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Are you only interested in building muscle mass, or do you want a more balanced approach over time? If you're okay eating a bit of everything, combine both: animal proteins are more complete and absorb easily, but plant proteins cost less and give you fiber that your body appreciates. It's not a "pick a team" kind of thing - it's more about how you eat for the rest of the day.
ciclista15 asker
I'm mainly looking for balance over time, not just muscle mass. I like the idea of combining them, thanks for the advice.
It depends on what you're looking for and how you eat overall. Animal proteins have all the essential amino acids and absorb better, so they're efficient if you want muscle results. Plant proteins require combining different sources (legumes + grains, like rice and beans) to get the complete amino acid profile, but it's not complicated if you know what to pair. The biological value is higher for animal ones, but that doesn't mean plant proteins are inferior - it depends on how you use them.
In practice: if you eat varied and like foods like lentils, tempeh, tofu, and nuts, you're good with plant proteins. If you want simplicity and maximum efficiency (especially if you do intense exercise), animal ones are more straightforward. A lot of people choose plant proteins for ethical or environmental reasons and still get results, but they have to be more careful about their food combinations. Neither is inherently superior - it comes down to what supports your lifestyle and what you can actually stick with long-term.
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