Non-meat vs. meat protein sources

I've been vegetarian for 47+ years, since I was 18. I don't perceive that I have or had any more difficulty adding or retaining strength or muscle than others in my demographic who did similar types of exercise. If anything, I'd say I had less difficulty, though that may be genetics: I certainly don't think vegetarianism is superior for health in any respect, including muscularity. I routinely argue against folks who say that vegetarianism/veganism is superior for health: I just don't believe it.

I don't eat meat or fish, haven't knowingly done so since 1974 (got a bit by accident occasionally). I eat eggs, but relatively few - less than a dozen in a typical month, for sure. Maybe 1-2 per week on average, not counting what may be coincidentally in baked goods and such? I do eat quite a bit of dairy, which my Northern European genes (and my taste buds) think is just fine, but I also get a lot of protein from plant sources.

I do think that with physical performance goals, the already important goal of essential amino acid (EAA) balance is even more important. Back in the 1970s, when I became vegetarian, it was thought that we needed to combine protein sources in each and every meal to get good overall EAA balance, i.e., one would combine a food low in certain EAA(s) with other foods higher in those EAAs, to accomplish protein completeness. We now know that it's not necessary to balance meal by meal, but IMO it's still useful to vary protein sources over a day-ish, in pursuit of that same end.

I can't give you a reference for learning specifics about protein complementarity: I rely intuitively by habit on things I learned 40+ years ago. I'm sure sources exist.

The Self Nutrition Database, which I have not looked for recently but existed in recent years, had protein quality and completeness scores for individual foods, plus information about which EAAs were present in what proportions, and I think would maybe link to suggested other foods that could be complements (not sure about that last).

The good protein thread here on MFP included the quality/completeness scores from that database in its linked spreadsheet, but I think no supporting details. The thread is here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also/p1

To some extent, food combinations from traditionally vegetarian or near-vegetarian cultures can be used as a rough guide, because earlier humans weren't dumb, even if they didn't have research but merely centuries of experience. So, things like beans + rice, or beans + corn tend to be better than those individual foods on their own.

You'll get a diversity of opinions on this subject. Mine is that it's a little more challenging to get adequate amounts of good quality, well-rounded protein from plant sources, but far from impossible. It just takes a little attention, NBD.

(These days, my demographic, F age 66, is not exactly the A team for muscle development, but within my demographic, I think I do OK. I'm no bodybuilder for sure, but I think I'm not completely devoid of muscle, either, especially for a li'l ol' lady. FWIW, the shoulder in my avatar is me, at age 60, right after weight loss, and I look about the same now. I barely even lift, TBH. Lackadaisical, sporadic. My cardio is on the strength-y side, for cardio (hundreds of hours of on-water and machine rowing annually, which is around a thousand reps per hour of light but non-zero resistance lower body push and upper body pull, slightly progressive for technical reasons, oddly enough.)

I lift 5-6 days per week and have decided to do my goal weight in grams of protein every day. Umm this is hard! I eat so much I hate it and although I do eat meat, I would love to find some low carb options that would kick up my protein intake. I am also gluten free and try to go light on dairy. If I can get my macros balanced I think id see some gains. Thanks for posting, this is a good question.

Chicken is very cheap. I get boneless chicken for $2 a pound. That’s 40-50g or protein for $1. Hard to beat.

Lately I’ve been putting it into a soup with canned veggies to help me get more veggies. One pot will give me 7 50g lunches for about $15

I've been eating light n fit greek yogurt and egg whites to bump up my protein. Aiming for about 100g per day. Tuna and salmon pouches are low cal, but probably not the cheapest option.