colonyofcells wrote:For our remote ancestors who lived in trees, greens were actually the main source of protein. Greens are actually very high in protein and are also a source of calcium. For our relatives the gorillas, the main source of protein is probably still not beans, peas and lentils, but gorillas do eat some seeds. Promoting beans, peas, lentils as essential or optimal for plant based diets is probably part of the american obsession with protein. Whole grains and tubers like potato, sweet potato are also a main source of protein. So it is quite easy to get enough protein. For example, a typical meal in a longevity blue zone in china is whole grain + vegetables. For longevity, optimal source of protein is probably unrefined staple foods like whole grains and or tubers plus greens and vegetables rather than beans, peas and lentils.
I actually thinks "mmm, protein" whenever I eat spinach. But I also LOVE beans and eat them many times per week. But yeah, the foods recommended by Dr M, even with no beans, do provide enough protein for daily use. If you had a surgery coming up, or suffered an injury, more beans would probably be good, as the body uses protein for repair.