sporadic,
No.
I've been a vegetarian for years, I weight train and run 20 miles a week, I am 5' 8" and 140 pounds, I am rather well defined and impressively fit from the comments I've heard people tell me, and I've never touched a protein shake.
You don't need one if your diet is adequate. Even a diet without meat (any meat) is high enough in protein that protein supplements of any kind are not necessary.
Wasn't it Carl Lewis who was a well-known runner and vegetarian? I don't think that I'm the only one.
You will, of course, need to complement one amino acid profile with another (the old "beans and grains," for example) to get all the amino acids you need to produce all the proteins that you need, but we can do it on a vegetarian diet very easily. Many of us have been doing that for a long time.
While plant proteins tend to be absorbed about half as well as meat proteins (in the case of soy, about 59% as well), the effective difference in a normal diet is small.
This abstract from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that the human energy difference between a soy-protein diet and a pork-protein diet was 2-3%:
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/5/1135?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=vegetable+protein&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT
That's not much, really, and the way we eat we will more than overcome that difference by eating just a little more soy.
Now, protein shakes probably won't hurt you, but they won't help. There's so much protein to be had in non-meat meals, what with lentils, all the beans that there are (black and cannellini are my favorites), soy products like soy milk, veggie burgers, even roasted soy nuts (I mix them with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and just a little granola-type cereal), that protein shakes are not ever needed.
Ever.
2007-08-18 17:35:50
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answer #1
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answered by eutychusagain 4
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Protein is essential for muscle growth and vegetables do not provide enough: if you are a practicing vegetarian then I suggest you add protein shakes to your diet.
Here is a link to a calculator that will determine for you how many grams of protein you should have in your diet everyday - based on your weight and goals.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calpro.htm
2007-08-19 00:41:43
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answer #2
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answered by Omar C 1
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the bioavailability of proteins from non-animal sources is very poor. the bioavailability is how much usable protein is available for biological functions after digestion. if a cup of vegetables provides 3 grams of protein after digestion there may be 1.5 left, not enough to make a difference.
2007-08-19 00:47:30
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answer #3
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answered by lv_consultant 7
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Veggies don't provide protein.
2007-08-19 00:25:34
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answer #4
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answered by Emily Dew 7
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as much protein you can get, the better. i would stick with both and eat more chicken. lol
2007-08-19 00:29:22
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answer #5
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answered by enchilladasrgood 3
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Get yourself a book on nutrition because you're talking about chalk and cheese.
2007-08-19 00:30:22
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answer #6
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answered by scratchpole 2
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not necessary, but no matter what you eat theyre probably going to help
2007-08-19 00:30:19
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answer #7
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answered by remix_writer_mix 1
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