keeping us alive, why are amino acids so important? Well, they’re one of the reasons why protein can help with weight loss. Disassembling all of those amino-acid chains and reassembling them into what our body needs—which is what happens when we eat protein—is a lot of work. So, it takes our body more energy to digest protein than it does to digest carbs or fats. In fact, we burn 20–30 percent of the protein calories we eat just by messing with amino acids. In other words, the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)—or the energy it takes to digest what we eat—is much higher for protein than carbs (5–10 percent) and fat (0–3 percent).4

The other reason? Protein plays a huge role in the satiety of your meals.5 Think about a time when you had cold cereal for breakfast versus a time when you had eggs. What filled you up faster and for longer? I’m betting it was the eggs, because eggs are pure protein, and protein is filling because of what it does to your hormones. The consumption of protein triggers a decrease in ghrelin (that hunger hormone) and an increase in PYY, cholecystokinin, and GLP-1. All you need to know about those last three hormones is that they are anorexigenic, meaning they make us feel full, and they get going whenever we eat. A high-protein meal elicits a greater response from them compared to a high-carb meal.6,7

If you’re looking to lose some weight, I often recommend replacing some carbs with protein because it does tend to result in a caloric deficit from satiety, TEF, and who knows what else.8 Carbs are easy to overeat. Protein, not so much. There is the Protein Leverage Theory, which suggests that our bodies are biologically driven to consume adequate protein.9 When we eat a carb-heavy, low-protein diet, our body senses it, and we experience a drive to overeat until we can glean enough protein from our food. Although more information is needed to prove this outright, it would explain a lot about how carbs are so easy to overconsume and why we don’t seem to have an off switch when our protein intake is low.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that if you want to lose weight (or not), you should forsake all other macronutrients and turn into a carnivore dieter, eating only meat, salt, and water. Protein foods aren’t a free-for-all. Protein is a macronutrient like fat and carbs, and as with the others, if you eat too much of it, you’ll gain weight. What it does mean is that all of your meals should have adequate protein. I see a lot of people who eat salads with a few tablespoons of nuts as a protein for lunch, and they’re hungry an hour later. Or they have a bagel with butter, cereal, or toast with jam for breakfast. Then they’re foraging for something else to eat long before lunch. I love bagels, but eating a meal without a significant amount of protein is just not likely to keep you full for very long.

GUIDELINES FOR PROTEIN INTAKE

Protein requirements depend on your size, your sex, how active you are, and what your goals are. Are you a serious bodybuilder? Are you sedentary? Do you do some sort of strenuous activity several times a week?

Okay, we’re going to do some math here, but I promise, it’ll be painless. For years and years, the FDA standard protein recommendation has been between 0.8–1.0 grams per kilogram, which is 54–68 grams a day for a 150-pound person. But we now know that this amount may be too little, especially for people who are older, active, pregnant, or nursing. Science shows that most healthy, moderately active adults need around 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram, which comes out to around 82 grams for a 150-pound person. That’s a huge difference from what we previously were recommending! And if you’re an athlete, you’ll probably need even more. For more personalized recommendations, see a sports RD.

In general, most healthy people benefit from eating around 20–25 grams of protein per meal. That’s for satiety, muscle building, and energy. The good news? Most of us get enough protein without counting and managing grams per day, so don’t think about that math too much. Instead, I want to you to visualize what 20–25 grams of protein looks like, so you know going into your meal how filling some chicken is going to be versus an egg. And although some of the plant-based proteins don’t add up as fast, you can cobble a couple together to make it to that 20 grams (because 2 cups of beans, no thank you).

Here’s what the USDA says:

Food

Portion

Protein

Tempeh

6 oz.

33 grams

Chicken (cooked)

3.5 oz.

29 grams

Beef (cooked)

3.5 oz.

28 grams

Salmon and most other fish (cooked)

3.5 oz.

25 grams

Shrimp (cooked)

3.5 oz.

