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How To Get Enough Protein on a Plant-Based Diet

Kim
how to get enough protein on a plant-based diet, increasing needs over 50 & 65

Without fail, whenever I tell someone that I’m eating a plant-based diet, the first question is about protein. You have to eat meat to get enough, right? It’s true that protein marketing has exploded in recent years — protein chips, protein cookies, protein waters, even a high-protein latte at Dunkin’ — and a lot of that hype is more about selling a trend than serving your actual health.

But I’ll be honest with you: my own thinking on protein has shifted over the years.

For a long time, I told people not to overthink it — that if you were eating a varied whole food, plant-based diet with enough calories, the protein would take care of itself.

For a lot of people, that’s still largely true. But the more I’ve dug into the research (and worked with more clients over 50), the more I’ve realized that blanket advice doesn’t cover everyone.

I now believe we do need to pay a little more attention and be more intentional about including higher-protein plant foods throughout the day, rather than just assuming it will add up on its own — especially as we get older.

Find Your Protein “Sweet Spot”

Forget the old percentage-of-calories math — it’s outdated and doesn’t account for your actual body weight, activity level, or age. The better approach is to calculate your needs in grams per kilogram of body weight:

  1. Convert your goal or ideal body weight from pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2.
  2. Multiply that number by 1 to 1.5 for a moderate protein range — the sweet spot for most adults who want to maintain and build muscle, keep bones strong, and support immune function as they age.
  3. If you already have sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), aim for the higher end, closer to 1.5 grams per kilogram.
  4. Competitive or professional athletes may need up to 2 grams per kilogram.

For example, a 140-pound goal weight is 140 ÷ 2.2 = about 63.6 kilograms. In the moderate range, that’s roughly 64 to 95 grams of protein a day — easily achievable on a whole food, plant-based diet full of legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

One important note: use your ideal or goal body weight, not your current weight, if you’re actively trying to lose or gain. And remember — protein alone won’t preserve muscle and bone as you age. Resistance training is what tells your body to actually use that protein. The two work together.

Why Protein Needs Increase After 50 (and Especially After 65)

Here’s the part that changed my own thinking: it’s not just that we should eat a bit more protein as we age — our bodies actually need us to. As we get older, our muscles become less efficient at using the protein we eat, something researchers call anabolic resistance. The same amount of protein that easily triggers muscle building in a 30-year-old produces a much smaller response in someone in their 60s or 70s, because aging muscle needs a bigger dose of protein at each meal to “switch on” that same muscle-building signal. Research shows that with an optimal amount of protein, older adults can still build muscle just as well as younger people — the problem is that the standard recommendations, built mainly to prevent outright deficiency, tend to fall short of that optimal amount for older bodies.

This is exactly why “just eat enough calories and don’t worry about it” isn’t the full picture for everyone. It’s genuinely good, sufficient advice for most younger and middle-aged adults. But past 50, and especially past 65, being intentional about getting a solid dose of protein at each meal — rather than assuming it’ll average out over the day — becomes much more important for preserving muscle, strength, and independence as we age.

Did you know that plants have protein?

One thing that shocks a lot of people is that all plants have protein. Yup!

Where do you think rhinos, gorillas, and horses get their protein from? Plants. The grass they eat. And they don’t have any problems getting big and strong!

Vegetable protein is also the CLEANEST protein you can get. Even chicken and eggs aren’t “clean” — they come with a lot of baggage like cholesterol, saturated fat, and TMAOs that can’t be separated from the protein itself. And eggs are little cholesterol bombs at around 200 milligrams each.

There’s protein in ALL plants — even fruit. A big salad with beans can easily give you well over 20 grams, before counting anything else on the plate. And here’s a fact most people don’t know: half of the world’s protein actually comes from whole grains, not beans or meat — another easy, everyday source that’s already on your plate.

Here are a few everyday plant proteins:

Plant-Based Protein Deficiency Is Rare

Have you ever actually heard of someone being protein deficient? It’s genuinely rare. A 2013 study of over 71,000 people published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that vegans and vegetarians were getting, on average, 70% more protein than they needed. Most people going plant-based are comfortably exceeding their needs without even trying.

