Diet for a Small Planet

Diet for a Small Planet is a book by Frances Moore Lappé presenting her theory of "Complementary Protein" sources in the human diet. As the eight essential amino acids making up the "complete proteins" found in meat are each present to various extents in a range of plant sources, the theory maintained that eating plant foods in "complementary" combinations would combine proteins equivalent to those found in meat, to meet human nutritional requirements.

The bestselling first edition, published in 1971 by Ballantine was sponsored by the Friends of the Earth organization. Besides the book's promotion of vegetarianism, its underlying orientation emphasized a responsible use of the Earth's resources. The book includes recipes based on the complementarity combinations, and was followed by a collection, Recipes for a Small Planet by Ellen Buchman Ewald, with an introduction written by Lappé.

Some scientists called "protein combining" a myth, particularly the alleged need to consume the complementary proteins in a single meal or within hours or on the same day in order for the digestive process to assimilate them as equivalent to "complete proteins". In a later edition of the book (1981), the author herself recanted her emphasis on combining proteins from plant sources, consistent with findings that mimicking the composition of animal proteins is not essential to human nutrition.

Topics covered in the book

 * Part I: Earth's Labor Lost — Protein in United States agribusiness
 * Part II: Bringing Protein Theory Down to Earth — Protein in human nutrition
 * Part III: Eating From the Earth: Protein Theory Applied — Includes tables of food values, and explanations relating proteins to caloric and economic factors
 * Part IV: Combining Non-Meat Foods to Increase Protein Values - Guidelines and recipes
 * Appendices, Notes, Index