24 grams

Tuna (canned)

5 oz.

27 grams

Tofu

½ cup

10 grams

Greek yogurt

3.5 oz.

9 grams

Lentils (canned)

½ cup

9 grams

Black beans (canned)

½ cup

8 grams

Chickpeas

½ cup

7 grams

Cheddar cheese

1 oz.

6 grams

Eggs

1 egg

6 grams

Ricotta

¼ cup

5 grams

Nuts

1 oz.

5 grams

Food is more than just numbers, and again, I don’t want you to feel as though you have to count grams of anything. While protein is an important part of the equation, it’s obviously not the only piece of the nutrition puzzle.

PROTEIN QUALITY

I talk a lot about protein quality with my clients, because understanding which proteins are high quality and which aren’t can help them put together meals that are satisfying and nutritious.

There are several ways of measuring protein quality, namely the moderately confusing but official Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS), which is used by the FDA.10 This system takes into account the amino-acid profile of each protein and its bioavailability to the body—in other words, how much of the protein our body can actually absorb and convert to make into other proteins.

Because drilling everything down to individual amino acids is both ambitious and sort of a waste of time for most people, I have my own system that’s simple. Our goal is to get 20–25 grams of protein per meal. If a protein source can get you to that level in a portion that’s not over-the-top, it’s high quality.

Here’s how I classify proteins:

So, those two tablespoons of nuts on your salad might contribute 2 or 3 grams of protein, and sure, you can eat them with an ounce of cheese (6 grams) and maybe some croutons (1 gram), but you’re not even coming close to 20 grams. On the other hand, if you throw ½ cup of black beans onto your salad, that will give you 8 grams of protein. Three and a half ounces of chicken breast will contribute around 29 grams. Two eggs have 12 grams. See what I mean? Unless you want to eat a cup of nuts and half a bar of cheese, you’re probably better off using those moderate-quality proteins as adjuncts to higher-quality proteins.

The sprouted grain bread I eat has 7 grams of protein in two slices. Topped with two tablespoons of peanut butter, that gets me to 15 grams. But if I top my toast with 2 eggs, it gets me to 21 grams. A ¾ cup serving of normal yogurt with fruit has around 9 grams of protein. But if I swap it out for Greek yogurt and add a tablespoon of almonds, I’ve got around 20 grams. And ricotta? Such an underused protein. If I top my two slices of bread with ½ cup of ricotta, it gets really close to that 20-gram number at 17 grams.

PROTEIN AT EACH MEAL

When you eat your protein is just as important as what your source is. Historically, we’ve eaten a low-protein breakfast (think: pancakes, toast, waffles, cereal), a moderate-protein lunch (a sandwich with a few ounces of deli meat), and a protein-heavy dinner (meat and potatoes). Some research even shows that most of us can’t absorb more than 35 grams at one time, although that number is contentious.

While you can certainly meet your protein requirements in this fashion, it’s not the best way to do it. Our muscles need a continuous source of protein to help them build and repair themselves. And since we can’t really store protein in our bodies, it’s important to have protein gradually throughout the day:11

Protein makes meals more filling, which helps prevent 2 p.m. food foraging expeditions in the office break room and it keeps us alert, which means you won’t be locking yourself in your office to take a midmorning nap. (Yes, I did that when I was pregnant and all I could eat was carbs. And yes, someone did walk in on me while I was sleeping in the darkened room. So embarrassing.) The object of the game is to keep yourself awake, alert, and satiated while providing a steady stream of protein to your muscles.

Because different amino acids can be found across different proteins—both in animal and plant sources—variety of diet is important to our overall health, whether we’re omnivores, vegetarians, or vegans. For omnivores, there really is room for all the proteins you love, including bacon, steak, and the occasional ballpark hot dog. The trick is to switch things up. For example, if you’re used to eating a ton of meat, try a few plant-based meals every week by experimenting with tofu, lentils, or other vegan proteins.

