Not only will you get all the protein you need, for the first time in your life you won't suffer from an excess of it. Ample amounts of protein are thriving in whole, natural plant-based foods. For example, spinach is 51% protein; mushrooms, 35%; beans, 26%; oatmeal, 16%; whole wheat pasta, 15%; corn, 12%; and potatoes, 11%.

Look around you and tell me the last time you saw someone who was hospitalized for a protein deficiency. Or look around in nature, where you will notice that the largest and strongest animals, such as elephants, gorillas, hippos, and bison, are all plant eaters.

Plant proteins are as complete as complete can be. The humor12-myth that they're not, or are of a lesser quality than animal proteins, dates back to experiments performed on rats in the early 1900s. Forget the fact that rats aren't humans, have different nutritional requirements, and need more protein than humans to support their furry little bodies.

The meat, dairy, and egg industries have marketed the hell out of this ancient research, and even in the year 2010 most every Dick, Tom, and Jane thinks the only way to get complete protein is through meat, eggs or dairy.

In reality, proteins are composed of chains of roughly 20 different amino acids. Of those, eight are found outside our body and must be absorbed from our food. These eight are the "essential" amino acids. The remaining acids are "nonessential" because they can be synthesized by our bodies themselves.