The Protein You Need:
Meat, Plants, and Balanced Choices

Protein sources like meat, dairy, and plants all play a role in a sustainable, healthy diet.

Protein is essential for health, supporting muscles, energy, and even brain function.

But with so many opinions on plant-based vs. animal-based protein, it’s easy to wonder what’s best. Here’s the bottom line: Here’s the truth: while both types have a place in a balanced diet, meat offers unique nutritional advantages that can be difficult to replicate with plant-based foods alone.

With all the talk about organic, grass-fed, and plant-based options, making decisions about protein can feel overwhelming. You want to know that the protein you’re feeding your family is safe, nutritious, and sustainable.Understanding the role of meat in delivering essential nutrients can help you feel confident in your choices.

Protein comes from a range of sources, each with its own benefits and challenges. Here’s how these sources stack up:

A cracked egg with its yolk visible, nestled among unbroken white eggs in a carton, highlights nature's complete protein sources essential for family health.

The variety of protein sources available today means we don’t have to rely on any single source. Animal and plant-based proteins complement each other to create a safe, affordable, and sustainable food system. In North America, both types are produced with rigorous safety standards and science-backed farming practices to ensure quality and nutrition.

When choosing protein, you have options that fit your family’s preferences, budget, and nutritional needs. With North America’s food safety standards, you can feel confident that whatever protein source you choose—meat, dairy, or plant-based—is safe, nutritious, and responsibly produced to meet our world’s needs.

A plate of grilled meat with boiled potatoes and a fresh salad of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and dill garnish showcases the bounty made possible by precision agriculture. This method optimizes the use of pesticides and fertilizers in farming for sustainable harvests.

Animal-Based Proteins:

Meat, dairy, poultry, and fish are complete proteins, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids that our bodies can’t produce. These foods are nutrient-dense and provide “bioavailable” nutrients—those that are easy for our bodies to digest and absorb, such as iron, B vitamins, and vitamin A. Red meat, for example, is a top source of iron, which is critical for women of reproductive age and young children, and helps prevent iron deficiency and anemia. Studies show that meat supplies approximately 21% of the world’s protein while only making up about 7% of our global diet, illustrating how efficiently it meets protein needs.

Currently, 38% of the world’s land is used for agriculture, and only 33% of that is arable—land suitable for growing food crops. This means less than 13% of all land on Earth can grow food-grade plants. The rest is non-arable land that’s primarily used for grazing livestock. By using this land, livestock production provides essential protein while supporting soil health, conserving sensitive species, and promoting ecosystem balance. Livestock can also make use of “feed grains” and by-products from crops we eat, such as corn stalks, spent brewery grains, and other plant materials left after harvest.

Plant-Based Proteins:

Foods like beans, lentils, nuts, grains, and newer meat alternatives (like pea- and soy-based products) are valuable sources of protein. However, most plant proteins are not “complete proteins” and need to be carefully combined (like rice and beans) to deliver all essential amino acids. While there are some complete plant proteins, such as quinoa and chickpeas, a fully vegetarian diet may require careful planning to avoid nutritional deficiencies in amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Additionally, processed meat alternatives may contain high levels of salt, saturated fats, and calories—so not all plant-based options are inherently healthier.

Plant-based proteins can play a valuable role in a balanced diet, but it would be impossible to meet global protein demands with plants alone. They are often less efficient sources of protein than animal products, making meat an essential component in addressing global food security and malnutrition, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where plant-based diets may be impractical.

References

Anderson, S. (2023, January 17). Cattle and land use: The differences between arable land and marginal land. UC Davis. https://clear.ucdavis.edu/explainers/cattle-and-land-use-differences-between-arable-land-and-marginal-land-and-how-cattle-use

Cleveland Clinic. (2022, December 6). What are complete proteins? Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/do-i-need-to-worry-about-eating-complete-proteins

Forks Over Knives. (n.d.). Forks Over Knives. https://www.forksoverknives.com

Gallup. (2024). Nutrition and food. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/6424/Nutrition-Food.aspx

Ipsos Mori. (2018, August). An exploration into diets around the world. Ipsos Mori. https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2018-09/an_exploration_into_diets_around_the_world.pdf

Ireland, C. (2008, April 3). Eating meat led to smaller stomachs, bigger brains. The Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/04/eating-meat-led-to-smaller-stomachs-bigger-brains/

Lenhoff, A. (2019, August 20). Beef Whopper vs Impossible Whopper: Which is healthier? Fast Food Nutrition. https://fastfoodnutrition.org/news/beef-whopper-impossible-whopper-which-healthier-1566337500

Leroy, F., et al. (2023, April 15). The role of meat in the human diet: Evolutionary aspects and nutritional value. Frontiers in Animal Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfac093

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