PLANT-BASED DIETS

Plant-based diets are super trendy right now, and it’s one trend I can get behind 100 percent. You may think “plant-based” means a vegetarian or vegan diet, but the definition varies from person to person. Some vegans and vegetarians use plant-based to describe their diet, but I believe that having a plant-based diet doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re eating only plants or that you’re vegan. Plant-based diets can also be omnivorous, but with the majority of the diet being plants. I love the term “plant-forward,” which perfectly describes a diet that has a large amount of plants, but also some animal foods. I personally eat what would be described as a plant-forward diet.

We’ll talk more about plant-based diets in a later chapter, but to answer an age-old question that’s unfortunately still being asked: yes. You can easily get enough protein whether or not you’re consuming any animal products.

Read on to get the real deal on all proteins.

ANIMAL PROTEINS

RED MEAT

Somewhere in the 1980s, we got the impression that red meat is bad, and dry, poached chicken breast is good. That’s simply not true and I’m not going to tell you to ditch the steak in favor of grilled chicken. Whether it’s beef, pork, turkey, chicken, or fish, my philosophy is that it’s all about portion size and frequency.

When it comes to red meat like beef, the thing to be aware of is that it generally has more saturated fat than white meat. Saturated fat has long been maligned as being horrible for our health and has been linked with cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, inflammation, and a lot of other issues. We’ll get into this in the next chapter, but for now, let me just say that it’s about balance. As long as you’re not eating an 18-oz. porterhouse every day, most healthy people can consume steak once or twice a week without an issue. Red meat has high levels of zinc, iron, and selenium, and is easy to prepare. It can also be extremely budget-friendly.

Grass-Fed Versus Grain-Fed Beef

If you’re wondering whether you should be choosing grass-fed beef over grain-fed, I’ve got your answer. Grass-fed is generally leaner, with higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids and a fat called CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid, than grain-fed beef. Both are good for us, and proponents of grass-fed beef will try to impress its superiority on you. The problem is that even though grass-fed beef contains these beneficial fats, the amount that it actually has is super small. And how much beef are you really going to eat, anyhow?

My thought is that you’re better off eating the beef you can afford (which is, for most people, not grass-fed), and looking elsewhere to boost your good-fat profile.

Grain-fed beef is often portrayed as coming from feedlots, where cows are stuffed into overcrowded pens and fed completely unnatural diets of genetically modified corn, but not all factory farms treat their animals poorly, in the same way that not all grass-fed cattle are frolicking around in a field of daisies, happy as can be. So while it’s tempting and easy to draw these sorts of conclusions—grass-fed is idyllic and healthy, grain-fed is oppressive and unhealthy—it’s not that simple.

WHITE MEATS

White meats include chicken, turkey, and pork. Chicken and turkey have historically had a health halo compared to red meat due to their lower levels of saturated fat, at least in their breast meat. But even the dark meat from poultry contains mostly unsaturated fats, along with a lot of nutrients such as zinc, iron, and selenium—all of which are necessary for good health. So if you prefer dark meat, but have been choosing white meat at Thanksgiving dinner, don’t worry about it! Have that juicy chicken leg and enjoy it. As far as “the other white meat” goes, pork is known to be a fantastic source of B vitamins, and the lean cuts are low in saturated fats.

Again, it’s the quality of your diet overall that matters—so mix up your protein sources.

FISH AND SEAFOOD

Fish and seafood are a delicious source of high-quality protein that a lot of people skip because they either don’t like it, don’t know how to cook it, or aren’t in the habit of buying it—or it’s too expensive. If you don’t like fish, I don’t think you need to choke it down just because it’s healthy. The same goes for any food! If you’re looking for the most cost-effective fish and seafood, unseasoned frozen varieties can be a lot less expensive than fresh ones.

But if you’re not eating it because you have no idea how to cook it, it’s worth learning. Many of my clients are afraid of overcooking their fish and making it rubbery. I wouldn’t want that either, so here are a few cooking tips to help you out.

