Why Plant Proteins? – August 2025 Newsletter
Why Plant Proteins?
Hello, this is Dr. Ellen. To optimize health and wellness, I almost always find on my energetic testing that the optimal dietary choice for each individual is moving toward being whole food and plant-based. In this month’s ‘Real Common Sense’ newsletter, I want to take a specific look at the benefits of replacing animal-derived proteins with plant proteins. Most studies support plant proteins as the more healthful choice. I want to review what the studies say.
By the way, if you haven’t had a chance to see my previous newsletters, you can find them on my website, www.drellencutler.com under ‘Free Resources’.
Comparing omnivorous to plant-based diets
Within the past few years, several meta-analyses have suggested that whole food plant-based diets can offer health advantages over omnivorous diets. For example, a 2022 review of studies that examined the effects of vegan diets for at least 12 weeks on cardiometabolic risk factors in people who were overweight or had type 2 diabetes.(1) Those adopting a vegan diet experienced reductions of body weight, body mass index (BMI), long-term blood glucose as shown by glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, total cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). A review from 2020 found that vegan (and to a lesser degree vegetarian) diets are associated with lower C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a major marker of inflammation and a mediator of inflammatory processes.(2) And yet another 2020 review found that non-omnivorous diets, and especially vegan diets, reduce blood pressure when compared with omnivorous diets.(3)
Health concerns of animal-derived vs. plant-derived proteins
Three large prospective studies were published in “JAMA – Internal Medicine” between 2016 and 2020. The total number of participants in the three studies was over 600,000 who were observed over at least a 16-year period. All of the studies found that higher plant (vs. animal) protein intake was inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as all-cause mortality.(4,5,6) Even more importantly, when plant protein was substituted for animal protein, there was an associated decreased rate of overall mortality. In the 2019 study, replacement of red meat protein or processed meat protein with plant protein was also associated with lower cancer-related and CVD-related mortality.(5) And in the 2020 study, substituting plant protein for egg and/or red meat protein resulted not only in lower overall but also cause-specific mortalities, other than deaths from infection, injuries, and accidents.(6)
A number of authorities talk about different types of plant sources of protein to replace animal- derived sources. For example, tree nuts can replace at least some other proteins in the diet. Many are concerned about the potential increased risk of CVD because of the fat content of nuts. However, studies have shown a decrease in various blood test markers of CVD, including total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, ApoB, and triglycerides.(7) Because nuts are energy-dense foods containing high amounts of fat, there has also been concern that their consumption may lead to weight gain and obesity. However, large prospective studies have shown that incorporation of even substantial amounts of nuts into healthy diets does not lead to weight gain or increase the risk of abdominal obesity, and may even help promote weight loss and reduced waist circumference.(8) Nonetheless, I would recommend moderation in nut consumption.
Environmental advantages of plant-based protein
Switching from animal-based to plant-based protein sources can lead to several significant environmental benefits. Because plants convert sunlight directly into food, plant-based systems are more energy-efficient. They bypass the need for first raising and then feeding crops to animals before eventual human consumption. Plant-based protein production generates significantly less greenhouse gases and air pollution than animal agriculture. Plant-based protein actually requires less land for cultivation, thus helping preserve natural habitats. Raising animals requires pasture lands and is an important reason for otherwise unwanted deforestation. And plant-based protein systems use much less water and thus help preserve aquatic systems.(9)
But what about muscle mass and strength?
