It’s a common misconception that plant-based diets don’t provide enough protein, but that just isn’t true!

What are Plant-Based Sources of Protein?

Let’s keep it plain and simple! Plant-based protein comes from plants. Easy to find options include beans, broccoli, chickpeas, greens, lentils, nut butters, seeds, peas, potatoes, quinoa, seaweed, soymilk, spinach, tempeh, and tofu.

What Vegetables Are High in Protein?

You are probably already familiar with 5 of the plants that are highest in protein, including:

• spinach (remember Popeye)
• kale (not just a good garnish!)
• lentils (super easy to cook)
• broccoli (not just for your kids)
• beans (so versatile… they can be added to breakfast/lunch/dinner/and supper too!)

Can You Build Muscle with Plant Protein?

Surprise, Surprise… the answer is yes! All plants have protein, and your body is naturally designed to use any protein to build muscle. Research shows that plant protein is not inferior to animal protein. In fact, according to a study reported in Sports Medicine, in response to resistance training, a high-protein, plant-based diet supports muscle strength and mass gains just as well as a high-protein diet from animal sources.

Which Is Better, Plant Protein or Animal Protein?

Hands down, more bang for your buck from plant protein! In addition to the fact that switching from animal-based protein can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it can also help you stay healthier. Plant-based proteins are nutritional overachievers because they provide many added benefits including vitamins and minerals (keep you healthy overall), antioxidants (help prevent cancer), phytochemicals (strengthen the immune system), and fiber (keeps your bowels regular). In addition, plant proteins may offer a protective benefit to your kidneys in the long run.

Grow into a new attitude! The hardest part about switching to a plant-forward pattern of eating is that it requires us to abandon the attitude that historically, eating meat has been thought to be a source of strength (hunters/soldiers) and later became associated with prestige on a platter.

Time has shown that it is more prudent to seek plant-based protein for better long-term health. We can now embrace that our status in society should not be based on what we eat (or wear for that matter).   

Is a Plant-Based Diet More Expensive?

Quite the contrary! You may actually save a few dollars by adopting a plant-based lifestyle, and it may not be as challenging as you think. Try the alphabet approach: 

• Avoid faux (fake meat products are often more processed and more costly)
• Buy in bulk  (load up on your pulses - beans, lentils, and chickpeas - as they can be cheaper dried and uncooked)
• Choose frozen (if fresh is not available, it’s the next best thing)
• Don’t deviate (stick to your grocery list)
• Explore recipes (try different recipes that allow you to use up the ingredients you already have on hand and that may allow you to swap in ingredients when they are in season).

Do All Neighborhoods Have Access to Plant-Based Foods?

To be honest, this can be tricky but totally doable!  Not all neighborhoods and communities in Georgia have the same access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Depending on where you live, it may be helpful to shop outside your zip code.

The good news is that there are many local farmers markets and community cooperative initiatives increasing access to produce. For example, there are farmers markets hosted in select MARTA stations in Atlanta, allowing people to access fresh food as part of their daily commute. 

And, many farmers markets across the state have programs to make the food they sell more affordable. For example, many Georgia farmer’s markets accept SNAP/EBT dollars. In addition, some markets allow SNAP/EBT dollars to go further by providing dollar for dollar matching. So, $10 of SNAP benefits, for example, can get you $20 worth of food at these markets. 

Finally, the wide variety of plant-based options allows you so much flexibility in what you can put on your plate, and most items like beans, nuts, seeds and whole grain are often easy to find and reasonably priced. 

That’s an easy one: YES! There is no doubt that your personal food choices can impact the climate. Recent studies show that even just removing beef from the typical American diet, can lower the carbon footprint of our food by almost 25%.

Everyone can help advance climate solutions by adopting a plant-based diet to help preserve our ecosystem and environment.

You can reduce the carbon footprint of your diet even further by eating fruits and veggies in season, buying local produce when possible, avoiding packaged or processed foods, choosing certified organic when possible, and trying to prioritize/plan/prepare for more plant-based sources of protein. 

Can Switching to a Plant-Based Diet Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Yes, and by a significant amount! 

Conventional animal agriculture produces greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change. For example, cows and other ruminant animals such as goats and sheep release methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas. This occurs as part of their digestion process as well as from their manure. 

Another powerful greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, is released from manure and is also often used as a chemical fertilizer. Globally, there are also emissions associated with clear-cutting forests to make space for pasture land. A small number of farmers, including some based in Georgia, are raising cattle and other livestock in ways that minimize or even eliminate these impacts. However, most meat we consume in the U.S. does not.

Researchers have worked to quantify the global impact of animal agriculture. Phasing out conventional animal agriculture over the next 15 years would have the same effect as a 68 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2100. Research and projections by two researchers in the journal, PloS Climate, found the impact of switching to a plant-based diet had the potential to offset almost 70 percent of the heating effect from emissions and limit global warming by 2 degrees. 

How Can I Eat Sustainably Without Being Vegan?

Where there is a will, there is a way!

Should you decide to incorporate any animal products into your diet, then it would be best to reach for the pasture-raised options. Here’s why: while grass-fed animals take longer to grow, pasture animals have more room to graze so they can actually improve land use, nutrient and manure management, and soil health while decreasing overall emissions. 

In fact, a recent peer-reviewed study demonstrates that while regenerative farming (rotating cattle, chicken, and pigs) requires more than twice as much land, it has the potential to reduce emissions by 66%. That’s a huge climate credit that we can capture just by updating farming practices.