Fish has gotten a reputation for being healthy because of fish oils, which are omega-3 fatty acids otherwise known as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). In the 1990s, we believed that fish oil was beneficial for a wide range of health issues, especially heart disease. Dietitians were telling everyone to eat fatty fish three or more times a week, and companies started fortifying their eggs, orange juice, and breads with omega-3 fatty acids. It was like fish oil was the gold standard for heart health—and totally worth those fishy burps from taking supplements.

As of now, we’re finding out that fish oils aren’t as magical as we previously thought. They’re not harmful, but the latest research suggests that while they appear to have a positive effect on memory and triglycerides, they don’t appear to lower risk for cardiovascular disease.12,13,14 For those with head injury, inflammation, depression, ADHD, cholesterol, blood sugars, and more, the research is mixed; some of these conditions appear to improve with very high doses of DHA, but only in specific individuals. All this means is that you might want to reconsider those fish-oil supplements.

But you definitely don’t want to stop eating fish. Aside from being a high-quality protein, the EPA and DHA in fish and seafood do have some benefits such as helping to lower triglycerides. The best sources of EPA and DHA are fish and omega-3 eggs. If you’re a vegan, I recommend an omega-3 supplement made from micro-algae, which is a plant form of DHA and EPA.

how to cook fish and seafood

Remember that you can always put something back into the oven if it needs it, but once you overcook it, you can’t take it back.

Farmed Versus Wild Fish

Many believe that farmed fish is lesser quality than wild fish. While farmed fish in some areas has been shown to be environmentally unfriendly, it’s not all bad. Some aquaculture is done with sustainable practices and has very little impact on the environment.

Wild fish is in the same boat. Anything caught wild has sort of a health halo around it, but in reality, that might not be the case. Some species are overfished. Some are caught using underpaid and forced labor. And some originate in waters that aren’t necessarily the cleanest. Wild fish is usually a lot more expensive than farmed, which puts it out of reach for a large number of people who would otherwise consume fish.

Whether you choose farmed or wild, you can read more about your choice and its sustainability on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website.15

In general, all animal protein—beef, pork, poultry, and fish—when raised for food, creates environmental complications such as water and farmland use and greenhouse gas production.16 But so do plant proteins, perhaps to a lesser extent. So we do need to be cognizant of these things and take them into account when planning our meals. I’m not saying to never eat meat, but to eat it less often, with plant-based meals interspersed throughout the week.

EGGS

Eggs are inexpensive little bombs of pure, high-quality protein. Yes, even the yolks, which contain lutein and zeaxanthin—carotenoids that are important for eye health—and choline, an important nutrient that’s essential for liver, muscle, brain, nervous system, and cell health.17,18 The yolks also have all of the fat in eggs. Without fat, your meal won’t be as satiating, and hey—the nineties called. They want their egg-white omelets back. You can add fat with avocados and cheese, but still, the yolks are healthy. So please, don’t ditch them.

We used to believe that eggs could influence blood cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease because of their high cholesterol content. But science says the opposite: Dietary cholesterol does not significantly affect blood cholesterol in most healthy people.19 Most people can eat eggs every day, yolks included, without having to worry about anything.

PLANT PROTEINS

Let’s clear this up once and for all: Just because someone doesn’t eat animals doesn’t mean they’re automatically deficient in protein. Our bodies absorb plant-based proteins comparatively well compared to animal proteins, provided that over the course of the day, we’re eating a variety of plant proteins that complete each other.20

Some examples of plant proteins are lentils, beans, tofu, and tempeh. Plant proteins are versatile, budget-friendly, and nourishing, and the consensus among scientists is that the general population doesn’t eat nearly enough of them. While most vegan proteins also contain carbohydrate, they’re still a healthful way to get your protein. Unfortunately, many in our carb-phobic society will turn their backs on plant proteins because they can’t see how their “good proteins” outweigh their “bad carbs.” But you know better, right?

