# Only ONE protein for the rest of your days **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 30, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939 "2021-12-30T19:40:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/41 "2021-12-31T06:35:36Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Is there any ONE animal, or any one category of animals, Okay, IANAN (I am not a nutritionist) but I’m pretty sure the answer is YES - virtually all sources of animal protein include the 9 required amino acids, so your body will extract the nutrition/protein it needs from that source. [Soy also has all 9 amino acids.](https://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/0101/p43.html) That doesn’t mean that some sources of protein aren’t superior to others in terms of the ratio. Like, if you need one part of each to form a complete “useable protein block” then the value of the protein you eat will be limited by whatever amino acid is present in the smallest amount. But you’ll get _some_ complete protein value from any animal source, because all of the amino acids will be present. Repeat, IANAN. I wouldn’t even make this post if we were in Factual Questions, but since this is Cafe Society I figure I can get away with my half-assed lay-person’s explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/42 "2021-12-31T06:36:09Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > But that’s not just one foodstuff, let alone one protein. Vegetarians are advised, for example, to eat a combination of beans and rice, each of which provides certain amino acids that the other lacks. > > Is there any ONE animal, or any one category of animals, which provides all the necessary amino acids? Or (taking the thread title literally), any one single protein? I’m going to go with the spirit of the OP rather than an overly literal reading of the thread title. I feel it’s clear the OP was asking which single category of animal-derived protein you would choose in addition to a general supply of proteins from non-animal sources. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/43 "2021-12-31T10:26:35Z")
I’d heard eggs are close to having a lot of necessary nutrients. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/44 "2021-12-31T12:40:42Z")
This one was rough for me - poultry is my least favorite of the listed ‘fleshes’, but it’s also the most prevalent one in my diet by a significant margin. I’m unable to cook, which means that what I eat is largely dictated by what’s available for sale in a pre-prepared or microwaveable form, and I tend to avoid hamburgers because with my full beard they tend to be a messy endeavor. Chicken is cheap and everywhere, and cutting it out would limit my already-limited options more than losing anything else. Sad to be stuck with just it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/45 "2021-12-31T12:59:54Z")
I was going to choose pork, but was forced to choose beef for geographic and cultural reasons… ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/46 "2021-12-31T13:40:01Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Or (taking the thread title literally), Maybe don’t do that? ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/47 "2021-12-31T15:08:41Z")
I picked Other, because I would choose eggs. But if eggs count under poultry, then obviously I’d choose poultry instead. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/48 "2021-12-31T16:03:10Z")
I’ve got to go with beef. I use it in pasta dishes, burgers, tacos, dirty tots, meatloaf, chili and so many other things. Making me hungry just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939/49 "2021-12-31T23:32:00Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Gimme a break with this nonsense. No, I won’t. There are many, many sources of protein and I think this is a poorly-designed poll. Nothing like a college statistics class to make a person see holes in all polls. 🙃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-protein-for-the-rest-of-your-days/956939.md?page=2)