Mark Bittman’s vegan protein deficiency

[Guest guest]

So much for " Vegan Before Six. " With the help of a Today Show nutritionist, Mark

Bittman has decided that he is protein-deficient. This celebrity chef, in an

attempt to eat more healthfully without giving up the foods he loves, devised a

plan to eat vegan meals up until dinner time—at which point he could eat

whatever he liked, including meat, dairy and eggs.

 

But while training for the New York City marathon, Bittman noticed he was

feeling more fatigued than usual. The problem, he was told, was that he was not

getting enough " complete proteins. " Bittman claims he feels better now that he

is adding concentrated proteins—like tofu, sardines and eggs—to his post-workout

meals.

 

Athletes do have higher protein needs, but they also consume more calories. And

when the calories come from healthful whole plant foods, protein intake is

automatically increased. There are plenty of full time vegan athletes, including

elite athletes, who have no trouble meeting protein needs. So it's curious that

Bittman couldn't get enough protein on a diet that was only partially " vegan. "

 

In addition to boosting his protein intake, he started having energy-rich snacks

before his work outs. I suspect that those meals were more likely the reason he

began to feel better during his runs than the eggs he ate afterwards.

 

I don't really want to pick on Mark Bittman. I appreciate any effort to get

people more focused on plant foods. And I know, too, that most people still

don't get it that protein is not an issue on vegan diets.

 

But when vegans eat a variety of whole plant foods and consume enough calories,

it is easy to meet protein needs. And those who are committed to a vegan diet

for the right reasons—ie, as part of a lifestyle to eliminate animal

suffering—will always find a healthful and responsible way to make that diet

work.

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