There’s a huge push right now for meat-alternative burgers, crumbles—like meatless ground beef—and sausages. While these products are ultraprocessed, they’re a reasonable alternative to their meat-based counterparts for those of you who don’t eat meat. But I wouldn’t say that these products are healthier for our bodies than meat because they’re still very refined, so if you do eat meat, don’t go ordering a fully loaded meatless burger thinking it’s a much better choice healthwise. In most cases, it’s not.

SOY

The majority of soy foods—tofu, tempeh, protein powder, and soy milk—are made by processing soybeans from the soybean plant. Soybeans themselves are often eaten whole and roasted, or steamed in the pod. I love soy as a protein source because it’s nutrient-dense, it’s inexpensive, and it’s easy to prepare. It’s also a complete protein and contains fiber, B vitamins, and antioxidants such as isoflavones.

Tofu is one of my fav soy foods because it’s inexpensive, and it subs in for meat in almost any dish. For instance, I do butter tofu instead of butter chicken, I use tofu in Asian lettuce wraps instead of ground pork, and I scramble it instead of eggs. I also love to coat tofu in batter and panfry it. Delish.

Tempeh, which is fermented soy, is a bit scary at first when you pick it up at the store. It’s sort of lumpy and hard, and it’s tough to imagine what you can actually do with a brick of it. But not only is tempeh nutty and delicious, it’s filling AF. You can use it as a bacon substitute, or bake it with teriyaki or peanut sauce. It’s also a great meat substitute in sandwiches, stir-fries, and even dumplings.

For snacks and in bowl meals, edamame are high-protein perfection. I buy them frozen and steam them, then sprinkle with salt. My kids love them, too.

myth buster:

soy causes diseases.

Soy has gotten a bit of a bad rap lately. Some men are afraid to eat soy protein because they’ve heard it can give them breasts. Some women are afraid to eat soy protein because they’re afraid it can give them breast cancer. All of these fears have to do with isoflavones, which are an estrogen-like compound that’s present in soy. Let me put those fears to rest.

The isoflavones in soy foods like tofu and soy milk are weak, and in men, there is no evidence that a diet that’s moderate in soy—the guy who drank three quarts of soy milk a day and gave himself breasts and erectile dysfunction is a bad example of moderate21—has any negative effects on libido, testosterone levels, or erectile function. In fact, soy has been associated with a reduced risk for prostate cancer.22

I’ve fielded questions about soy and breast cancer since I became an RD twenty years ago. The most recent research suggests that soy foods have no link to breast cancer, but rather can lower the risk of breast cancer in women.23, 24, 25 However, soy supplements, which tend to be a more concentrated source of isoflavones, may not be appropriate for people who have a history of breast cancer.26

THE TRUTH ABOUT ORGANIC AND GMO FOODS

The choice of whether to buy organic or not is a deeply personal one.

For example, soy is the number one genetically modified crop in the world, and many people choose to avoid it because they’re hesitant about consuming genetically modified foods. Most soy products are also available in organic, so if you prefer to avoid GMOs, simply choose organic soy products.

But let’s be clear: There is no evidence that GMOs cause disease. Nor is there evidence that organic food lengthens life or supports health any better than conventionally produced food despite how the internet paints GMOs as evil.27 This thinking just isn’t aligned with the current science. Although some research may associate people who choose organic food with a lower risk of disease than those who choose conventional foods, this may be because organic food consumers have a more healthful diet overall.

Organic foods are significantly more expensive than conventional ones, and I take issue with websites and people who use unsubstantiated claims and fear tactics to try to convince consumers that conventional foods are toxic and poison. Biased and industry-funded activist agencies such as the Environmental Working Group (EWG) are among the worst offenders when it comes to this sort of behavior.

