“If All You Ate Were Potatoes, You’d Get All Your Amino Acids” aka Protein

The sentence above is haunting me.

Doug asked:

“I still don’t understand why more care isn’t necessary to avoid deficiencies of the essential amino acids. Is it the case that these amino acids are present in all fruits and vegetables? (I didn’t think this was so, but you mentioned on that other thread that thinking has changed in this regard.) Or is it simply that easy to avoid a deficiency of an essential amino acid by consuming any mixture of fruits and vegetables?”

Doug, I would answer “Yes.” to your last question. I thought it summed up the facts well.

Plants are capable of manufacturing all 20 amino acids, which include the essential amino acids (EAAs), although amounts vary. I checked a number of foods (potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, corn, rice, oatmeal, beans, and others) and found all EAAs in each of these foods. Even an apple which is listed as having 0 grams of protein has all the EAAs, albeit it small amounts.

Since I said in an earlier comment, “No mixing of foods is necessary. If all you ate were potatoes, you’d get all your amino acids,” I felt obliged to back it up. Below is my back-up.

• The first column lists all 8 EAAs for adults.
• The second column lists the World Health Organization’s recommended intake per body weight.
• The third column lists the specific RDI for a 120 lb adult.
• The fourth column lists the amount of each AA in a medium potato, with skin.
• The fifth column lists the amount of each AA in 5 medium potatoes.
• The last column lists the % of recommended intake (for a 120 lb adult) for each AA when 5 potatoes are consumed.