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Wheat + Peanuts* + Milk

Wheat + Sesame + Soybean

Exception: Rice + Sesame

plus Yeast, for example:

Rice + Brewer’s yeast

* Peanuts are botanically classified as legumes.

Tips for complementing the protein in fresh vegetables

Since the most striking feature of fresh vegetables is their very low ratings in the last amino acid column, sulfur-containing amino acids, you would first want to look for foods with a high rating in that column. In Protein Table IV we find sesame seeds and Brazil nuts—both unusually strong (A and A+ rating) in the last column. Sesame and Brazils would probably serve best as complements to those fresh vegetables such as lima beans, green peas, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, which are very deficient in the last column while strong (A or B rating) in the second column, isoleucine. This is true because sesame and Brazils are themselves somewhat weak (C rating) in the second column.

In Protein Table V, among the grains, we can also find some possible complements to these fresh vegetables. Millet and parboiled rice (converted) stand out as exceptions among the grains; they are both very strong (A rating) in the last column, sulfur-containing, and moderately strong (B rating) in the second column, isoleucine. They, therefore, might well complement the protein in many fresh vegetables, especially the greens, which have just the opposite pattern.

Some vegetables might complement the protein in other vegetables. Mushrooms, high (A rating) in the last column, sulfur-containing, could be combined with lima beans, green peas, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or cauliflower—all lacking in this amino acid.

Tips for complementing other foods with the protein in nutritional additives

Amino acid strength in the two center columns (isoleucine and, especially, lysine) make nutritional additives likely complements for foods having the opposite amino acid pattern. Likely complementary protein combinations include nutritional additives:

Tips for using meat and poultry to complement the protein in plant food

High amino acid ratings (especially lysine) give even small portions of meat and poultry the ability to complement plant foods, particularly those, such as grains, which are low in lysine.

Turkey apparently surpasses all other meat and poultry in its ability to complement plant protein. Experiments show that if you add only one-fifth as much turkey to a meal of wheat, peanuts, or black-eyed peas, the protein quality of the combination will be the same as if the entire meal had been beef!

How the Food Groups Rate—Protein-Wise

SEAFOOD

Seafood rates first place as a source of protein. Fish is near meat in protein content and superior to meat in protein usability (NPU), except for shark and skate. Some fish, like cod and haddock (#13 and #15 on Protein Table I), are practically pure protein; that is, they contain no carbohydrates and only about .1 percent fat. Though the average protein portion I have given is small (less than ¼ pound), even at this level some fish can fill 40–50 percent of your daily allowance. It doesn’t take much: even small chunks of fish in soups and lightly cooked vegetable mixes can give the dish a taste and protein boost.

The next-to-the-last column of the table tells you about the protein usability of seafood: the high NPU of most fish, 80, reflects excellent amino acid ratings. Notice particularly the high lysine content (A + rating) of seafood. It is now easy to explain why fish and rice are sucessfully eaten as a staple by so many people. Rice, as you will see, is deficient in lysine and isoleucine—defects that seafood can effectively remedy.

I have given the values for raw as opposed to cooked seafood only because the best data available to me was in this form. No significant amount of protein is lost in cooking seafood.

DAIRY PRODUCTS

You may have been surprised to discover that dairy products appear low on the quantity scale of the “Food Protein Continuum.” It is true that their percent protein on a weight basis is low. However, the fact that