Plant foods with as much protein as 100 g of chicken breast
100 g of roasted chicken breast without skin has 31 g of protein (USDA). About 125 g of dry-roasted peanuts hold as much (USDA). So do about 155 g of tempeh (USDA), 180 g of raw firm tofu (USDA) or 345 g of cooked lentils (USDA). The table below has 10 plant foods. They matter because of a review of 32 studies. In it, people who ate the most plant protein had an 8% lower risk of dying than people who ate the least (Naghshi, 2020). Every number links to its source.
The short version
- People who ate the most plant protein had an 8% lower risk of dying than people who ate the least (Naghshi, 2020). In two groups of the same size, that is about 11 deaths for every 12.
- People who ate the most animal protein died about as often as people who ate the least. The likely range runs from a 6% lower to a 5% higher risk of dying, so any gap could be chance (Naghshi, 2020).
- The more plant protein people ate, the lower their risk of dying. Each extra 3% of the day's calories from plant protein came with a 5% lower risk of dying (Naghshi, 2020).
- Animal protein here is protein from meat, eggs and dairy, added together. These studies can't tell meat, eggs and dairy apart, and they didn't test swapping meat for beans.
- The studies counted deaths. They have no figures for muscle.
The protein in 100 g of chicken breast, food by food
Each amount is the weight of that food with 31 g of protein, the protein in 100 g of roasted chicken breast, meat only (USDA). It is worked out from the protein in 100 g of the food and rounded to the nearest 5 g. The lentils and beans are weighed cooked and the oats dry.
| Food | Amount with 31 g of protein | Protein in 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Peanuts, dry-roasted | about 125 g | 24.4 g (USDA) |
| Peanut butter, smooth | about 140 g | 22.2 g (USDA) |
| Almonds | about 145 g | 21.2 g (USDA) |
| Tempeh | about 155 g | 20.3 g (USDA) |
| Firm tofu, raw | about 180 g | 17.3 g (USDA) |
| Oats, dry | about 235 g | 13.2 g (USDA) |
| Whole-wheat bread | about 250 g | 12.4 g (USDA) |
| Edamame, frozen, prepared | about 260 g | 11.9 g (USDA) |
| Lentils, cooked | about 345 g | 9.02 g (USDA) |
| Black beans, cooked | about 350 g | 8.86 g (USDA) |
The studies didn't test these foods one by one, and they didn't test swapping them for chicken. They counted plant protein from the whole diet. The authors name legumes, such as beans and lentils, grains and nuts as major sources of plant protein (Naghshi, 2020). This table compares protein only. It doesn't compare calories or anything else in the foods.
How much more plant protein?
The more plant protein people ate, the lower their risk of dying. Each extra 3% of the day's calories from plant protein came with a 5% lower risk of dying. The likely range is a 2% to 7% lower risk (Naghshi, 2020). On a 2,000-calorie day, 3% is 60 calories. Protein has 4 calories per gram (USDA National Agricultural Library), so that is 15 g of protein.
The study of 715,128 people
Naghshi and colleagues reviewed 32 follow-up studies with 715,128 adults and pooled 31 of them. People were followed for 3.5 to 32 years, and 113,039 of them died (Naghshi, 2020). Most of the studies asked people what they ate. Where the studies gave the figures, the pooling compared those who ate the most of a protein with those who ate the least (Naghshi, 2020).
- Plant protein. The most against the least came with an 8% lower risk of dying. The likely range is a 3% to 13% lower risk (Naghshi, 2020). This rests on 13 reports with 439,339 people (Naghshi, 2020).
- Animal protein. The most against the least came with no clear difference in the risk of dying. The likely range runs from a 6% lower to a 5% higher risk of dying. This rests on 11 reports with 304,100 people (Naghshi, 2020).
- Protein of any kind. The most against the least came with a 6% lower risk of dying. The likely range is a 1% to 11% lower risk (Naghshi, 2020). The authors say the plant protein in it seems to explain that (Naghshi, 2020).
- Dying of heart or blood vessel disease. The most plant protein came with a 12% lower risk than the least. The likely range is a 4% to 20% lower risk (Naghshi, 2020). In two groups of the same size, that is about 7 such deaths for every 8. Animal protein showed no clear link here either (Naghshi, 2020).
- Dying of cancer. Neither plant protein nor animal protein showed a clear link (Naghshi, 2020).
Many people say any extra protein is good for you. In these studies animal protein was protein from meat, eggs and dairy, added together. The authors say combining protein from different animal foods could be why it showed no clear link with dying (Naghshi, 2020).
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How far to trust these numbers
- These studies watched what people already ate, so they can't show that plant protein prevented the deaths. The authors say other differences between people may remain (Naghshi, 2020).
- The studies measured diet in different ways, and the authors say errors in measuring diet can't be avoided (Naghshi, 2020).
- The results of the single studies differed from each other more than chance would explain, for plant protein and for protein of any kind (Naghshi, 2020).
- Most of the studies came from Western countries, so the results may not hold everywhere (Naghshi, 2020).
- The 5% lower risk of dying for each extra 3% of calories comes from 6 of the 13 reports on plant protein (Naghshi, 2020).
Sources
- US Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, SR Legacy foods.
- Naghshi S et al. Dietary intake of total, animal, and plant proteins and risk of all cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMJ, 2020.
- US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library. Food and Nutrition Information Center.