Plant-based

The interesting question about plant-based eating is not whether it can support muscle. It can, and the studies matching protein intake show it clearly. The question is what changes practically, and the honest answer is: protein takes more planning and a short list of nutrients needs attention.

The sources worth building around

Protein per 100 g, cooked where relevant:

• Seitan — about 25 g. The densest common source, though it is wheat gluten and unsuitable for coeliacs.
• Tempeh — about 19 g. Fermented soy, firmer and more digestible than tofu.
• Tofu, firm — about 17 g.
• Edamame — about 11 g.
• Lentils — about 9 g.
• Chickpeas, black beans — about 8 to 9 g.
• Quinoa — about 4.4 g.

Soy products lead the list twice over: they are the most protein-dense and they are complete, containing all essential amino acids in useful proportions.

The gap to animal sources is significant. Chicken breast is about 31 g per 100 g, so a 130 g portion delivers 40 g of protein in one item. Reaching 40 g from lentils takes over 400 g cooked, which is a large volume of food and a lot of fibre in one sitting.

That volume issue, not amino acid profiles, is the real practical challenge.

Combining proteins at every meal is a myth

The idea that incomplete plant proteins must be paired within a single meal — rice with beans, at that meal — came from a popular 1970s book. The author retracted it in a later edition.

Your body maintains a circulating pool of amino acids and draws on it across the day. Eating a variety of plant proteins over 24 hours achieves the same result as combining them at each sitting.

Variety still matters. Relying entirely on one source narrows the profile, which is why a mix of legumes, soy, grains, nuts and seeds is the practical recommendation rather than a rule about mealtimes.

Aim a little higher

Two adjustments justify a higher target than an omnivore’s.

Plant proteins are generally lower in leucine, the amino acid that acts as the trigger for muscle protein synthesis, so a given dose produces a slightly smaller response. And they are marginally less digestible, so less of what you eat is absorbed.

Both are addressed by eating more. Where the protein guide suggests 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg, someone training hard on a plant-based diet is sensible at 1.8 to 2.2. A larger dose per meal — 35 to 40 g rather than 25 to 30 — also compensates for the lower leucine content.

Powder is a reasonable shortcut

Given the volume problem, a plant protein powder does more work here than whey does for an omnivore.

Buy a blend. Pea protein is low in methionine, rice protein is low in lysine, and the two together cover each other — which is why pea-and-rice blends dominate the shelf. Matched for dose, blends perform comparably to whey for muscle protein synthesis.

The nutrients that need attention

B12 must be supplemented. This is not negotiable and not a matter of eating well — it is not reliably present in plant foods. Deficiency develops slowly and causes irreversible neurological damage if left long enough.

Iron and zinc are present in plants but less well absorbed. Vitamin C alongside iron-rich meals improves uptake meaningfully; tea and coffee with meals reduce it.

Omega-3 EPA and DHA. ALA from flax and chia converts poorly. Algal oil is the direct source — see the omega-3 guide.

Creatine. Dietary creatine comes from meat and fish, so vegetarians start with lower muscle stores and tend to respond more strongly to supplementation than omnivores do. It is the one supplement where being plant-based is a genuine argument in favour.

Also worth checking: iodine, and vitamin D through winter.