{"id":3086,"date":"2020-11-10T18:36:10","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T18:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/?post_type=food&p=3086"},"modified":"2021-03-09T19:15:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-09T19:15:02","slug":"plant-v-animal-protein","status":"publish","type":"food","link":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/food-drink\/plant-v-animal-protein\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant Protein v Animal Protein"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plant vs Animal Protein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our main feature on vegan protein<\/a> looks in general terms at the subject of protein. There we explain what protein is, why we need it and how much protein we need to be healthy. We also explain that there are lots of excellent vegan sources of protein<\/a>, be they things like Quorn<\/a> or seitan<\/a>, or less processed foods, such as lentils, pulses, nuts or seeds.<\/p>\n

In this more specific feature, we compare animal protein and plant protein and see whether such terms are helpful, correct and valid. We will also look at what, if any, the differences between protein that comes from plants and protein that comes from animals are.<\/p>\n

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Buy Vegan Protein Online<\/h3>\r\n
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If you're looking to supplement your protein intake then MyProtein are a great place to start. They have a dedicated Vegan section that covers protein powder and shakes, bars and meal kits. Plus plenty of other vegan friendly health products.<\/p>\r\n

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What Is Protein?<\/h2>\n

In order to better understand the difference between so-called animal protein and plant protein, it would be helpful to look once again at what protein is. As with many words and seemingly everyday items and substances, many people know what it is on one level without really knowing what it is or what makes a protein a protein, rather than a fat, carbohydrate or anything else.<\/p>\n

Whilst we speak of \u201cprotein\u201d as if it is a singular entity, there are actually many, many different proteins. And, we really do mean many. The exact number is still a mystery to science but it is thought there are potentially billions of different proteins in the human body alone.<\/p>\n

What makes these different molecules proteins is that they are chains of amino acids. It is beyond the scope of this article to go into too much more chemical detail but there are more than 200 amino acids. According to fascinatingly titled book, The History of the Discovery of the Amino Acids<\/em> (Vickery HB, Schmidt CL, 1931), the first of these were discovered in the early 1800s.<\/p>\n

Whilst there are over 200 amino acids, the term is quite commonly used to refer to the 22 proteinogenic ones. The word itself (proteinogenic) means \u201cprotein creating\u201d and it is these substances that matter when it comes to the make-up of the proteins we consume. There is some debate over exactly how many amino acids humans use and need but we will go with the information from the British Nutrition Foundation, which states that there are about 20 different amino acids<\/a> commonly found in plant and animal proteins.<\/p>\n

Essential Amino Acids<\/h3>\n

There is even some debate as to whether there are eight or nine that are classed as essential amino acids<\/em>, essential because they must be obtained through diet and cannot be made by the body. Once again, we will go with the BNF who list the following as the eight essential amino acids (sometimes referred to as indispensable):<\/p>\n