Closing the IAA Gap

Melanie Thomas, RN BSN (Author) and Tony Clark, CSO (Editor), November 18, 2025

Looking back at my food journey and the changes I’ve made since April 2024, the process has been truly eye-opening. As I shared previously, my initial diet recorded in April 2024 was extremely low in protein. This changed in June 2024 when I intentionally focused on increasing my intake of both total protein and Indispensable Amino Acids (IAAs) after realizing their critical role in achieving optimal health.

🍽️ The Dietary Shift: From Plants to Fish to Plants Again

My efforts to boost my protein intake have involved several phases:

Phase 1: High Fish to No Fish Intake (June 2024 – August 2025)

To quickly hit my IAA targets, I introduced several high-protein sources, including fish, oatmeal, flaxseeds, chia seeds, nuts, and brown rice, to what had previously been a strictly vegan diet. However, by August 2025, the intense focus on fish led to palate fatigue. I simply grew tired of it, and my body began to reject it, leading me to stop eating fish completely.

Phase 2: Eliminating Refined Foods (Starting August 2025)

In August 2025, I made a major commitment to reduce inflammation and better control my allergy symptoms by removing all processed and refined sugars and grains. The first few days without these foods were challenging, marked by intense, fluctuating hunger pains. Over time, these subsided, and now I only experience them if I skip meals.

Phase 3: Plant-Based Again (August 2025 – October 2025)

From August 2025 until the present (October 2025), I have maintained a plant-based, mostly whole-foods diet. My protein is centered on diverse sources, including legumes (chickpeas, lentils, black beans), wild rice, quinoa, and various nuts and seeds (hemp, chia, flax). To combat the monotony that ended my fish phase, I am now intentional about experimenting with new recipes, seasonings, and herbs, which has been key to consistency.  I also have a plant-based protein smoothie, my own concoction, each day to supplement my food intake. 

🍽️ The Numbers: ADRI and the Vegan Challenge

Despite my focused effort, the data reveals a significant challenge, especially concerning the requirements for my age and weight group:

• Protein ADRI Target: My Adjusted Dietary Reference Intakes (ADRI) for protein is 92 grams per day. I now consistently average 53 grams of protein per day from my food and another 25 grams from my protein smoothie, which takes me to 85% of my target for each day.  The total is good relative to other women my age, but is still below what is optimal for me.  

•  IAA ADRI Targets: While I feel proud of this consistent effort and improvement, my food-only IAAs consumption is well below target, with the exception of Histidine (His) and Methionine (Met).  For the other IAAs, I am eating far less than what I need.  Generally, my food-only intake for individual IAAs is around 60% of my daily targets. 

This highlights one of the biggest challenges of an exclusively plant-based diet: even with an abundance of diverse whole foods, it is difficult to acquire all nine IAAs in the specific, required quantities. I realized that to genuinely meet my body’s foundational needs, supplementation is necessary to effectively fill these gaps.

✨ Noticed Effects of the Dietary Changes (October 2025)

The changes I’ve implemented have produced noticeable physical and mental effects:

I also started taking a daily probiotic, iron, and a multivitamin, which contribute to an overall sense of balance. However, the quantitative data confirms that additional IAA supplementation is the critical missing piece required to truly close the gap and support my health in the long term.

Overall, my reflection in November 2025 is clear: no matter what diet I choose, I must be mindful and intentional about protein and IAA intake. While a whole-food, plant-based diet works well for me in many respects, consistently reaching the 92 grams/day protein ADRI and full IAA requirements demands a targeted supplement strategy to ensure my long-term well-being.