Some have raised concerns about plant-based proteins generally being considered less able to help build muscle mass (i.e., less anabolic). This concern is because of their specific amino acid content (amino acids being the building blocks of all proteins) and particularly because they tend to have lower levels of the amino acid, leucine.(10) Leucine is a major activator of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin), which is the major regulator of growth in animals, thus helping growth of cell size and cell number, including muscle cells. In childhood, mTOR is important for growth. But in adulthood, it can become the engine of aging.(11)
However, there is evidence suggesting that plant-based diets, when properly planned, can provide protein comparable to omnivorous diets.(12) Two studies were published demonstrating the effects of plant-based protein diets vs. omnivorous diets on outcomes of resistance training programs. In the studies, a high-protein, plant-based diet, one supplemented with soy protein isolate and the other with mushroom-derived (myco)protein, showed no difference in the resulting muscle gains compared to a protein-matched omnivorous diet resulting from a resistance training program.(12,13)
Complete and complimentary plant proteins
The importance of getting a sufficient amount of protein in one’s daily diet has been an ongoing concern for many years. This concern is complicated by getting sufficient amounts of each of the nine essential amino acids (EAA’s), those that the body cannot produce itself. Fortunately, plant-derived proteins can accommodate both. A number of plant proteins are considered to be “complete”, meaning they contain all 9 EAA’s. These include the pseudograins quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat; chia and hemp seeds; soybeans and soy products; spirulina; and nutritional yeast.(14,15)
However, many plant proteins have but are low in one or more of the EAA’s.The simplest way to generate the equivalent of a complete protein is to combine at least two proteins, each complementing the deficiency of the other(s). The best known of these is by combining legumes (generally low in methionine) with grains (generally low in lysine). Classic examples include whole grain pita bread and hummus or lentil soup with whole grain bread.(14,15) However, you do not have to consume these complementary proteins in the same meal. Your body stores amino acids and can combine them as needed at least throughout the day.
The Ellen Cutler Method (ECM)
With my patients, I always use the Ellen Cutler Method (ECM) to energetically identify and then desensitize reactivities related to each patient’s health status. This often includes testing not only for the optimal diet, but also for specific foods to which the patient may be sensitive, including specific plant proteins. I have found that even vegetarians and vegans may have reactivities to specific plant proteins, which I can then energetically clear using ECM protocols. The desensitization is complemented by the use of a high-quality full spectrum digestive enzyme blend at the beginning of each meal, which optimizes the digestion and absorption of nutrients. I recommend ECM ‘Digest Supreme’ or ECM ‘GI Calm’, the latter for those with most gastrointestinal complaints. For those specifically with uncomfortable excess gas causing bloating and flatulence, I recommend ECM GasEnd Supreme.
Till next month, please be well, be healthy, and remember…
“People eat meat and think they will become strong as an ox, forgetting that the ox eats grass.”
―Pino Caruso
Dr. Ellen
References:
“Effects of vegan diets on cardiometabolic health: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials” at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9540559/#:~:text=In%20comparison%20with%20control%20diets,vegan%20diets%20and%20cardiometabolic%20health.
“Systematic review and meta-analysis of the associations of vegan and vegetarian diets with inflammatory biomarkers” at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-78426-8#:~:text=Vegan%20diet%20was%20associated%20with,in%20single%20studies%20so%20far.
“Effects of Vegetarian Diets on Blood Pressure Lowering: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis” at https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/6/1604
“Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality” at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2540540?utm_source=openevidence&utm_medium=referral
“Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in a Japanese Cohort” at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2748453?utm_source=openevidence&utm_medium=referral
“Association Between Plant and Animal Protein Intake and Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality” at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2768358?utm_source=openevidence&utm_medium=referral
“Effects of tree nuts on blood lipids, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure: systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61 controlled intervention trials” at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4658458/
“Effects of Nut Consumption on Blood Lipids and Lipoproteins: A Comprehensive Literature Update” at https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/3/596
“Environmental impacts of alternative proteins” at https://gfi.org/resource/environmental-impacts-of-alternative-proteins/
“Are plant-based and omnivorous diets the same for muscle hypertrophy? A narrative review of possible challenges of plant-based diets in resistance-trained athletes” at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900725000607#:~:text=Following%20a%20well%2Dbalanced%20plant,%2Dcause%20mortality%20%5B26%5D.
“The Enzyme mTOR as an Engine of Aging” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHhloo634s4
“High‑Protein Plant‑Based Diet Versus a Protein‑Matched Omnivorous Diet to Support Resistance Training Adaptations: A Comparison Between Habitual Vegans and Omnivores” at https://r.jordan.im/download/protein/hevia-larra%C3%ADn2021.pdf
“Vegan and Omnivorous High Protein Diets Support Comparable Daily Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Rates and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Young Adults” at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316623126800
“13 Complete Protein Sources for Vegetarians and Vegans” at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/complete-protein-for-vegans
“How to Eat Complete Proteins in Vegetarian and Vegan Diets” at https://integrishealth.org/resources/on-your-health/2022/august/how-to-eat-complete-proteins-in-vegetarian-and-vegan-diets
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information and the products discussed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease.
