Should I eat vegetable protein or animal protein?

Nutritional value of vegetable protein and animal protein

Protein is a basic component of living organisms. It participates in the composition of each cell and is the main shaping factor of organs and body parts. Some specific proteins have a particularly important role, they participate in the composition of enzymes, hormones, antibodies and other compounds.

Animal protein has many essential and irreplaceable amino acids in balanced proportions, so it has high biological value. Foods rich in animal protein include meat, eggs, fish, milk, shrimp, crab, frog, seafood...

However, animal foods often contain a lot of cholesterol, and if eaten in excess, the intermediate metabolic products will be toxic to the body.

In contrast, vegetable protein is often lacking or low in essential amino acids or has an unbalanced ratio, especially methionine, tryptophan, leucine, and isoleucine, but vegetable protein has a good amount of lysine. Protein-rich plant foods such as beans often have little or no cholesterol.

According to the National Institute of Nutrition (Ministry of Health), vegetable protein (protein in beans, cereals, tubers, etc.) has lower biological value than animal protein due to the lack of one or more essential amino acids or the unbalanced arrangement of amino acids.

However, animal protein (protein in meat, fish, eggs, seafood...) is not in pure form but in conjugated form such as nucleoprotein (a complex of protein with fat such as phospholipid, cholesterol...). Therefore, the metabolism process will create products that are toxic to the body such as urea, uric acid, nitrate, cholesterol...

If uric acid levels in the blood increase, the risk of gout increases. If nitrite and nitrate levels are high in the blood, they will combine with free radicals in the body to form nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.

If high cholesterol in the blood is a risk factor for atherosclerosis leading to serious complications such as high blood pressure, myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage causing high mortality...

Therefore, a balanced diet between animal protein and vegetable protein will limit the production of unhealthy factors and enhance the role of protein.

How should animal and plant proteins be combined?

Previously, many documents stated that the amount of animal protein should reach 50-60% of the total protein in the diet. Recently, many nutritionists believe that for adults, the amount of animal protein should only reach about 25-30% of the total protein is appropriate.

For children this ratio should be higher (animal protein accounts for about 50-70% of the total).

In fact, vegetable protein sources are very rich, the protein ratio in many plant foods is very high. The protein ratio in beef is 18g/100g, lean pork is 19g/100g, carp is 17g/100g, chicken eggs is 16g/100g.

But in beans, the protein ratio is up to 21-25g/100g, especially in soybeans the protein is as high as 35-40g/100g.

However, the biological value of protein in beans, sesame, peanuts, cereals, etc. is lower than that of meat, fish, eggs, shrimp, crab, etc., so absorption is poorer.

Therefore, combining animal and plant protein sources will create changes in both the quantity and quality of protein. There is a coordination of their amino acid composition together, contributing to the harmony and balance of the diet.

Some valuable sources of protein

Fish is a food with high biological value and has many advantages over meat. It is a valuable source of protein, containing all the necessary amino acids. Fish fat is rich in vitamins A and D, and also contains many essential unsaturated fatty acids and low cholesterol. Fish, especially marine fish, has many important minerals.

Fish meat is easy to digest and assimilate, the connective tissue is evenly distributed so when boiled it cooks quickly and becomes soft. That makes digestion and absorption easier.

Therefore, we should reduce meat and increase fish in our diet. We should eat fish 2-3 times a week.

Shrimp, crab and other seafood are also good sources of animal protein, containing many essential amino acids, some important vitamins (A, D, B group) and micronutrients necessary for development (iodine, copper, zinc). Shrimp and crab are also a rich source of natural calcium.

Dried beans, especially soybeans, contain high amounts of protein. Beans are a food source rich in vitamins B, P, PP, and some important minerals and trace minerals.

Bean protein is mainly rich in lysine, an amino acid necessary for body development. Bean fat is often rich in essential unsaturated fatty acids and has no cholesterol. Beans are also a valuable source of folic acid and vitamin E./.