A Guide To High Lysine Low Arginine Vegan Foods
If you’re considering going vegan, you might be wondering if it’s the right choice for you. The truth is that veganism has become incredibly popular in recent years. Many people are following vegan diet because they want to help the environment and animals.
This popularity can be attributed to the accessibility of vegan food as well as the health benefits associated with a plant-based diet. In fact, it has even been given its own name: a plant-based diet. Vegan diets can be very healthy for most people.
However, vegans lack many nutrients when they start following vegan diet. It’s important to know that there are certain nutrients that your body needs in order to function properly. Of these nutrients, two are particularly important: Lysine and Arginine.
What Is Lysine?
As a vegan, it’s important to ensure you’re getting enough lysine in your diet, an essential amino acid that’s important for tissue growth and repair!. But It’s not just vegans who need to pay attention to their lysine intake. Anyone who doesn’t eat much animal protein needs to make sure they’re getting enough lysine in their diet.
Lysine is one of the essential amino acids, which means it cannot be made by your body and must be obtained through diet. In addition to being vital for building collagen and elastin proteins, lysine plays a major role in many different processes in your body, including:
- Building collagen, which is important for skin and connective tissue
- Absorbing calcium and iron, which promotes bone health
- Maintaining muscle mass, improving metabolism, and disease prevention
- Producing carnitine, which helps your body convert fat into energy.
- Tissue growth and repair, which can improve the immune system
It turns out that you don’t have to worry about whether or not your body will get enough lysine if you’re eating a vegan diet—as long as you eat lysine-rich vegan food from a variety of protein sources and over the course of a few days, your body will be able to use the amino acids it needs without any problem.
So how much lysine should you be eating? Well, research has shown that adults between the ages of 19 and 50 should aim for about 40 mg per kg of body weight—which works out to about 2000 – 3500 mg per day depending on your body weight.
What Is Arginine?
Arginine is an amino acid that helps the body produce nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator that increases blood flow and relaxes blood vessels. The body can produce arginine on its own, but it’s important to get enough of the amino acid from food sources like nuts and seeds.
7 High Lysine Low Arginine Vegan Foods
Lysine is an essential amino acid that your body cannot produce on its own. Arginine is also an essential amino acid but one that humans do not require in high amounts like they do lysine. The trick with these two amino acids is that they compete with each other for absorption.
That means when you consume too much of either one, they may become less effective at doing what they are supposed to do in the body. A certain lysine arginine ratio is required to complete the metabolic process.
Let’s look at some foods high in lysine and low in arginine so that your nutritional intake lines up with the ideal lysine-arginine ratio.
1. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is packed with B vitamins, folate, potassium, calcium, and iron. It also has high amounts of lysine (6 g) and low amounts of arginine (0.2 g). Try including cauliflower curry in your diet and get your lysine intake.
2. Mangoes
Mangoes are a great source of vitamin C, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), magnesium, manganese, copper, and dietary fiber. They contain more lysine than arginine at 3 g versus 0.5 g per 100 g serving size. Enjoy this sweet treat with your meal instead of dessert!
3. Avocados
Avocados are rich in oleic acid, making them an excellent source of healthy fat. They also contain vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Avocados are also high in lysine and low in arginine, making them perfect for vegans who want to avoid inflammation.
4. Zucchini
Zucchini is a great source of lysine, which helps strengthen your immune system by boosting your body’s natural defenses against infections like colds or flu. It also contains lots of folates (vitamin B9), which can help reduce the risk of congenital disabilities when consumed during pregnancy.
5. Beans
Beans such as kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans are great source of lysine with 1 cup containing more than 30% of your daily value for each amino acid. They are also high in fiber, which can help regulate blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption rate of carbohydrates into your bloodstream after they’re eaten.
6. Spinach
Spinach is another nutrient-rich veggie that’s also high in lysine and low in arginine. It’s also packed with vitamins A and C and iron and calcium! It makes a great addition to any meal—especially salads—and can even be juiced!
7. Quinoa
Quinoa, You’ve probably heard about quinoa before as a grain that’s high in protein and fiber. Well, it’s also high in lysine! One cup has around 4 grams (20% of your recommended daily intake). Quinoa is also known as a complete protein.
This is due to the fact that it includes all nine necessary amino acids that your body cannot produce on its own. You can include quinoa smoothie in your diet they are delicious and will also give you your required lysine.
Conclusion
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 20 types of amino acids, and your body needs all of them for normal functioning. When your body doesn’t get enough essential amino acids, it will not be able to perform important functions that keep your body healthy.
The best part is that you can make sure you’re getting enough by choosing foods with the right balance of amino acids. It’s important not only to optimize for protein intake but also to be conscious of the types of protein you’re consuming to make sure you cover all the amino acid bases.
