I eat food.
Protein isn’t hard to get. I probably get around 70-90g/day vegan (sometimes more). That comes mainly from grains, legumes, and tofu. There’s some from peanut butter and tahini as well, but it’s mostly fat by calories. I weigh \~125 lb/56 kg, so I’m getting somewhere around 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg (which falls within recommendations for active people and certainly above recommendations for people who aren’t so active). Sometimes I take a protein powder, but it’s a convenience thing and certainly not necessary (i.e. after early morning runs when I need to eat something but don’t want to sit down and eat a full meal yet).
Fat isn’t hard to get either. Plenty of sources. Nut butters, oils if you like oils, avocados, nuts and seeds, etc.
There are none. The Fat soluble vitamins found in animal products are necessary for a healthy diet. This is why there are a lot more ex-vegans than there are vegans.
If you are vegetarian than raw dairy and pasture raised eggs are your best bet.
Part 2:
​
>how do you get enough protein and healthy fats in?
I hope you realize that every single animal recycles amino acids from their diet. Plants create all essential fatty acids and amino acids. They work together with bacteria and fungi to liberate the nitrogen needed to create them.
The nuance with amino acids are the ratios due to differing functional groups. The human body hates using protein for energy. This is because in order for the amino acids to be transformed into ATP or lactic acid, toxic by products like ammonia and Sulphur are produced.
For the majority of people, eating their daily amount of calories from plant foods will get them all the sodium, protein, fats and carbs you need to thrive.
Unfortunately, modern humans have been sold a lie to maximize our output in the work force. The paradigm of 3 high calories meals a day increases risk of metabolic disease, while making us feel guilty for feeling hungry when some of the requirements to feel sated are missing. This includes volume, Micronutrients, water, and fibre. Now we mostly use caloric content.
Please use cronometer and put 2500kcals of different plant foods. I don’t mean beans, lentils, legumes, and nuts. Try low calorie foods like potato, or carrots. Of course as modern humans we can enjoy a wide range of high caloric, macro dense plant foods.
I did want to speak more on protein, and especially fats, but I am tired, and this is already to long to retain peoples attention.
>What are good replacements?
None. Nothing beats a lycopene filled tomato, or a quercetin filled red onion, the fibre from black beans, or the antioxidants of blueberries.
What does meat offer us?
Nommy nom noms, especially when seasoned with plants.
Caloric density, and macronutrient density. This is good for gains, not cancer.
Environmental pollutants bioaccumulate up the food chain, is caloric density worth the estradiol, and progesterone? Is it worth the TMAO? To some sure! Please enjoy, but please have honest, and informed choice.
Even if you disagree with me, could peer review me, and let me know if my inferences are reasonable. If you wanted to go deeper, I could start to add mechanistic, Anthropic, and population data sources.
All the best, stay safe.