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Comment by IsTom | Hacker News Reader

Still, if you eat enough complete protein sources you'll have all the amino acids you need.

Likely yes, but I've had enough chicken breast for life during my fit 20s. I just don't feel like stuffing myself with tasteless sources of protein anymore and testy ones (burgers, steaks, grilled salmon, etc.) will cause unwanted side effects and risks when consumed in high amounts.

Even bodybuilders and powerlifters admit that 2g protein per kg of body weight is about all you need. You can get that with a normal diet and a couple of protein shakes, which taste fine if you use milk and half a banana. You don't need to eat a whole chicken breast for every meal.

I made spaghetti bolognese last night and it had 60 grams of protein per 800 kcal serve. Admittedly I used lean kangaroo mince, because I'm Australian and it was on sale. Still: three meals like that and you wouldn't even need a protein shake.

> lean kangaroo mince

I first read "mice" which was startling, then realized it was "mince" and then realized it was kangaroo! How would you describe the flavor?

Gamy, a bit like deer.

I have yet to see anything against regular eating of fish and fatty fish other than the "scare" of heavy metals, which only applies for wild fish.

Maybe, maybe not. It would depend on a variety of factors including the activities you do, your age, etc. Maybe athletes need more collagen compared to people who don’t exercise, etc, etc.

Also complete protein sources are definitely not easy to get. Good luck if you have dietary constraints.

Notably, whey is a complete protein source and very easy to get, while collagen is a crappy source.

I just wish whey was as easy to get unflavored. Let me handle the flavoring, you provide the protein.

Yes, I'm aware you can buy unflavored whey protein, but it's more expensive and you have to order it online. I can get a huge tub of "Delicious quadruple chocolate delight" BS from Costco for comparative pennies.

> Also complete protein sources are definitely not easy to get.

... all of the essential amino acids? What is difficult about that?

Quinoa is a complete protein, containing all amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own, and is gluten free.

You need to eat a ton of quinoa. Only the most dedicated vegan bodybuilder will eat that much quinoa. No thanks.

Also, only animal sources contain hydroxyproline amino acid in significant amounts, which you pretty much only get from collagen sources.

So while quinoa and other like even whey might advertise themselves as complete protein sources, no, they do not contain all the amino acids humans can use in significant amounts.

Vegan bodybuilders would just use pea/rice protein extracts, which are about as commercially available as whey (very).

Hydroxyproline isn't essential though, humans can produce their need from collagen, which they also produce as well as most other animals.

> You need to eat a ton of quinoa

Most don't: at 4.4% protein, a 65kg man like me needs 1.5kg of cooked quinoa per day and it's not a big deal:

- You'll digest it like a king: quinoa is full of soluble and insoluble fibers and you won't feel puffy for eating too much. Easy in, easy out.

- Like milk or wheat, there's many transformations possible like flour, flakes, marinades, beverages, soups... alway a joy to cook and eat, no boredom with that grain.

Can't speak for the bodybuilders though but I'm sure most manage they nutrition. I think soy/pea is more popular.

By the way, very few eats only quinoa or any other single aliment. They also get amino acids from grains, pulses and seeds... even fruits like tomatoes but it's obviously negligible.

Quinoa is also fulled with minerals, vitamins and it's proteins have the same biological value (BV) as beef - or more depending on the source.

> its high-quality protein, complete set of amino-acids, and high content of minerals and vitamins. [0]

> exceptional balance between oil, protein and fat [1]

> Quinoa has a high biological value (73%), similar to that of beef (74%) [2]

0 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15528014.2022.2...

1 https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa...

2 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303845280_Quinoa_Ch...

There are plenty of studies showing that collagen supplementation helps athletes. Which means there are cases where the body doesn’t produce enough collagen for itself. And as you age, your body produces less collagen. Reasons enough to supplement with collagen.

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