Is Animal Protein Better than Plant-Based Protein?

The Science Behind Nutrient Density: Why Beef Outranks Plant-Based Protein

If you have a baseline understanding of nutrition, you know that not all protein is created equal. While plant-based proteins have gained popularity in the past 10-15 years, animal proteins offer distinct advantages in bioavailability, nutrient density, and complete amino acid profiles.

TLDR: plant protein is like a puzzle missing several key pieces, while animal protein fits together to form a complete picture of nutrients that your body needs.

Protein Content (per 1 oz serving)

• 100% Grass-Fed Steak: 6.2g protein (source: USDA)

• 100% Grass-Fed Rump Roast: 5.9g protein (source: USDA)

• 100% Grass-Fed Ground Beef (80% lean / 20% fat): 4.9g protein (source: USDA)

• Grain-Fed Steak: 6g protein (source: USDA)

• Grain-Fed Rump Roast: 5.8g protein (source: USDA)

• Grain-Fed Ground Beef (80% lean / 20% fat): 4.9g protein (source: USDA)

• Wild Caught Salmon: 5.6g protein (source: USDA)

• Wild Caught Ahi Tuna: 6.6g protein (source: USDA)

• Pasture-Raised Chicken Breast: 5.9g protein (source: USDA)

• Pasture-Raised Eggs: 3.5g protein (source: USDA)

• Soybeans: 10.3g protein (source: USDA)

• Peas: 1.54g protein (source: USDA)

• Rice: 2g protein (source: USDA)

• Hemp Seeds: 8.9g protein (source: USDA)

Bioavailability

Bioavailability–how efficiently your body can actually absorb and use the protein, is super important. Animal proteins are highly bioavailable, since they contain all essential amino acids in the right ratios. Plant proteins on the other hand, often miss key amino acids or have them in wrong proportions. Let’s break this down (no pun intended 😂)

Protein in the body is not actually used until it is digested and broken down into peptides and then amino acids. Amino acids are then absorbed through the small intestine where they enter the bloodstream. Bioavailability can then be tested by measuring the amount of amino acids in the bloodstream. (source: Ingredient Optimized) 

“A Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) is a rating of how well a protein provides the amino acids the human body needs.” (source: Wikipedia) Let’s take a look at the PDCAAS Score for each protein below:

• Beef: 0.92

• Eggs: 1.0

• Salmon: 0.94

• Soy: 0.91

• Pea: 0.73

• Rice: 0.47

While soybeans have a high PDCAAAS score, they lack methionine and peas lack cysteine.

Plants also contain some “anti-nutrients” including:

• Phytates and lectins which block protein absorption

• Fiber that can reduce nutrient uptake

• Your body must work harder to break down plant cell walls

So while soybeans might have 10.34g protein per oz vs beef's 4.87g, you might only absorb 60-70% of the soybean protein versus 90-95% of the beef protein. There are also several other downsides to soy-based protein (full article here), including phytoestrogens that can affect your hormone levels, lectins which can affect digestion, heavy GMO and pesticide use in soybeans and processing concerns with soy isolates which require hexane chemical extraction and high temperatures which can damage protein structure.

Think of it like this: Plant protein is like a puzzle with missing pieces. Animal protein is like a complete puzzle ready to use.

Nutrient Density

In addition to higher bioavailability, animal proteins provide essential nutrients often lacking in plant proteins.

List of Nutrients in 100% Grass-Fed Beef:

• High in protein, with a complete amino acid profile

• Healthy fats

• Omega-3s and omega-6s. Typically a 2:1 ratio which is healthier than grain-fed beef at 6:1 or even 8:1. When this ratio gets too high it can promote inflammation.

• Rich in CLAs

• CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is a fatty acid found naturally in meat and dairy products which may help reduce inflammation, may help lower body fat and has potential cancer fighting properties. Grass-fed beef contains 2-3 times more CLA than grain-fed beef since the grass and fresh forage allows cattle to produce more CLA naturally in digestion.

• High in iron, zinc and vitamin B12

• Good source of potassium, copper, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin A, B1, B2, B5, biotin and folate

• Contains creatine and carnitine, and choline

For an even more comprehensive breakdown of the nutritional info of 100% grass-fed beef, including explanations of the proteins, fats, amino acids, vitamins and mineral contents of grass-fed beef, read our article here.

