Protein in Vegetarian and Vegan Eating Patterns: What Studies and Dietetic Bodies Say

What the position statements say

These are abstracts we read from PubMed; we did not read the full papers.

"Appropriately planned" is part of every statement. They are consensus positions based on reviews, not guarantees for any one person.

What the NHS and Health Canada say

• Vegetarian (NHS, reviewed March 2026). The NHS says most vegetarians usually have enough protein and calcium in their diet. [5] It says pulses are particularly important for people who do not get protein from meat, fish or dairy products, and that a variety of protein sources gives the right mixture of amino acids. [5]
• Vegan (NHS, reviewed June 2026). The NHS says that with good planning you can get all the nutrients your body needs, advises eating some beans, pulses and other proteins, and warns that poor planning could miss nutrients such as calcium, iron, vitamin B12, iodine and selenium. [6]
• Health Canada. Canada's food guide says to try to choose protein foods that come from plants every day. [7]

What the 2019 review found

The review examined protein and amino acid intakes of adults on vegetarian diets in western countries. [1]

• Most vegetarians, including vegans, have adequate overall protein intakes. The review also says some vegans in the general population may be at risk of protein intake lower than the estimated requirement, and that low protein intake may be primarily an energy shortfall. [1]
• What you eat matters more than amino acid pairing. The review concludes that protein intake in vegetarians is not primarily a question of specific amino acid distributions but more likely one of the total protein intake. [1] See Complementary Proteins.
• Older adults are less clear. The review says some vegetarian meals might supply too little protein or leucine for muscle building in older people, but that evidence of a functional impact in healthy older people is currently lacking. [1] See Protein for Older Adults and Vegetarian or Vegan Diets and Sarcopenia and Muscle Loss With Age.
• Children. The review says children who eat enough energy for growth should automatically obtain sufficient protein from vegetarian diets. [1] The NHS adds that children on vegetarian or vegan diets need a wide variety of foods for energy and vitamins. [5] [6]
• No protein-related harm was found at modestly lower intakes. The review says there is no evidence of adverse physiological effects of the modestly lower protein intake seen in adults eating vegetarian diets. [1]

Building a protein-rich plant-based day

Practical information on how much protein plant foods provide is on Plant Protein Sources, with food-by-food values from Health Canada's food-composition database. Foods that supply protein for vegetarians include pulses, eggs and dairy for those who eat them, tofu and tempeh, nuts and seeds. [5] See also Legumes and Soy Foods.

Nutrients other than protein

Protein is usually not the main planning issue. The NHS notes that vegetarians may have lower iron stores, that vitamin B12 occurs naturally only in animal products, and that vegans have limited sources of B12 so a supplement may be needed. [5] [6] See Vitamin B12 and Foods High in Iron. Do not start or stop a supplement without talking to a clinician or pharmacist, especially if you take medicines.