Every single time I tell someone what I actually eat, I get the same question: "But what do you do for protein?"
It's such a reflex at this point that I can usually see it coming before they even ask. And every time, they're a little shocked when I tell them the truth: beans, whole grains, and nuts have plenty of protein. More than that, they come with something meat and dairy don't, which is fiber. And fiber, not protein, is the thing I think most people should actually be paying attention to.
Somewhere along the way, "eat more protein" became one of those pieces of conventional wisdom nobody questions. The problem is that chasing protein numbers tends to push people toward meat and dairy, and there's a growing body of research suggesting those foods, especially in the quantities a high-protein diet requires, aren't doing our gut bacteria or our inflammation levels any favors. Meanwhile the foods that get waved off as "just carbs," things like beans, lentils, whole grains, and nuts, are some of the best fiber sources that exist, and fiber is what feeds a healthy gut microbiome and helps keep inflammation down.
The complete protein myth
The other misconception I run into constantly is that plant protein isn't "complete," meaning it's missing some of the essential amino acids your body needs. This one isn't true either, for two reasons.
First, some plants are complete proteins on their own. Soybeans (including tofu), quinoa, and pistachios all carry the full amino acid lineup, no combining required.
Second, even when an individual plant food is missing an amino acid or two, beans and grains complement each other. Beans are typically lower in the amino acids that grains have plenty of, and grains are typically lower in the ones beans have plenty of. Eat both over the course of a day (beans on a corn tortilla, rice and lentils, whole wheat toast with peanut butter, hummus and a whole wheat pita) and you end up with a complete protein without ever touching meat or dairy. You also don't need to combine these at every meal. You could have soaked oats for breakfast and beans for dinner and end up with a complete protein that way.
So the honest answer to "what do you do for protein" is: I don't do anything special for it. A diet built around beans, whole grains, and nuts gets you all the protein you need automatically, and it brings fiber, gut health benefits, and lower inflammation along with it that a meat-and-dairy-heavy, protein-focused diet doesn't.
Quick disclaimer before I go further: I'm not a dietician or a doctor, and none of this is medical or dietary advice. This is just what I've learned and experienced firsthand. Please talk to your physician before making any changes to your diet, especially a change as big as the one I made.
What it's actually done for me
I've been eating this way for a few years now, and I track my numbers, so I have the receipts.
A few things jump out looking back at this. You will see I made progress in 2020-2021 because during COVID, I ate mostly at home exactly like this. Then in 2022 when I went back to the office and back to traveling, my numbers drifted in the wrong direction. The real turn happened in 2024 once I fully committed to this way of eating, not just cutting back here and there. Since then, my weight has dropped from a high of 188 lb to 165 lb, my total cholesterol has gone from above the normal max of 200 down to 137, my LDL has dropped from 125 to 81 (well under the normal max of 100), and my body fat has gone from around 30% down to under 20%.
I'm not sharing this to tell anyone what to do. I'm sharing it because it's the most convincing argument I have, and it's my own body, tracked over years, not a headline.
If you want to go deeper on the thinking behind this, I've written before about why beans specifically, the Blue Zones research this is all rooted in, and my broader reasons for going vegan. This post is really just the updated, personal, "here's what actually happened" version of that same thread.
Reminder: I'm not a dietician or a doctor. This post reflects my personal experience only, not medical or dietary advice. Talk to your physician before changing your diet.
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