Let’s continue with our breakdown of other popular protein sources in comparison to plant protein sources. By the end of this, you should have a pretty good understanding of these protein sources stack up, and why we use 100% grass-fed beef in our bars.

List of Nutrients in Wild Salmon

• Complete protein source with high bioavailability.

• Packed with omega-3s that your body can actually use (unlike plant sources that need converting).

• Loaded with vitamin D (fish get plenty of sun, even though it is filtered through water).

• Contains astaxanthin - nature's most powerful antioxidant great for your brain and eye health (also what makes it pink).

• High in selenium (which supports healthy thyroid function).

• B-vitamins galore, especially B12 which you won't find naturally in plants.

Pasture-Raised Eggs

• Another great protein source, with all the amino acids you need.

• Choline-rich (excellent for brain function).

• Loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin, which are like sunglasses for your eyes.

• Vitamin D from happy pasture-raised hens that actually get the sun on their feathers.

• K2 which helps your body make strong bones (higher in pasture-raised chickens which also eat insects and grass).

What Plant Proteins Miss

🚫 B12: no way around it, plants just don't have it. If you see plant protein powder with B12, it has been added, or “fortified” as it generally says on the label.

🚫 Heme iron, which helps the red blood cells in your body carry oxygen. Heme iron is different from regular iron in that your body absorbs it 3x better.

🚫 Real DHA/EPA omega-3s (not the hard-to-convert plant version called ALA omega-3s found in flax, flaxseed oil, canola oil and soybean oil)

🚫 Complete amino acid profiles, which is typically why pea and rice proteins are mixed together.

🚫 Creatine and carnosine, which both aid muscle growth; creatine has also been proven to help improve brain function.

For example, soy protein is often lacking in methionine (an essential amino acid), while pea protein is low in methionine and cysteine. Rice protein is deficient in lysine. 

Why Plant-Based Protein Bars Aren’t So Great

Most plant-based protein bars use heavily processed protein isolates - think soy, pea, or rice proteins stripped from their natural state using chemical solvents. These proteins are harder for your body to use (less bioavailable) so 20 grams of plant-based protein is not the same as 20 grams of beef protein; a good amount of that plant-based protein is not bioavailable, meaning your body simply expels it as waste. 

Plant-based protein bars also often lack essential amino acids, and need artificial flavors and sweeteners to mask their chalky taste.

As a result, a lot of these plant-based protein bars also contain additives including: 

• Maltodextrin which is a processed corn derivative used as a sweetener.

• Xantham and guar gum, which are used as thickeners and can cause digestive issues in some folks.

• Methylcellulose, a synthetic fiber used as thickener, which can also cause digestive issues.

• Carrageenan, another thickener, carrageenan has no nutritional value, and is extracted from red seaweed using harsh chemical processes. It has been banned in infant formula in the European Union due to health concerns and is linked to inflammation and digestive problems in some studies.

• Soy lecithin, an emulsifier derived from processed GMO soybeans which helps ingredients “stick together”

• "Natural flavors" (which aren't that natural by the way, but that’s a story for another blog post). 

Plus, to make up for missing amino acids, companies mix different plant proteins together - that's why you'll see "pea and rice protein blend" on labels. Compare this to beef protein, which naturally contains everything your body needs with no chemical processing required.

The Bottom Line

While both animal and plant proteins can contribute to a healthy diet, animal proteins generally offer superior:

• Protein bioavailability

• Nutrient density

• Complete amino acid profiles

• Naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.

When you take the time and invest in quality animal proteins, the benefits stack up even more, with higher sources of vitamins and minerals from the natural grass, forage and natural diets that they originally were designed for. When you feed beef or even salmon grains, their body can’t digest or absorb the nutrients as well, so you in turn get lower levels of complete protein, vitamins and minerals from the meat.

This is exactly why we use 100% grass-fed (grass-fed, grass-finished and pasture-raised) beef in our bars–nature's original complete protein, fat and nutrients package. No engineering required. For optimal nutrition, focus on quality animal proteins from regenerative sources (grass-fed and pasture-raised), which 

1. Provide superior nutrition for humans,

2. have several environmental benefits for the planet (improves soil health, better carbon sequestration), and

3. take into consideration the quality of life for the animal that is providing your nutrition.