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Re:Is There Enough Meat for Everyone? by slayed0 on Wednesday April 22, 2015 @11:00AM (#9420899)
Yes, (most) protein on this planet was created by plants, but not all protein is equal. Most proteins from plants are not complete proteins and cannot sustain a human being. This is not true of animal protein. Yes you can combine various plant proteins together to form complete proteins, but the answer is not as simple as: just eat plants.
Re:Is There Enough Meat for Everyone? by dragonwriter on Wednesday April 22, 2015 @11:20AM (#9421055)
> Most proteins from plants are not complete proteins and cannot sustain a human being.

There are many individual plant protein sources that are not complete proteins, and some of the ones that provide complete proteins provide a low ratio of protein to other macronutrients and may not, for that reason, be suitable alone as a primary protein source. But there are plants that individually supply complete protein without this problem, and more importantly there are well-known and combinations of plant protein sources that do this -- they are often the staple foods of various cultures, since in pre-modern times very most agriculture societies didn't produce meat in sufficient quantities for it to be the main protein source, so if adequate plant sources didn't exist, neither would civilization.

(That being said, the heavy focus on soy in the market means there aren't as many convenient options meat-avoiding, soy-allergic/intolerant people as for either meat eaters or soy-tolerant folks.)

Re:Is There Enough Meat for Everyone? by astazangasta on Wednesday April 22, 2015 @11:06AM (#9420943)
This is incorrect. What, pray tell, is a "complete protein?" There are no amino acids in animals that are not found in plants. You appear to be wholly misinformed on this subject.
Re:Is There Enough Meat for Everyone? by slayed0 on Wednesday April 22, 2015 @11:16AM (#9421015)
"A complete protein (or whole protein) is a source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all nine of the essential amino acids necessary for the dietary needs of humans or other animals"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein

Many plants have "complete" amino acid profiles but one or more amino acids are too low to be completely adequate for humans. In this case, another protein source with a supplemental amino acid profile is required in order to balance out the deficiency in the first.

Re:Is There Enough Meat for Everyone? by astazangasta on Wednesday April 22, 2015 @11:25AM (#9421097)
Quoting from your own source: >Nearly all foods contain all twenty amino acids in some quantity, and nearly all of them contain the essential amino acids in sufficient quantity.

You don't need to eat meat to get your protein.

Re:Is There Enough Meat for Everyone? by JoeAltmaier on Wednesday April 22, 2015 @11:36AM (#9421172)
But traditional foods in America included beans, corn, squash. Presumably to get a reliable source of protein. The natives weren't dieticians; they ate that because villages with that tradition thrived.

So protein quality and quantity can't likely be insured by eating any old vegetables. Its not as simple as 'don't eat meat'.