From Men’s Health. Something awesome is happening. It’s in the world of macronutrients, but still. Let’s back up a second: In the 1980s and ’90s, nutrition researchers labeled anything that didn’t once have hooves, feet, or fins as an “incomplete” protein that didn’t have high levels of the essential amino acids you’d find in the so-called “complete” protein from meat and fish sources. These were your beans and your grains and—brace yourself, fellas—your favorite legumes, and dietitians were all but certain they didn’t do much in the way of muscle building or maintenance.
Here’s the Truth About Complete Protein
