New findings show that all plants contain essential amino acids, countering the common but mistaken belief that plants lack one or more amino acids, giving them major health advantages over animal-based proteins, a belief that has long been held but has been finally demolished.

“Plant-based proteins are associated with reduced mortality compared with animal proteins,” says Dr. Neal Barnard, adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C.