I'd say, unless you have a religious or ethical reason for not wanting to eat foods of animal origin, you'll be better off eating them.

Simple reason: you can get most everything you need from actual food, and don't have to be chasing nutrition from highly processed powders and pills.

If you look at vegan athletes like Scott Jurek (just one example who comes to the top of my head), most of his diet is extremely healthy, but he has to supplement with protein powders, etc.

I actually feel much healthier now that I've started eating meat once or twice a week. I have more energy, I recover quicker from long efforts, I get stronger quicker, my nails aren't brittle. I don't think protein is the only thing that I was lacking, or even quality protein, but I wouldn't be able to put my finger on what else it might have been.

May I suggest (again, provided you don't have a religious or ethical reason for eliminating animal products) reducing but not eliminating them (except possibly do try a challenge diet to see if you might be allergic to dairy - food allergies can contribute to weight gain, among other things, and dairy products are highly allergenic). Keep your budget for animal product the same, but spend your money on high-quality local meat, which will probably reduce your consumption by at least half. Something to think about: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/m...tml?ref=health