Vegan Nutrition with Martey Davey

Marty Davey is a Registered Dietitian and has a Masters degree in Food and Nutrition from Marywood University. She became a vegetarian in 1980 when she discovered that the chemicals in American meat made them unsellable to Europeans. She and her husband have raised their son as a vegan. She teaches nutrition and has a private practice specializing in assisting clients transitioning to a plant-based regime step by step. Her website is martydavey.com

What legume / carbohydrate (i.e., beans and rice, lentils and potatoes) combinations provide the best amino acid combinations for producing protein?

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Dear Danielle,
Okay, I'm going to split some hairs here so just go with me.

Your question is confusing for a few reasons [or hairs that need splitting].

Here are some nutrition facts about various legumes from the United States Department of Agriculture's [USDA] nutrition database:

	Protein	Total lipid (fat)	Carbohydrate
	gram/cup
Black beans	15.24	0.93	40.78
Garbanzo beans	14.53	4.25	44.9
Red or kidney beans	16.80	0.30	38.67
Fava beans	12.92	0.68	33.40
Navy beans	14.98	1.13	47.41
Lentils	17.86	0.75	39.86
White potato	4.02	0.3	41.42
Sweet potato	2.03	0.19	37.37

As you can see from this table the protein content of legumes is much less than the carbohydrate content. So which should we call these? Protein foods? Carb foods? This leads me to think you may not understand about the macronutrients in foods. The macronutrients are carbohydrate, fat and protein.

If you follow an omnivore eating pattern, then you will have foods which do not contain all of the macronutrients. Meat, for example, has no carbohydrates. However, plant-based diners have all of the macronutrients in all of their foods except for concentrated oils. By that I means oils in a bottle that you use for salad dressing, like canola oil.

Strawberries, lettuce, rice, cashews contain all of the macronutrients. Now, the macronutrients will be in various ratios to each other. Such as seen in the table above. If these foods, [strawberries, lettuce, etc.] which are usually listed as carb foods, did not have protein they would not grow. All plants needs enzymes to grow. Enzymes are proteins. So, without proteins a seed would just sit in the ground. It needs proteins to kick start it into developing into a squash plant and it needs protein to develop the squash fruit. Thus making squash a carb-pro-fat food. Do you see how these labels really don't work for vegheads?

For those of you, who like me, never took chemistry as a young person, I offer the following. Amino acids are what make up proteins. One hundred amino acids strung together equals one protein. That is all the name means. You string amino acids together in a myriad of sequences to create different proteins. There are 10, if you count arginine, amino acids that you absolutely must have in your food intake. Your body can synthesize a lot of different proteins, but not these. Therefore, they are called essential amino acids. Essentially, you have to eat them.

Also, the idea of combining foods for proper protein content is a total myth. This was put forth as a hypothesis with no scientific support. In fact, Frances Moore-Lappé stated as much on the television show hosted by Dr. John McDougall. So, the premise of your question really can't be answered since food combining is no longer an accepted nutrition dynamic.

I think, dear writer, you are trying to make sure you cover all of your essential amino acids in the foods you eat. A very good plan. You can do that by eating a variety of foods high in protein such as legumes and grains. There are also proteins in sweet potatoes, although not all essential amino acids. The ones missing in sweet potatoes can be found in nuts. But if you have a nut butter sandwich for lunch and sweet potatoes for dinner your protein level will be just fine. In fact, if you didn't have an essential amino acid for a few days, you would still be fine. It isn't that hard.

In addition, the grains quinoa and kamut contain all of the essential amino acids. So, you don't have to worry about trying to combine these with anything except maybe a great sauce to throw on top of them with your veggies.

The one nutrient I would focus on is B12. Make sure you are getting enough of that. A good dose is 2000 mcg/week. There is plenty of evidence to show that B12 deficiencies can lead to a host of health issues. Here's a list from Jack Norris, RD.

Early, Noticeable Symptoms of Overt B12 Deficiency:1

unusual fatigue
faulty digestion
no appetite
nausea
loss of menstruation

Other symptoms of Overt B12 Deficiency:

numbness and tingling of the hands and feet
nervousness
diarrhea
mild depression
striking behavioral changes
paranoia
hyperactive reflexes
fever
frequent upper respiratory infections
impotence
impaired memory
infertility
sore tongue
enlargement of the mucous membranes of the mouth, vagina, and stomach
macrocytic anemia
low platelet count and increased bleeding
neutropenia

Neurological Symptoms

Neurological symptoms, often referred to as subacute combined degeneration (SCD), are the biggest concern regarding B12 deficiency. The damage can be irreversible if not caught early enough. SCD affects peripheral nerves and the spinal cord, and is normally different in children than adults.

Especially with protein, it is really hard to not get enough as long as you are eating a variety of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. The only necessity of food combing is to explore new tastes sensations you create in the kitchen or order up on a menu.

Marty Davey is a Registered Dietitian and has a Masters degree in Food and Nutrition from Marywood University. She became a vegetarian in 1980 when she discovered that the chemicals in American meat made them unsellable to Europeans. She and her husband have raised their son as a vegan. She teaches nutrition and has a private practice specializing in assisting clients transitioning to a plant-based regime step by step. Her website is martydavey.com

Get your own personal nutrition consultation with Marty here.

Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

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