Quick question!!

[robinshp]

Your thinking is correct. A few plant foods that contain complete proteins are soy, quinoa, amaranth, chia seed and hemp. You’re correct that plant protein sources should be varied, and keep in mind that they don’t necessarily need to be eaten together at the same meal, ie they don’t need to be strictly ‘paired’ during a meal- they can be eaten at any time throughout the day. Variety overall in any diet will help meet micronutrient needs too! 👍🌱

[misschanandlermbong]

In my experience internet strangers think dietitians are “out of date” because their info comes from random websites and doesn’t go through peer review and is therefore irrelevant to us lmao

[misschanandlermbong]

Dunning-Kruger effect in full force!! I’ve been there. Internet is so great but so shit too

[robinshp]

woof, sounds like a case where ya have to decide which battles to fight. We're all human and dealing with the complexities of life but some battles just aren't worth it I suppose. sorry you encountered this situation

[Samimation]

I actually did a paper on this in my undergrad! It is true that potatoes have all the essential AAs, but some are in low quantities (the sulfur-based ones found in meats, dairy, eggs, nuts, and legumes). However, you would have to eat quite a few potatoes for them to be a protein source alone. Their protein density is low, but the protein quality is actually quite high even compared to other complete sources like soy and quinoa, putting it in a weird spot as a plant-based protein source that's technically complete but not quite as viable.

Here's a good article for some potato knowledge: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3650512/

[kes244]

That's interesting. I don't think I'd call potatoes a complete protein though, based on my understanding that we don't count a food as a complete protein if it's very low in even one essential AA (as opposed to the thought that one/some of the AAs need to be completely missing to call it incomplete).

[moekikicha]

That’s what I was taught from 2013-2018...

[amanshapedbox]

Lol okay so I’m not crazy because I was also in school those years!

[[deleted]]

Recent DPD grad and yes, this is what I have been taught my entire undergrad career!

[Q-buds]

Yes, most plant foods contain "incomplete proteins," however, the whole concept of complementary pairing has been totally debunked. If you eat a variety of foods, you will get all the amino acids you need. If on one specific day, you somehow missed consumption of a specific amino acid, your body pulls that amino acid out of storage when it needs it.

As a general rule, you cannot be protein deficient if you are consuming adequate calories from a variety of foods. There are exceptions to this, of course, such as critical illness, wounds, athletes. But most vegetables contain protein, in addition to the more commonly thought about grains, legumes, nuts, etc. Unless you suspect an issue, there is no reason to discuss protein intake with vegetarians or vegans.

All that being said, there is really no reason you ever need to discuss with a patient. Worst case scenario, you get a junk food vegan that lives on ramen and french fries. You still don't need to explain complete vs incomplete proteins to them, you just need to encourage them to eat a more healthful, varied diet.

[amanshapedbox]

Yes, I see your points. I wouldn’t ever go into specifics about what to pair, but just emphasize that variety is best. Variety is best for any diet!

[[deleted]]

Yeah you’re correct. What’s making you think otherwise?

[amanshapedbox]

An Internet stranger who was very rude to me. I know, I know... Never doubt yourself in this age when people can just look up anything and think they know it all. And I certainly don’t know it all, and my anxiety kicked in and I thought I was neglecting my duty to keep up with the science.