Where do cows get their protein?
I was listening to a podcast recently (I can’t remember who it was but it likely was Rich Roll) and the topic of how vegan’s get protein came up. This is such a worn-out topic at this point but yet vegetarians and vegans are still constantly asked where they get their protein from. I actually don’t hate being asked this question, I LOVE it. Being asked the protein question give me the chance to challenge currently held beliefs and educate.
In this podcast episode they talked about, when asked how do you get your protein, what information do you respond with. From this came one of my favorite ways to respond when asked this question. Where do cows get their protein from? Go ahead take a second think about it….Grass. Cows get their protein from grass OR they are fed soy and other grains (which is incredibly unhealthy for them, that is NOT their diet). Hm? Interesting isn’t it? This massive animal that many think is the only source of protein for them gets their protein from plants. Think about that. We take the soy, grains, greens, etc. which we could instead be eating ourselves and put it through a machine that adds fat (not the good kind) and it comes out the other end to us leading us to more disease, our planet to less resources and more greenhouse gases, and all that when we could just eat the plants and legumes ourselves.
Also, protein deficiency is a long long gone issue in the developed world. Protein deficiency is the last issue we need to be worrying about in the developed world.
Protein is made from amino acids
Protein is made of amino acids. If you remember what you learned in science class you know we have 11 nonessential amino acids (our bodies make these naturally) and 9 essential amino acids (these we get from food). All foods have protein. It is not only found in animal products. Most nuts, legumes and greens are incredible sources of protein. If you are eating healthy whole foods and quality meals protein intake should never be a concern. For that matter no macro or micronutrient should be of concern if you are eating whole foods.
Let’s take something as basic as hamburger versus plant based burger. The resources that go into a cow burger are a lot more harmful and less sustainable for our environment. In terms of macronutrients they are about equal (plant based has much less saturated fat) so if the choice is there to do something more beneficial for our environment I would think that is an easy choice.
So the next time you think about where a vegan gets their protein from or if you are thinking of making a switch to a more plant based diet but are concerned about your own protein just think, Where do cows get their protein from?
