In my article last month on protein and vitamin B deficiency I speak about a woman who called me about her vegetarian daughter’s lack of energy and ability to concentrate. I pointed out that my advice was to kick the vegetarianism.

However, what I failed to mention in the article was that I also said, “If [quitting vegetarianism] is out of the question, then you should, at the very least, make sure your daughter is getting her protein through dairy and/or eggs.” This is essential. As I said last post, you can get some protein from most vegetable sources, but meat, by far, is the best source. Eggs and dairy are the next best sources.

What this means for vegans–no meat, no eggs, no dairy–is that they really have to be diligent in getting their daily protein. Since very few vegetables are high quality proteins–that is, containing all essential amino acids in sufficient concentrations–many different vegetables must be consumed throughout the day. It can be done, no question; but the average busy person (vegetarian)…isn’t doing it.

And what about those high quality proteins (soybeans, quinoa, and spinach)? Well, you’d have to eat them solely, or eat the low quality vegetarian protein sources at such a high quantity that it would be virtually impossible to do so for long. According to one vegetarian website, you’d have to eat “12-1/3 cups of cooked corn OR 6-1/2 large potatoes OR 2-1/2 cups of tofu OR 15-1/2 cups of cooked brown rice.” And you know that isn’t going to happen.

So…just eat meat.

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