Since going Vegan I’ve been asked the question many times over, “Where do you get your protein if you don't eat meat or dairy products?" Believe it or not, Vegans get their protein the same way some of the largest herbivores get theirs- from plant foods! Bananas, Walnuts, Chickpeas, Blueberries, Pumpkin Seeds- they all have protein that is equivalent in value to animal protein and they also provide way more nutrients as well as fiber and antioxidants. Take a look at this chart taken from p. 230 in The China Study by T. Colin Campbell.

ANIMAL-BASED FOODS (PER 500 CALORIES OF ENERGY)

Nutrient	Plant-Based Foods*	Animal-Based Foods**
Cholesterol (mg)	-	137
Fat (g)	4	36
Protein (g)	33	34
Beta-carotene (mcg)	29,919	17
Dietary Fiber (g)	31	-
Vitamin C (mg)	293	4
Folate (mcg)	1168	19
Vitamin E (mg_ATE)	11	.5
Iron (mg)	20	2
Magnesium (mg)	548	51
Calcium (mg)	545	252

* Equal parts of tomatoes, spinach, lima beans, peas, potatoes
**Equal parts of beef, pork, chicken, whole milk

How much protein do we need anyway?
Westerners are eating WAY too much protein from animal sources. The World Health Organization recommends that only 2-10% of daily calories need to come from protein sources. According to Organic Athlete, “Most Westerners are consuming somewhere in the range of 120-158% more than what is recommended”. America continues to be the sickest population on the planet with exploding rates of obesity, Type II Diabetes, and heart disease. Yet the healthiest populations, as outlined in The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, are the ones eating a diet that is based on plants.

How can a plant based diet change the destiny of our planet?
Factory Farms are putting one of the biggest footprints of pollution on the planet. Animals require tons of resources to raise for slaughter and they pollute with tons of urine and manure up until their violent death. It takes an estimated 4.8 pounds of grain, 390 gallons of water, and .25 gallons of gasoline to produce a pound of beef. We are also shortening their natural lifespan. According to the Humane Society, the lifespan of cattle averages 9 to 12 year. However, “Cattle raised for beef are typically weaned at 6 to 10 months, live 3 to 5 months on range, spend 4 to 5 months being fattened in a feedlot, and are typically slaughtered at 15 to 20 months”

Most people have no idea about the horrors that go on in a slaughter house and how the energy of these animals who are scared and stressed their entire life from being pinned up in a cage and treated like filth is carried on to the final product on the supermarket shelf or the latest dish at the local fast food chain. Why do we treat farm animals like commodities? They are living, breathing animals with personalities that deserve the same kind of respect as our pets. Imagine raising a cow in your backyard from the time it was born. Could you kill it when it was year and half old and put it’s meat in your freezer and refrigerator? No way! Most of us would give it a name and become attached to feeding it every day. The same example could be used for chickens, ducks and pigs.

Make a conscious choice to reduce the amount of animal products you consume. Your health and the future of our planet depend on it.


Check out The China Study for overwhelming scientific evidence of the health benefits of a plant based diet.