What is the difference between getting protein from animals versus getting protein primarily from plants?
There is a fairly significant difference in terms of amino acid profiles. When you look at plant-based proteins, they tend to be deficient in both collagen proteins, along with certain types of amino acids. Lysine, leucine, and methionine tend to be the ones that are lower.
The FDA breaks down amino acids into three categories: essential, conditionally essential, and nonessential. Essential means you really need to be getting these in your diet; conditionally essential means your body can make some of these, but not a lot; nonessential means your body can make these proteins on its own.
Glycine and proline are two amino acids in bone broth that are conditionally essential, and they help your body make collagen. So if you’re eating well and have low stress, your body could potentially make enough on its own. If you want to support your body in making more collagen, foods that are rich in vitamin C can help. Citrus fruits, kiwi, papaya, strawberries, and goji berries all help.
To get enough essential amino acids, your best bet is to mix it up and eat a lot of high-protein plant-based foods. Supplementing with a vegan protein powder that comes from seeds or grains or nuts can help with that.
Seeds are some of the best sources for this. They tend to be very nutrient-dense, more so than nuts in many cases. Seeds like chia, flax, and hemp also have healthy omegas as part of their profile.
