Choosing quality protein—whether animal or plant-based—can have a profound impact on your health and the planet. This guide focuses on how to make thoughtful protein selections while honoring your own body’s needs and values.

Listen to Your Body

There’s no universal “perfect” protein plan. Bodies, activity levels, and dietary needs all change over time. Work with a nutritionist to determine your personal daily protein needs. Most importantly, pay attention to how different foods make you feel, and adjust accordingly.

Animal Protein: Sourcing and Quality

Animal proteins include meats (beef, pork, lamb, chicken, duck, turkey, venison, bison), seafood (fish, shrimp, scallops), as well as eggs and dairy (yogurt, cheese, milk).

Prioritize Quality

  • Invest in the highest-quality animal protein your budget allows. If needed, opt for smaller portions and supplement with plant proteins rather than compromise on quality.

  • Grass-fed, pasture-raised, and wild-caught options are best.

    • These animals have healthier diets and better living conditions, leading to higher omega-3s, vitamin E, B vitamins, beta carotene, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in the meat and eggs.

    • Pastured eggs are significantly higher in vitamin D than standard eggs.

Factory-Farmed vs. Pasture-Raised

  • Factory-farmed meats often contain more inflammatory fats and residues from antibiotics, hormones, or genetically modified feed, which may impact your health and contribute to chronic disease risk.

  • The diet and environment of the animal directly influence the quality of the food on your plate.

How to Choose Responsibly

  • Buy local when possible. Seek out farms with humane animal husbandry, responsible feed (no GMO grain or industrial byproducts), and a focus on soil health (known as regenerative farming).

  • Look for certifications or clear labeling (grass-fed, pasture-raised, wild-caught).

  • If in doubt, ask farmers or butchers about sourcing and practices. Farmers are often eager to discuss their animals and methods.

  • Use resources like the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch to select sustainable seafood.

Portion Guidance

  • Animal protein can be part of a balanced plate, but vegetables and fiber-rich plant foods should be the stars. A palm-sized serving or about a quarter of your plate is a practical guideline. Perhaps more if you are actively building muscle, desiring to release weight, or other reasons.

The Role of Gratitude

Remember, every animal protein comes from a living creature. Pausing to acknowledge this and eat with gratitude adds meaning to your meal and can help foster a connection to your food and where it came from. In culinary school, before we began to prepare any meat or poultry, we were taught to take a moment to give thanks. This quiet moment was honoring and a small way to place value on another life. To this day, I still often do this, and I hope we never lose touch with our connnection to the living, natural world.

Advice from a Local Farmer

“Figure out what is important to you—local sourcing, regenerative practices, animal welfare, feed quality, or ingredient avoidance. Take time to talk with small farmers, as certifications may be lacking but quality and transparency can be high. Trust your relationship with your food source.”
— Robert Greenlaw, Earth’s Echo Farm

 

Plant-based protein:

The top sources are legumes, with lentil, soybeans (edamame, tofu, tempeh), and chickpeas/garbanzo as the top. Additional legumes include: lima, black, azuki, cannellini, and heirloom varieties. Rancho Gordo has a ton of fun and delicious varieties to indulge in (Christmas Limas are a personal favorite). Other sources include whole grains like brown rice, wild rice, steel cut oats, farro; seed grains like quinoa and millet; nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp hearts contain small amounts of protein.

Mushrooms and leafy greens have protein, too, with broccoli, spinach, and brussel sprouts at the top of the list.

If you tolerate dairy, choose quality sources as mentioned above: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and aged cheese are a few of my top recommendations.

Consider some of the following combinations to construct a protein-rich, plant-based meal. Ask yourself, can I add nuts like cashews, crushed almonds, pecans, and walnuts to this? Or seeds like hemp seed, sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds for extra crunch, fat, and protein?

Here are a few combinations to try for a more balanced meal and adequate plant-based protein intake:

  • Squash + lentils/beans + vegetables
  • Brown rice + lentils/beans + vegetables
  • Beans + brown rice/quinoa/millet + vegetables + hemp seed, toasted pumpkin seeds
  • Brown rice + vegetables + fried egg + sesame seeds
  • Steel cut oats + almond/peanut butter, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax meal, pistachios, dried cherries
  • Bean soup + a scoop of whole grain or seed grain + dollop of Greek yogurt + crushed almonds
  • Tempeh or tofu + vegetable stirfry or roasted served over quinoa + chopped nuts on top
  • Stuffed portabellas + vegetables + goat cheese + pine nuts

 

TIP: Not everyone digests beans well. This goes back to listening to your body. But do make sure you properly prepare dried beans by soaking them in water for 6-8 hours or overnight. Rinse well. Add a 2-3″ stick of kombu seaweed to the pot during cooking and fish it out before serving. This goes a long way to remove some of the phytic acid and gas-causing compounds; the kombu also imparts a load of minerals and tenderizes the beans, making them more digestible. If you buy canned beans, try brands like Eden Foods that soak their beans and prepare them with kombu. Rinse beans well. 

 

Check out these recipes:

Lively Lentil Soup by Heidi Swanson – serve with roasted squash of choice for a balanced meal.

Marinated Peanut Tempeh by Minimalist Baker – add these to any stir-fried veggies

Crispy Miso Chickpeas Bowls with Garlic Sesame Dressing by Minimalist Baker

Smoky Vegetarian Red Beans & Rice by Vegetarian Ventures

Vegetarian Pad Thai by Well Plated — peanuts, eggs, and edamame are a delicious protein combination!

Date-sweetened Steel Cut Oats by Pure Roots Nutrition – add a scoop of almond butter to your oats or a hard-boiled egg on the side

If you’re a vegetarian – use these combinations and enjoy a variety of plant-based protein. You do NOT have to eat tofu every day. Variety is important, ok?

If you’re a meat eater, or an omnivore, mix it up with animal protein-based meals and plant-based meals, too!

Whether you eat meat or not, the goal is to:

 

Michael Pollan makes nutrition so simple here. If you’re unsure of what approach to take, this philosophy is a solid place to start.

If you’d like guidance on how to balance your meals and eat in a way that’s right for you, check out my 1-1 Nutrition Consulting Services.