Plant Protein Vs. Animal Protein – Main Differences

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

 

You’ve probably noticed that recently plant-based protein sources have been gaining lots of attention. Some view them as a healthier source of protein than animal proteins, while others say the opposite. But, besides the fact that one is from a live animal and the other is just from a plant, are there any significant differences between plant-based protein and animal proteins?

One of the main differences between plant and animal proteins is their amino acid content. All proteins are made up of amino acids, but certain proteins have more than others. Our bodies use 20 different amino acids, and our bodies make all of them except for 9. The remaining 9 we have to get through the proteins that we consume. This is where animal and plant proteins begin to differ. Animal proteins are considered “complete proteins,” which means that they have all 9 of those amino acids that we need. Most plant proteins are incomplete proteins, as they don’t have all 9 amino acids.

Another difference between animal and plant proteins is the type of iron that they provide. Animal protein sources offer us a kind of iron called heme iron. This kind of iron is more readily absorbed by our bodies than the non-heme iron that plant proteins have to offer.

A final difference between the two protein sources is their protein density relative to their calorie content. Animal proteins offer more protein per calorie than do plant protein sources. In other words, you get more protein bang for your caloric buck when you eat animal proteins. Since plant proteins are a lot lower in protein overall than animal proteins, you’d have to eat a lot more of them to equal the amount of protein you could be getting from a smaller portion of animal protein.

This is only a broad overview of the many differences between plant and animal protein. While there is nothing wrong with either, and both should be included in a healthy diet, animal proteins are the better option, as they have all of the 9 essential amino acids, have better-absorbed iron, and have more protein per calorie.

Did you know that Arizona Agriculture produces lots of fresh, locally-grown animal protein products? Look for Arizona eggs, dairy products, and meats the next time that you’re out shopping!

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Overview of Diets Part 3 – The Paleo, Dukan, and Zone Diets

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

In this final article about diets, we’ll be looking at 3 diets that aren’t as popular as some others, but still deserve some attention! Specifically, we’ll be looking at the paleo diet, the Dukan diet, and the Zone diet.

 

The Paleo Diet

The paleo diet is known for its restriction of certain foods such as grains, dairy, and processed foods. The goal is to eat whole, natural foods and emphasize the consumption of lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. There are a few variations to the paleo diet with some being stricter than others, but the main goal of eating natural and whole foods remains the same.

This diet does help with weight loss and has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, but the downside is that it eliminates whole grains, legumes, and dairy products which all offer great nutrition as well.

 

The Dukan Diet

The Dukan diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that is done in four phases, two of which are focused on weight loss, and the other two are focused on maintenance. In the two weight loss phases, you eat unlimited protein as well as mandatory oat bran. In the two maintenance phases, you begin to add non-starchy vegetables as well as some carbohydrates and fat. Some of the benefits of this diet are a higher metabolic rate and decreased hunger.

 

The Zone Diet

The zone diet is focused on giving your body a low-glycemic load, and it does so by limiting your daily carbohydrate intake to only 35-45% of your diet, while also eating 30% each of both protein and fat. Of the carbohydrates that you eat, you have to make sure that they have a low glycemic index. Reviews on whether this diet helps with weight loss are mixed, but it does reduce heart disease risk.

Hopefully, this series of articles gave you a little bit more insight into some of the different diet protocols that are out there.

When choosing a diet to start following, it’s important to know as much as you can about it and make sure that it is the right one for you! It might also be valuable to consult your doctor especially if you have a large amount of weight that you are planning to lose.

If you want to read up on more articles about dieting, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Overview of Diets Part 2 – Intermittent Fasting and Low-Fat Diets

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Here’s part two of our overview of some of the most popular kinds of diets! In this part, we’ll be breaking down intermittent fasting and the low-fat diet!

 

Intermittent Fasting

Following an intermittent fasting diet has been increasingly popular lately because it’s relatively easy to do, and is very customizable to your specific needs. This diet cycles your body through periods of eating followed by periods of fasting. There are many different methods and timings within this diet, with some fasting and eating periods being separated only by hours, and others being separated by whole days.

Some diet apps even suggest you make slight adjustments to intermittent fasting based on your age.