The truth is, organic growers use pesticides just as conventional growers do, and some of these pesticides, although “natural,” are no less poisonous to humans than synthetic ones. And while recent research may have shown that children who consume organic food have lower levels of pesticides in their urine, this tiny study was flawed to the extreme.28 First of all, it tested levels of synthetic pesticides in children’s urine while they were consuming conventional food, but didn’t bother to test for “organic” pesticides once the children’s diet was switched to organic. The study also didn’t detail what the health implications of these pesticides are, if any. The amounts in the children’s urine may be far beneath the upper “safe” levels, but researchers didn’t indicate any of this. The result? Readers see the headlines that scream “Conventional Foods Have Pesticides That Are Excreted in the Urine of Children!” and are immediately fearful.

Every March, the EWG puts out lists of the dirtiest and cleanest fruits and vegetable. The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists are based on the levels of pesticides found on food during testing, which is done by an EWG-contracted lab. The Dirty Dozen is widely distributed, read, and believed, but unfortunately it’s fatally flawed.

Here’s why. It doesn’t tell us is which pesticides were found, how much of each pesticide was detected, and what the effects of those pesticides are at those levels. It also doesn’t tell us how the amounts found stack up against the acceptable levels of pesticides for those crops according to the EPA. I think that’s pretty important information, don’t you? The EWG recommends choosing organic produce over conventional, but they fail to include organic produce in the testing for the Dirty Dozen. How do we know that organics are “cleaner” than any of the foods on the Dirty Dozen list? We don’t. In fact, the actual testing methodology for the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen was recently exposed as lacking any sort of credibility.29

We can’t just take information about food at face value; we need to dig deeper to see where this information is coming from and who is giving it before changing our diets. And this applies to more than just soy—it’s fruits and vegetables, too.

DAIRY

As you probably saw in the earlier table, many dairy foods are a good source of protein as well as fat. They also provide us with calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium. Dairy is one of my favorite food groups because it’s versatile, nutritious, and easy. Not to mention delicious. Some of the dairy products that are high in protein are Greek yogurt, ricotta, and kefir, a fermented beverage that’s also good for your gut!

myth buster:

dairy causes disease.

There’s a huge trend right now for going dairy-free, but in reality, most healthy people don’t have to cut dairy out of their diets. Even if you’re lactose-intolerant, there’s always lactose-free options. Sure, if you don’t tolerate dairy, it might cause you inflammation, in the same way that apples might if you didn’t tolerate them. But for most people, dairy is noninflammatory and it’s not an allergen or a sensitivity in the way that nutrition gurus say. After all, we’ve been consuming milk and milk products for centuries.30

Can you eat a nourishing diet without dairy? Of course! Some people have ethical concerns about dairy, which is a personal choice we don’t need to address here. But for those of you who want to eat dairy and have been told to cut it out because it causes disease, I’ve collected the most current information so that you can make an educated—and not emotional—decision about whether to include it in your diet.

Reports of dairy foods causing phlegm, osteoporosis, cancer, and inflammation are prevalent in alternative circles, but there’s absolutely no credible evidence to prove them. The China Study by T. Colin Campbell is a popular source for antidairy cancer claims, but these have been debunked. If you check the sources of many of these claims, you’ll find that they’re mostly biased, having come from animal welfare and activist groups. Just as they feel it’s unfair to drink milk, I feel it’s unfair to disseminate incorrect information and use scare tactics to try to influence people’s food choices.

Others have popularized the myth that milk contains pus, in order to scare people away from consuming dairy products. The truth is that milk contains somatic cells, which are live white blood cells. Pus, on the other hand, is dead white cells, usually mixed with bacteria. If a cow has over a certain level of somatic cells in its milk, it means the animal is fighting an infection, and its milk is then not used for consumption.

I hope that puts any worries you might have had to rest. All I’ll say is: If you like dairy, continue to eat it. If you don’t want to eat it, you don’t have to. Just don’t let fear mongering and conspiracy theories make the decision for you.

