The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Plant Based Proteins | Grazia India (2024)

The trend of following a vegetarian diet or reducing the use of animal products is getting immensely popular these days. The only way for vegetarians or vegans to get protein is through plant-based proteins as vegans and vegetarians cut out meat from their diets. Plant-based proteins can be sourced from variety of foods like legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains etc. You can certainly get enough proteins when missing on meat by making sure that you are consuming one or two of these protein sources with every meal and snack. However, the benefits and drawbacks go hand in hand with every product. So, along with making up on your missing proteins and tons of benefits there are some drawbacks as well that plant based proteins can pose to a person relying on those.

The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Plant Based Proteins | Grazia India (1)


The benefits –

Reduced content of harmful bacteria

Consumption of animal proteins can be toxic to human bodies with all the added antibodies and hormones that are absorbed by human body when meat gets in it. However, consuming proteins from plant based sources can help reduce the content of harmful bacteria such as Salmonella in our bodies and it helps you stay healthy and free of infections.

Better Athletic Performance
The graph line of protein intake goes up when it comes to athletic trainings. But most of the athletes are noticed to drool over animal protein sources for those bigger and toned muscles. However swapping to plant based proteins can help you perform and play better than ever before. Because plant based proteins not only help you with better athletic performance but also with energy levels and recovery time as well.

Healthy Gut

The more you consumer plant proteins, the healthier your gut will be. Owing to the higher fibre content and nutritive value, plant based proteins help detox your body and keeps your gut healthy. And this is how plant based proteins can help fight off infections in body. Consumption of plant based proteins over animal proteins also helps lower the risk of many diseases such as strokes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Healthier and younger look

Plant based proteins along with your protein levels, can boost up your antioxidant levels as well. Antioxidants can help you fight off the free radicals that cause aging. Healthy, glowing and supple skin is proportional to your plant foods intake.

The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Plant Based Proteins | Grazia India (2)

The Drawbacks of Plant based proteins

As already mentioned, pros and cons go hand in hand for every food and product. Along with extraordinary benefits posed by plant based proteins, there are some disadvantages that you can come across when you are relying on them.

Less absorption

Plant proteins are not readily absorbed by the human body in comparision to animal based proteins. So, you will really need to increase your intake of plant proteins to make up for their less absorption in body. Also plant proteins tend to hinder the absorption of several minerals from your digestive tract. Along with that plant proteins are believed to be incomplete sources of all the essential amino acids that your body cannot synthesize itself. To get around this, you’d need to eat a variety of plant proteins with every meal and snack.

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Vegetarians are more likely to lack on vitamin B12 as vitamin B12 is effectively sourced mostly from meat and dairy products. Vitamin B12 deficiency in return is linked to a lot of other health complications such as anemia, paralysis, neurological disorders etc. To make up for the long term deficiency of this vitamin, you will need to take supplementation for vitamin B12 on your physician’s prescription of course.

Ruchi Sharma is aNutritionist andFounder of Eat.Fit.Repeat

The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Plant Based Proteins | Grazia India (2024)

FAQs

What are the weakness of plant-based protein? ›

However, plant-based protein sources have been considered to be less nutritionally effective than animal sources due to reduced digestibility, lower levels of amino acids, and incomplete amino acid profiles [21,22].

Is plant protein good or bad? ›

Research indicates that replacing some animal-based protein with plant-based protein sources may help decrease the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Plant-based foods contain important antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that benefit overall health.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of plants? ›

For plants, the advantages included greater access to sunlight, less competition for resources, and new habitats for reproduction and dispersal. Disadvantages faced by plants included water scarcity, structural challenges, and the risk of desiccation.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of protein? ›

In conclusion, a high protein diet can be beneficial for workout, as it can aid in muscle building, increase metabolism, and help you feel full. However, there are also potential drawbacks, including the risk of kidney damage, dehydration, and nutrient imbalances.

Is plant protein hard on kidneys? ›

Plant protein may help lower your risk of kidney disease. Eating less meat and more vegetables has many health benefits.

What happens if you only eat plant protein? ›

Plant-based protein decreases the risk of chronic diseases

While some lean meats can be good sources of protein, the American Heart Association reports that eating less meat decreases the risk of: Heart disease. High blood pressure (hypertension) High cholesterol.

Does plant protein cause inflammation? ›

Research has shown that plant-based proteins from wholefood sources, like the yellow pea, algae, chickpea and ancient grains contribute to lower levels of inflammation in the body. And they do this by helping balance out your body's pH levels to a healthier alkaline state because they are naturally alkaline.

What protein is easiest on the kidneys? ›

Plant-based protein like beans and nuts are easier on the kidneys than animal proteins like meat and dairy products. This is because plant proteins produce less acid in the body than meat proteins. More acid in body can damage the kidneys.

Can you eat plant protein everyday? ›

Protein is necessary for critical processes such as immune function, cellular processes, cell structure, and growth, among others. Thus, it's essential to consume enough protein on a daily basis (1). You can get protein from many food sources, including plants and animals.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of animal protein? ›

Animal products provide the highest-quality protein sources. On the flip side, several studies have linked red meat consumption to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and early death. Further studies have shown that eating more processed red meat may actually increase the risk of dying from heart disease.

What is the advantage in using plants to produce the protein? ›

Recombinant proteins can be rapidly produced in plants via transient expression (Kapila et al. 1997). In addition, plant production systems cannot be infected by mammalian pathogens during protein production and are easy to scale up (Yusibov and Rabindran 2008).

What are the advantages of using plant food as a source of protein? ›

Diets high in plant protein are linked to many benefits

Furthermore, studies suggest that people eating a vegetarian diet also tend to have lower body weight, lower cholesterol levels, and lower risk of stroke, cancer, and death from heart disease than people who eat meat ( 11 ).

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