Some farms have even found that carefully managed regenerative grazing practices can actually sequester more carbon into the soil than is produced by raising the livestock.

Just do it, slowly and with intention! Maximize your veggies and don’t be color-blind. Try to make sure half your plate is filled with veggies and make an effort to eat fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors throughout the week.   

Minimize animal protein and feel free to start slowly. You might begin by having meat as a topping or garnish instead of the main event; then move to one meat-free day per week. Eventually, meat could become just a celebration food (for example, on your birthday and other special occasions.)

Increase:

• Fruits and Vegetables
• Legumes (black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils)
• Nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans) and
• Seeds (sesame, pumpkin, flaxseed)
• Whole grains (Quinoa, brown rice, oats, teff)

Decrease:

• White Meat (pork, chicken, turkey, and other birds)
• Eggs
• Dairy Products
• Fish and seafood

Limit or Let Go:

• Restaurant Food (read the description if packed with excessive calories)
• Red Meat (e.g., beef, lamb, mutton, veal, venison, goat)
• Processed Meat (e.g., hot dogs, sausages, burgers, salami, jerky, deli meats)
• Ultra-processed foods (e.g., ready to eat meals, sodas, cookies, noodles)
• Sugar (read your label and look for added sugars)

You must do what works best for you! It is important for you to find a food pattern that works for you. Don’t be afraid to explore and alternate and intertwine your plant-based food preferences- keeping in mind that the goal is to increase plant-based nutrition. 

Here are a few examples of what a day of plant-based eating might look like:

Day 1:

Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal with chopped nuts, fresh or dried fruit, and a plant-based milk like soy, almond, or oat.

Lunch: Green salad topped with quinoa, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, fresh or frozen sweet corn, and sunflower seeds or sliced almonds, drizzled with a lemon and olive oil vinaigrette

Dinner: Black bean burgers with coleslaw and sauteed peppers on the side

Day 2:

Breakfast: Tofu (or egg) scramble with mushrooms, greens, and tomatoes; whole grain toast

Lunch: Roasted red pepper + portobello mushroom sandwich with hummus (and cheese, if you please); carrot sticks and a handful of pistachios on the side

Dinner: Minestrone soup with salad and warm rolls with olive oil for dipping

Take your tastebuds on a global adventure! Try recipes that encourage you to explore plant-based recipes from across continents and cultures. 

A few resources for plant-based recipes include:

• Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
• Bryant Terry’s cookbooks, including Afro Vegan and Vegetable Kingdom
• Serious Eats offers a wealth of vegan and vegetarian recipes you can browse by diet
• Plant Based on a Budget focuses on affordable recipes for vegan dishes of all kinds

Make your meals an opportunity to engage family and friends, not just for the food and fellowship but because together, we truly slow down the effects of climate change.

Climatarian: This diet is based on fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Red meats like beef and lamb are discouraged, although most climatarians consume moderate amounts of pork, poultry, eggs, dairy products, fish, and seafood.

Flexitarian: A less restrictive way of being vegetarian, the flexitarian diet can include eggs, dairy foods, and occasional meat, poultry, fish, and seafood.

Pescatarian: In addition to plant-derived foods, a pescatarian diet includes eggs, dairy foods, fish, and seafood, but no meat or poultry.

Plant-Based Diet: A diet that is primarily based on plant-derived foods, including grains, beans, and nuts in addition to fruits and vegetables, and may include occasional meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood if desired. 

Raw Food Diet: This diet includes eating mainly uncooked, unprocessed foods derived from plants. The raw food diet also emphasizes organic ingredients. Foods may be sprouted, juiced, dehydrated, or blended, but heating foods above 118 degrees Fahrenheit and any other processing is discouraged.

Vegan: A 100% plant-based diet that incorporates no foods derived from animals, often including honey. 

Vegetarian: Also known as lacto-ovo vegetarian, this refers to a plant-focused diet that includes eggs and dairy, but no meat, poultry, or seafood. 

Introduction to Plant-Based Diets + Other Approaches to Sustainable Eating

• What is a plant-based diet and why should you try it?
• The Climatarian Diet
• What is a Climatarian Diet? A Complete Guide to Adopting a Sustainable Eating Approach
• How to eat sustainably without going vegetarian (or vegan)
• A 10-Minute Interactive Guide to a Healthy Plate and a Healthy Planet
• Podcast: Sustainable Diets for Personal and Planetary Health
• Grassfed Beef and Climate Change
• A New Study on Regenerative Grazing Complicates Climate Optimism

Health + Nutrition

• The Power of Plant-Based Eating
• Can a plant-based diet prevent or even reverse chronic disease?
• Do Vegetarians and Vegans Need Nutritional Supplements?
• 5 benefits of plant-based diet

Plant-Based Diets, Pregnancy + Childhood Nutrition

• Pregnancy – A vegan diet while pregnant
• 5 Steps to a Plant-Based Pregnancy Diet
• Are Plant-Based Diets Healthy for Children?

Plant-Based Diets + Protein

• What is plant-based protein?
• Yes, plants have proteins
• Plant Proteins and Kidney Health
• A Nutritionist’s Guide to Plant-Based Protein
• Vegetables High in Protein
• Plant-Based Sources of Protein Infographic

Eating Plant-Based on a Budget

• Is it possible to go vegan amidst inflation? An expert shares what you need to know
• Is it expensive to be plant-based? Quite the opposite, it turns out