Whenever I read about combining proteins, things always say you don't need to combine things in the same meal, and pretty much leave it at that. I want to know more about it...like, do beans, nuts and seeds all have the same type of protein, then veggies and grains have the other kind? What about peas and lima beans, are those counted as legumes or veggie protein? When it comes to bread/grains, does white bread have the same amount of protein as wheat bread?

Protiens are made up of 20 different amino acids. Of these 20, 8 are considered "essential" amino acids, because the body cannot make them, and they are neccessary for life. These are Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine, Methionine, Lysine, Threonine, Phenylalanine, and Tryptophan. A piece of chicken, for example will have large amounts of all of these amino acids, so it's considered a "complete" protien. Most plant foods, however will have more or less of certain amino acids, making them "incomplete". The body is able to store amino acids for a short amount of time and combine them with other amino acids that come along later to make the "complete" proteins it needs.

If you're eating a varied diet of whole grains, legumes and red and green vegetables, you'll get all the amino acids your body needs. You can find the amino acid break down of most foods in the USDA's Nutritional Database (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl). You don't really need to try to decipher that though, as long as you're not a "french fries and soda" vegetarian. :)

soy is a complete protein do you don't need to combine for that

the rest are generall naturally occuring combinations like beans and bread etc

Doesn't something like peanut butter on wholemeal(wheat) bread provide all needed proteins?

Doesn't something like peanut butter on wholemeal(wheat) bread provide all needed proteins?
Yes!
Spinach has a composition of proteins, which is 100% what a human needs. Just an example.
Else like Jess B. and blueserendipity have already said.

Well the thing is, due to digestive problems I can't eat most beans or wheat. I need to eat white bread, and the only beans I can eat are lentils(though I dont eat them that often), green beans, lima beans and hummus. I eat peanut butter a lot. Do you think I'm getting enough of a varied diet?

I'd probably keep a food journal for a week or two - then go to one of the nutritional sites online and see how you're doing.

A really good book on this type of stuff is
"Becoming Vegan"
It talks a lot about how to ensure good nutrition.


Can you eat Tofu and/or Tempeh? (good way to get soy)
Also - Soymilk
Those are all complete proteins

i've beeen told however you don't need to worry about protein combining anymore

just make sure you get a balanced diet

can anyone else verify this?

I know beans and rice make up a full protein.

Combining proteins at meals is not necessary. Newest studies have shown that consuming a wide variety of proteins over time provides adequate protein intake.

i've beeen told however you don't need to worry about protein combining anymore

can anyone else verify this?

Yep. The American Dietetic Assosiation state that.

To explain: It used to be thought that the various ammino acids would not stick around in the body for very long. To ensure that all the bits your body needs were available, it was reccomended to eating a mix of proteins at each meal. Also, it wasn't clear how much of each you needed, so they made some assumptions, which have now shown to be wrong.

Upshot is that the amino acids you need can hang about for a few days (never been able to get a harder number than that), and that the various levels in plants are just fine. Protein combining advice was based off a wrong impression of how the body worked, and thus was incorrect.

Combining proteins at meals is not necessary. Newest studies have shown that consuming a wide variety of proteins over time provides adequate protein intake.

I think she just wants to learn what protein is what.
Even over time - if you are neglecting an entire protein group - you could end up in trouble (doubtful - but possible). Besides it's interesting.

Epski - does your source get more specific about the amount of time?
(just curious as I tend to leave out nuts and seeds a lot)

Here is a basic combination that "go together" (but like everyone says - it's not necessary to combine them - just to eat some from each area regularly)

Legumes + seeds
Legumes + nuts
Grains + legumes

Legumes - Soy Beans, Peanuts, Garbanzos, Kidney Beans, Lentils, etc.

Seeds - sesame, sunflower, poppy, pumpkin, etc. etc.

Nuts - Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Pecans, etc.

Grains - Wheat, Rye, Oats, Rice, Millet, Corn, etc.

Thanks for the responsces but...the point was that I'm not getting a wide variety of proteins. I can't eat beans.

dvmarie- thanks for the info on the types.

Thanks for the responsces but...the point was that I'm not getting a wide variety of proteins. I can't eat beans.

dvmarie- thanks for the info on the types.
If you don´t eat beans or soy products, that doesn´t mean that you´re not getting all the amino acids you need. Do you have any restrictions on your diet?
Someone calculated, if you eat enough brokkoli to meet your calorie-needs you also eat enough protein.
If you eat enough calories of different foods it is practically impossible to miss your protein needs.

Epski - does your source get more specific about the amount of time? (just curious as I tend to leave out nuts and seeds a lot)

I was sorta condensing a variety of sources that all say more or less the same thing anymore. Don't recall a specific duration mentioned, but it they all mentioned that combining proteins at meals is not necessary.

Why do you leave out nuts and seeds? They're so goooood for you!