Some of the perks of intermittent fasting are that it’s an easy way to restrict calories, it is successful for weight loss, boosts metabolism in the short-term, boosts production of HGH (human growth hormone), and improves cellular repair. Another benefit to intermittent fasting that sets it apart from other diets is that it causes less muscle loss than other diets.

 

Low-Fat Diet

The low-fat diet became pretty popular in the 1980s as a way to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Intense low-fat diets aim to limit daily fat intake to 10% of daily calories by limiting the amount of animal products consumed and replacing them with plant-based products. Besides reducing fat, this also increases the amount of carbohydrates you eat and reduces protein intake.

Low-fat diets have been successful for obese individuals, and they can reduce the risk for heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, and can slow the progression of multiple sclerosis. However, the downside to low-fat diets is that fat is an important part of a healthy diet, and not getting enough fat can lead to long-term health issues.

Keep an eye out for part 3! In that final article on diets, we’ll be looking at 3 diets, the paleo diet, the Dukan diet, and the zone diet!

Check out the Fill Your Plate blog for other articles about food and nutrition!

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Overview of Diets Part 1 – Low-Carb and Atkins Diet

Posted on January 8, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

 

The beginning of the New Year motivates us to download diet apps or pull out a diet Book we found at the discount bookstore during the rush of our Christmas shopping. Well, it’s the New Year and time to do some diet considerations if that’s on your list for 2024. Many people find this to be the perfect time to make their resolutions to better their health in one way or another. Often, people begin different diets in an attempt to lose a few extra pounds. But there are so many different diets to choose from! In this article, and the two that will follow, I’ll break down some of the most popular diets so that you can more easily choose the one that will fit you and your needs the best!

So, let’s jump into this series by looking at low-carb diets and the Atkins diet.

Low-carb Diets 

When it comes to low-carb diets, there are various forms of these diets that all have small variations from each other. But they all have the same goal, which is to limit your daily carbohydrate intake to about 20-150 grams per day. By limiting your carbohydrate intake each day, you’re forcing your body to use fat as its main source of fuel rather than carbohydrates, which is its first choice of fuel. Low-carb diets are extremely helpful for weight loss, especially in those who are either obese or overweight and can lead to more than twice the amount of weight loss of other diets. These diets also tend to reduce your appetite, which in turn reduces your caloric intake. One possible downside is that a lack of carbohydrates can cause certain individuals to feel miserable physically.

Atkins Diet –

The Atkins diet is a low-carb diet, but what sets this diet apart from other low-carb diets is that it encourages eating as much fat and protein as you want and eating less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. This diet is done in 4 phases in which you slowly reduce the amount of carbs in your diet. After the completion of the 4 phases, you slowly begin to reintroduce carbs. Following this diet reduces your appetite and increases fullness, due to how satiating fat and proteins are. The Atkins diet has been found to lead to faster weight loss when compared to low-fat diets and is great for reducing belly fat and lowering disease risk.

These are just two of the many diets that we’ll be looking into! Stay tuned for part 2, in which we’ll take a look at the paleo diet, the Dukan diet, and the HCG diet! In the meantime, check out some of the many other articles about dieting on the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Things to Look for in a Protein Bar

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

 

In my opinion, one of the greatest products ever made is protein bars. They’re small, easily packable, and for me, they suffice as a meal. As I’ve tried many different brands and kinds of protein bars, I found that they’re not all the same. There are differences in protein source, caloric content, amount of protein, and how many additives they have. So, here are some suggestions on what to look for when selecting a protein bar!

According to registered dietician Whitney English Tabaie, when it comes to choosing the best protein bar, there are a few things to take into consideration. First is protein content, For a protein bar to actually be considered a good source of protein it must contain 10-20% of your daily protein intake, which is around 15-20 grams. Protein bars must also contain other nutritional elements, such as a sufficient number of calories (200-400), and have some carbohydrate content. Tabaie says that the source of the protein doesn’t really matter unless you have certain dietary restrictions.

While protein bars are a great snack or even meal when you are in a rush or on the go, it’s still great to get our protein from regular meals as well! Regardless of how you get your protein, it’s necessary to get enough of it each day. So, whip up a protein-filled meal or grab a protein bar to fuel your day!

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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