Will I get enough protein on a WFPB or Vegan diet?
Most people know we need protein in our diet. Most people believe we need to eat meat to get that protein. We need to eat animals to get protein, that's right isn't it?
Definitely not. A bit like we don’t need cows milk to get calcium, we don’t need to eat animals to get protein.
This readily available source of protein that society has become dependent on to get its protein from is certainly not the only place to get protein.
Animals get all the their protein to make the meat that society consumes, from PLANTS! Cows, Bulls, Hippopotami, Giraffes and Elephants only eat plants.
They just eat plants, grains, grasses, legumes, anything they can get their mouth on, but its all plants.
The grasses they eat are much lower in protein than the sources we have available to us but they still convert those low protein sources into muscle (aka meat) that people feel the need to eat.
Protein wise, people are generally eating more protein than required on a daily basis.
The general levels at present approved by governmental organisations is 46g per day for women and 54g per day for men. This equates to 0.8-0.83g per kg per day. Consideration needs to be given to what your weight should be not you weigh in at now. If you weigh 120kg but you are not an MMA fighter or Olympic dead lift champion then be careful thinking you need 96g of protein per day.
Don’t I need milk and cheese for healthy bones?
Calcium is important. But milk isn’t the only or even best, source.
It’s not a news flash that calcium is key for healthy bones. Getting enough calcium from childhood through adulthood helps build bones up and then helps slow the loss of bone as we age. It’s not clear, though, that we need as much calcium as is generally recommended, and it’s also not clear that dairy products are really the best source of calcium for most people.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-and-milk/
Dairy products also contain protein, fat and cholesterol that add to your daily intake from these and your other sources.
Humans have been consuming dairy for a relatively short time on an evolutionary scale. They are also the only species that consumes milk after weaning or from another species.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-dairy-good-for-your-bones#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
Some studies have concluded that consumption of milk and its protein content can lead to increased acidity in the blood. High protein intake results in high bloody acidity levels. Calcium is one of the minerals that is used to lower acidity in a solution. These studies suggest that the calcium from our bones is used to buffer (lower) the acidity in the blood when it rises, leading to a lower bone density.
There are plenty of sources of plant based protein including plant based milk replacements some of which are fortified (soy, almond and oat milks).
Soy, nuts, seeds and dark green leafy vegetables are all great natural sources of calcium.
An interesting one is Blackstrap Molasses. The nutrients in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of blackstrap molasses can also help cover around 18% of your RDI (179mg) of calcium and 5–15% of your daily requirements for iron, selenium, vitamin B6, magnesium, and manganese.
Will a WFPB or Vegan diet help my cholesterol?
Yes!
Cholesterol is only found in animal products never in plants.
Cholesterol is only found in foods that come from animals, there is no cholesterol in foods that come from plants. So, there is no cholesterol in fruit, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, beans, peas and lentils.
https://www.heartuk.org.uk/low-cholesterol-foods/foods-that-contain-cholesterol
Removing animal products from your diet and changing to a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet will help to lower your cholesterol.
Lowering weight will help even more. Your body needs to clean everything out. If you become a junk food vegan and don’t lose weight or even gain weight (yes that is possible) your cholesterol won’t come down as fast as it could.
Chances are, if you change to a WFPB diet, get regular exercise and lower your weight, then your cholesterol can return to a normal level that may lead to you not needing to take a daily cholesterol reducing statin to lower and control your cholesterol level.
This isn’t the case for everyone. Some people have hypercholesterolemia or familial hypocholesterolemia such as myself.
On a WFPB vegan diet my cholesterol has reduced but I still need to take statins to keep it down at an acceptable level 4.2 mmol/L. This might seem low enough but I follow the guidance of Dr Caldwell Esselstyn JR who seeks a reading at or below 3.8 mmol/L.
Although many people transition to a vegan diet for ethical or environmental reasons, some do so to improve their health.
In fact, vegan diets are associated with a long list of health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegans-with-high-cholesterol
If part of your journey is for health and you want to lower your cholesterol, then steer clear of:
Salty snacks: chips, crackers, pretzels, microwave popcorn
Sweets: baked goods, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, candies
Processed meat substitutes: vegan deli meats, sausage, soy burgers
Convenience items: fast food, frozen meals, protein bars
Some Beverages: sweet tea, soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, fruit juice
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegans-with-high-cholesterol#foods-to-eat-avoid