Meat isn’t the enemy, in fact it should be one of your best good friends if your goal is building and/or maintaining muscle. Those with personal reasons I get it.. Fighting against animal cruelty, the environment, or religious purposes, but everyone else? Don’t let misinformation lead you astray. Here’s the truth on how meat and other animal proteins impact the body.
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What Is Meat
Meat is the flesh of an animal and one of my registered weaknesses. Give me beef with avocado and I’ll happily sit in the corner. There are red and white meats. Part of why meat is good for you is red meats tend to have more iron, however each source is packed with protein.
Red: beef, veal, lamb, pork, goat, and game.
White: chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and other wild birds.
While most cuts of meat are solid protein sources, be cognizant of the fact less lean choices will obtain more dietary fat than lean cuts. Dietary fat is vital to many hormonal functions of the body, but should be accounted for when tracking total calories and keeping up with your macros.
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What Is Animal Protein
Animal protein is protein derived from animal sources to include all meat with the additions of: dairy (whey & casein), eggs, and fish.
I could lay into meat and related protein‘s enhancements of brain function, specific vitamins like b-12, minerals, blood circulation, hair, skin, nails, heart health, testosterone, immunity, bones, and more, but I’m on the muscles. I’m on fat loss. And I’m on metabolism today.
Build muscle, lose body fat.
That’s the cause and misinformation is hurting the cause. Meat, poultry, fish, whey, casein.. All great sources of quality protein. Protein is the building block of muscle. Without this powerhouse of a macronutrient you ‘no’ gain more muscle and you ‘yes’ lose what you have so you ‘no’ want to take protein lightly if you ‘yes’ want to: build muscle, lose body fat, or simply maintain.
Note: muscle contributes to fat loss due to an increase in metabolism. Muscular maintenance burns calories making fat loss easier and reduces the risk of lost fat returning.
“Food protein quality as assessed by digestibility, net protein utilization, and biological value has so far been better for animal-based protein sources like meat, eggs, milk and its constituents than for plant-based protein sources like raw cereals and legumes”[2]
This means animal protein is used more efficiently for the sake of building muscle than plant protein even if you were to take in an equal number of grams.
Note: processed meat has more carcinogenic properties, so watch your preparation and what you buy. Instead of traditional frying try air frying, searing, grilling, or even baking. Avoid adding transunsaturated fats!
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Why People Lose Weight When They Cut Out Meat
It is true, seemingly folks cutting meat from their diet jump into healthy land quite frequently, but let's pull the curtain back a little. It’s similar to juicing results.
Dietary displacement.
When folks eliminate animal protein they tend to cut out what comes with commercialized meat. That means less fast food, less soda, and even less dessert. AKA less calorie dense food.
You’re no longer relying on junk to fuel your body.
This is part of a bigger picture; less total calories. Whatever path you take your body on is about calorie intake. You can eat whatever you want and gain, lose, or maintain weight. There are ramifications IE health complications that may follow, but as far as what direction your body moves it’s about calories consumed vs. calories burned.
When you eradicate the high calorie food that tends to come with meat you put yourself in a caloric deficit more often than not. A calorie deficit means you take in less calories than you burn, when that happens weight loss ensues. Instead of cutting animal protein try cutting the junk that historically comes with it.
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What Is Plant Protein
Plant protein is protein you acquire from non-animal sources. They are what you rely on as a vegan (not consuming animal products). They just so happen not to hold the same power due to their incomplete nature.
“Plant-sourced proteins offer environmental and health benefits, and research increasingly includes them in study formulas. However, plant-based proteins have less of an anabolic effect than animal proteins due to their lower digestibility, lower essential amino acid content (especially leucine), and deficiency in other essential amino acids, such as sulfur amino acids or lysine. Thus, plant amino acids are directed toward oxidation rather than used for muscle protein synthesis.” [2]
Protein is a means to an end. If your means aren’t creating that end changes or adjustments are to be made to your means.
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Why Animal Protein Is Better Than Plant Protein
Plant sources contain incomplete proteins. An incomplete protein is one insufficient in or missing certain amino acids needed to create cells (muscle). These are referred to as essential amino acids since you’re unable to synthesize them on your own. This conundrum makes the amount of plant-based food you need to consume higher than normal.
To get all necessary essential amino acids one would be forced to mix and match. There are health issues to lookout for when eliminating animal protein for you are at higher deficiency risk.
They’re essential for good reason.
Animal proteins are complete proteins. Unlike incomplete proteins they contain all essential amino acids.
Studies show in many cases almost double the amount of plant protein would produce similar results (it takes 60 g wheat protein to produce similar effects to 35 g whey protein) to animal protein sources [2]. The problem here is you find yourself consuming more calories just to hit protein numbers akin to that of animal protein. It’s no slight to plants they just aren’t protein sources first.. They are mostly carb sources before anything else. Example:
4 oz uncooked chicken breast: about 110 calories, 25 grams protein, 0 grams carbohydrates, and 1 gram fat.
105 grams dry lentils: about 300 calories, 24 grams protein, 69 grams carbohydrates, and 1.5 grams fat.
To roughly match the amount of protein you obtain from chicken breast one must consume almost 3 times as many calories and will still fall short due to its incomplete amino acid profile.
Note: soy is a complete plant-based carb/protein source, yet has been linked to lowering testosterone levels [1].
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How To Build Muscle With Plant Protein
In defense of veganism and the like.. If I were to compare a fast, junk food diet to a vegan one; vegan wins all day every day. This means being vegan can be quite beneficial to your health if you’re coming from such a lifestyle.
To make a no animal protein life work and maximize muscle building, try supplementing with a plant-based protein powder and/or supplementing with amino acids to fill in the holes of your chosen protein source. This way you’ll create a complete protein.
Don’t mistake this as a case against plant sources. We need them as part of a complete diet. They just aren’t exactly a protein source they’re a source of vital nutrients, including fiber, and carbs.
Note: yes you may see some pretty muscular folks that are plant-based, but did they get that way on plants is the question. If one did so they took the necessary steps to fill in any gaps.
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So, It’s About That Time
What many see in the vegan benefit department isn’t the result of dropping meat it’s the result of no longer eating junk. A complete (omnivore) diet covering all grounds is of best benefit to your fitness/health aims. Animal protein isn’t bad for you and plants aren’t bad for you. Junk food is bad for you. If you cut out animal protein you can still make it work with extra effort. Anything is possible by applying focus, but animal protein will certainly make your life easier. Put those muscles to use and Be Great.
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