ADDED PROTEINS

Adding protein to foods is more of a marketing ploy than anything else. Most foods with added protein—cereal, chips, granola bars, and cookies, for example—are still ultraprocessed and not one single bit healthier than their lower-protein counterparts. Yet shoppers snap them up because they believe in the power of protein. Even in a cookie. I’d rather you get your protein from a whole source like the ones we discussed in the sections above.

Plant milks with added protein can be a better choice than their nonprotein-fortified alternatives, simply because most plant milks are naturally so low in protein and therefore don’t contribute that macronutrient to the meal or smoothie or whatever we use them in.

POWDERS

I’ve had clients who add protein powder to their diet on top of what they already eat in a bid to lose weight. Don’t do that: Protein powders are meant to replace whole proteins and there’s nothing magical about protein powder that leads to weight loss, especially when they’re being added as an extra source of calories on top of your normal diet. In general, try to get your protein from whole foods because they contain other nutrients like healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals that protein powders lack.

That being said, if you use protein powders as a supplement and want to know which ones are best, here’s what to look for:

Plant protein powders have come a long way from their gritty, unappetizing start. Soy, rice, and hemp protein powders have been around for a while, and pea protein is the new kid on the block. These proteins aren’t complete, but as we discussed beforehand, if your diet is varied, that won’t matter in the long run.

For animal-based protein powders, whey is the gold standard here. It’s a complete protein that’s highly digestible and absorbable. In its pure form, it tastes horrible, which is why whey protein is usually sold flavored.

Protein isolates are commonly used in plant-based protein powders, and the most common types are soy and whey. Soy-protein isolate is created by removing protein from defatted soy flakes. It’s highly processed and the method used to extract protein from the soy strips away many of the beneficial nutrients, although it’s high in isoflavones. It can also cause gastrointestinal, or GI, distress in some people. But as long as soy-protein isolate isn’t your main source of protein, you should be fine. Whey-protein isolate is made by drying the high-protein liquid-whey by-product from dairy food production. It’s high in protein but highly processed.

Soy-protein concentrate is also derived from defatted soy flakes. It’s lower in protein and higher in fiber than soy-protein isolate. Whey-protein concentrate, like soy-protein concentrate, is lower in protein than whey-protein isolate. It’s also less processed, and contains more fat and lactose than its isolate counterpart.

THE TRUTH ABOUT PROTEIN AND MUSCLE BUILDING

I constantly see recreational exercisers drinking protein shakes after their workouts. But do you really need a protein shake after working out? Does the extra protein build muscle? The answer is usually no.

Any sort of activity causes micro tears in our muscles. These need to be repaired and the protein we eat is what does the repairing. But slurping down a shake after an hour-long moderate workout—and by moderate I mean if you’re not a competitive bodybuilder—is probably unnecessary.

There’s a lot of talk about the “anabolic window,” the time when the body is in muscle-building mode after a workout, and the associated protein intake that we apparently require during this time. But research shows that we have up to two hours after a workout to consume protein for optimal muscle synthesis, so if your preworkout meal was protein-rich, or your next meal is within two hours of your activity, and it contains adequate protein, you can probably do without that shake.31,32 Instead, have a small protein-rich snack if you need something to tide you over. Contrary to common belief, you don’t need to eat pounds and pounds of protein to build muscle.

There is some research suggesting that consuming protein with carbs after a workout stimulates muscle synthesis better than just protein alone. So for satiety and muscle building, consider adding a piece of fruit or another source of carb to your post-workout meal or snack!

Protein is like our body’s building block. While most of us get enough of it, it’s important to understand why we need it and when we should be eating it. Remember, if you eat enough protein, spaced out over the course of the day, you’ll probably notice that you’re less hungry and more energetic. Your meals will also be more physically satisfying.

As with everything in our diets, variety and balance are key, so don’t be afraid to try incorporating plant-based proteins into your diet more often to switch things up a bit. The goal is to make meals interesting and fun, and keep you strong and healthy while you eat the foods you love.