Nutrient Density

[Tenet Nosce]

Thank you Tenet Nosce. I didn't mean to imply that meat is necessary, quite the contrary.

I didn't think you implied it. I just figured it would be good for the thread to make that clear from the start.

I'm looking for combinations of food that give us the complete set of amino acids - or at least a mix that would be adequate.

From a complete nutritional standpoint, I would recommend the following priority:

1. Greens and beans
2. Nuts and seeds
3. Herbs, spices, and seasonings
4. Superfoods
5. Cruciferous veggies
6. Squashes and root vegetables
7. Garlic, onions, peppers, and tomatoes
8. Mushrooms
9. Other random veggies, e.g. asparagus, artichoke, fennel, okra, etc.
10. Fruit
11. Whole Grains

Incidentally, this will cover all the 22 essential nutrients in addition to protein.

And you hit the nail on the head about the picky eater vegan (a niece of mine) who is ill and has lost two pregnancies - the doctors tell her because she is not getting adequate protein.

That is often true. But unfortunately, most of the doctors will also not be educated as how a vegan can get enough protein in their diet.

There are also other considerations. The bio-availability of protein varies somewhat from food to food, and from person to person.

Digestive health plays an important role, in particular the production of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach, and digestive enzymes called proteases by the pancreas. Also any inflammatory process is going to interfere with proper absorption of nutrients.

Then there is gut ecology to consider. For example, we know that bacterial colonization of the human gut manifests as three major types. It is entirely possible that one of the types is best suited to meat-eating. Indeed, one of the types requires more input of iron than the other two.

As for me, I sometimes have a problem with nuts, but feel that the protein powder I use (it is the Sun Warrior brand) gives me what I need when combined with other sources.

A fair amount of people do. What happens when you eat them? Does the same thing happen when you eat seeds? Or how about nut/seed butters?

Sun Warrior... which one? I see the vegan one is based on sprouted whole rice bran. Also looks like it's about $40 per kilo? That's a pretty good price though I think you can get Jarrow brand for closer to $30. I don't think it is sprouted though. NOW foods does a pea protein for $25.

I sincerely appreciate your reply.

You're welcome!