That said, “just eat enough calories and don’t worry about it” doesn’t cover everyone equally well. As I mentioned above, it’s still solid advice for most younger and middle-aged adults — but it may not go far enough for those of us over 50 dealing with anabolic resistance. That’s the group I’d encourage to be a bit more intentional about protein-rich plant foods rather than leaving it entirely to chance.

And no, you don’t need to combine proteins at each meal — that myth has been long refuted. Your body recycles amino acids and mixes and matches based on what it needs from the variety of plants you eat throughout the day.

What About Soy?

Soy comes up constantly in questions I get, so I wrote an entire post dedicated to it — including the real research on soy and breast cancer risk, bone health, and menopause symptoms. Short version: minimally processed soy (tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk) is safe and even protective. Read the full breakdown here: Is Soy Safe? Separating Facts From Fear.

Is Too Much Animal Protein a Bad Thing?

More protein doesn’t make you stronger or healthier — excess protein is simply converted to fat. A study in Nature Metabolism found that once protein climbs above about 22% of daily calories, the risks start outweighing the benefits, including a higher risk of atherosclerosis.

Excess animal protein is also hard on your kidneys — as many as 1 in 8 people have kidney disease and don’t know it. Plant protein doesn’t cause the same inflammatory-like stress on the kidneys, which is exactly why the National Kidney Foundation now recommends plant-based protein for people at risk.

There’s real data on what happens when you shift your protein sources, too. A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that swapping just 3% of daily calories from animal to plant protein was linked to a 10% lower risk of premature death — up to 24% lower when swapping out eggs, and 15% lower when swapping out red meat.

Why Less Animal Protein Matters

In the landmark book The China Study, Dr. Colin Campbell found that feeding rats 20% animal protein diets caused cancer cells to grow, while 10% animal protein diets did not — and vegetable protein diets didn’t grow cancer at any level, even 20%. He was literally turning cancer on and off with protein source alone.

Processed meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and deli meats are classified as Group 1 Carcinogens — the same certainty-of-evidence category as cigarettes and asbestos, specifically for their link to colorectal cancer. And that risk isn’t abstract: colorectal cancer incidence is now rising fastest in adults under 50, where it has become the leading cause of cancer death in that age group.

None of this is separate from the cholesterol, saturated fat, and TMAO that come packaged with animal protein — you can’t pull out the “good part” and leave the rest behind. That’s exactly why plant protein, which comes bundled with fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients instead, is the cleaner choice.

What About Protein Powder?

Most people eating a varied whole food, plant-based diet don’t need a protein powder at all. But if you are using one, you should know that a 2025 Consumer Reports investigation found concerning lead levels in the majority of popular protein powders tested. I break down exactly which brands, what to look for, and when a supplement actually makes sense in this post: The Hidden Risk in Protein Powders No One Is Talking About.

Plants Are a Clean Protein Source, and So Much More

Not only do plants have plenty of protein, it’s the cleanest and safest protein you can consume, and it comes bundled with all the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients your body needs — nutrients animal products simply don’t have. Most people in the US get only about 10% of their calories from vegetables. Imagine flipping that script and getting the majority of your calories from plants, the way the centenarians in the Blue Zones do.

Ready to Put Protein-Packed Meals on Your Table?

Knowing which plants are high in protein is one thing — actually getting them onto your plate on a busy weeknight is another. That’s exactly why I created my Quick & Easy Plant-Based Power Pack.

Every recipe takes 30 minutes or less, and they’re built around the same protein powerhouses we just talked about — beans, lentils, chia, and whole grains — so you’re not just eating plant-based, you’re eating enough. We’re talking:

These are exactly the kind of protein-rich, whole food, plant-based meals that make hitting your protein sweet spot simple — without spending hours in the kitchen or sacrificing flavor.

👉 Get the Quick & Easy Plant-Based Power Pack

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