We don’t need nearly as much protein as we consume

<i>Fortunately, it’s difficult to have too much protein. While we do have an upper limit of protein intake, it’s “virtually impossible” to reach, says Tipton.</i><p>This is the most important part of the whole article. You might be able to drop your protein consumption, but overshooting is far better than undershooting, and legumes are one of the cheapest foods you can buy.

As a competitive powerlifter and bodybuilder I completely agree with this article. The average reader of BBC does not need nearly the protein requirements of an athlete, and the daily minimums are very easy to get with a plant-based diet.<p>Even for athletes, there has been little evidence for effective doses above .82g&#x2F;lb LBM (lean body mass, which is even lower than total body mass). I only get up to 1g&#x2F;lb total body mass when I&#x27;m in an aggressive cut because of a few reasons:<p>1. Protein and fiber are the two most satiating of nutrients<p>2. Protein has the highest thermic effect (meaning it requires more energy to burn than other macronutrients, so given 2000 kcal of protein vs carbs, you&#x27;ll burn more calories simply eating the protein).

&gt; &quot;Most experts agree with Tipton that protein is best consumed in food instead of supplements. But there are some exceptions, such as athletes who find it difficult to hit their daily protein targets&quot;<p>Is protein from food inherently better than the protein you get from a supplement?

When I told people in the past I&#x27;m a vegetarian they often ask &quot;buhhhh how did you get your proteeeeinz?&quot;<p>They&#x27;ve often been misled by the meat and agriculture industry

There is a feedback loop between the over-availability of protein, the way it&#x27;s marketed, and our eating habits. A global meat eating detente (I&#x27;m not saying we should all become vegetarian) would be good for the environment, animal welfare, and public health. It would only be bad for a handful of massive corporations.

People have become so convinced of madeup truths to argue for meat consumption like &quot;WHERE WILL YOU GET YOUR PROTIEN??&quot;. This fake science designed to sell products needs to end. I&#x27;m glad there&#x27;s some reporting on it but how can you re-educate the public when their former education on the matter was profit-boosting lies?<p>offtopic: Why does this site consistently serve me thumbnails-as-hero-images? I&#x27;m starting to think its intentional but maybe something is wrong on my end.

Put another way...we don&#x27;t need as much __animal__ protein as we consume.<p>It takes a significant amount of veg crops to feed an animal (chicken, cow, pig, etc.) But as long as we over consume animal protein there will be justification for GMOs.