Top 7 Protein Sources | Why Not All Protein is Created Equally

Before we start, all Vegans can leave now

There is no propaganda for you here...

Now Let’s dive in!

We’ve covered the topic of why protein is essential and how much we should aim to eat in a past article.

In this article, we’ll go deeper into how to eat more protein and from what sources.

When you first start with this diet, you’ll probably have difficulty getting the daily recommended protein amount since it goes against what the state has pushed onto the people for the last 100 years.

This is ok and we all have that same challenge when learning how to take care of ourselves.

That’s why I want to show you some ideas here today to help you get enough protein and be strong enough to fight for your right to optimal health. 

The first thing you should know is that protein quality differs significantly between different sources.

For example, protein from broccoli is a much lower quality than protein from eggs do to its poor assimilation. It is called the amino acid score and it pretty much tells us the bioavailability of food’s proteins and at that proteins that contain the specific amino acids our bodies need most of.

A few very quantity sensitive amino’s the body needs in large amounts are the Essential Amino Acids (more on this later) like Leucine and Methionine.

That’s right, not only do calories NOT equal calories, but protein doesn’t even equal protein.

I understand that makes things more difficult but trust me when I say you need to understand this if you want to change your life for the better.

The optimist amongst the readers are already cheering that broccoli is that much closer out the door!

Basically, the higher the amino acid score, the more beneficial the food’s composition of amino acids is. For example, we can only use some of the broccoli protein because it doesn’t have many amino acids that make up our muscles (BCAA: Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine).

Simultaneously, eggs, for example, have complete coverage of amino acids in our body to use them for everything. But the amino acid score isn’t all there is to it.

Beyond the Amino Acid score, we also have to consider what comes with the protein.

There’s never just lean protein in nature. For example, if we eat processed meat like sausages, we get processed fat and potentially harmful additives like nitrates and fillers.

On the other hand, if we are eating wild meats like salmon, we get pure protein with excellent quality omega-3 fats. 

So the first thing you should focus on here is to fill your diet with higher amino acid score proteins from quality sources.

What are the richest  sources of Protein with ALL the Essential Amino Acids?

The best natural quality protein sources that should for form your primary intake are:

What other or secondary protein sources are there to fill your need?

This is where the Veg crowd is confused, they see these as primary sources which make it impossibly difficult to manage a health ratio of macronutrients without over indulging in carbohydrates, fats and pesticides found on grains and legumes.

• Nuts and seeds (recommend nuts but no seeds, here for educational purpose only)
• Legumes, lentils, and beans (do not recommend but here for educational purpose only)
• Oats, quinoa, and some grain plants (do not recommend but here for educational purpose only)