The Most Protein Packed Foods for Vegetarians
Are you a vegetarian and want to up your protein intake?
There is a misconception that vegetarians and vegans have to lose certain foods from their diets and subsequently look poorly or aren’t in as great shape as fellow meat eaters.
This misconception is largely due to a lack of understanding and education.
There is in fact, an abundance of healthy and lean proteins available for vegetarians and vegans so there’s no excuse not to get your daily dose!
The average adult who doesn’t have a focus on training and working out should consume about 0.5-0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Those adults who want to tone up and build/maintain muscle should consume about 0.8-1 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
Let’s take a look at some healthy and hearty meat-free proteins for you to chow down on…
Hemp Protein Powder
Protein content per 100g: 40g
Hemp protein is a pretty awesome super food! It’s full to the brim of dietary fibre, chlorophyll, minerals and antioxidants. What’s even better is that it contains no saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium or sugar.
Hemp protein contains all of the 9 essential amino acids needed by the human body, which makes it a complete protein. Mix the powder with water, almond or coconut milk and it's excellent for increasing your daily protein intake or enhancing recovery from your workouts.
Terrific Tofu!
Protein content per 100g: 8g
There’s not much you can’t do with tofu! It's made from the curds of soy beans and will literally soak up any flavor you give it. You can roast it, fry it or boil it in a broth.
Tofu contains a mega-dose of manganese, which your body uses to strengthen bones and metabolize carbs, amino acids and cholesterol. It also contains healthy, unsaturated fats that help you to recover from a hard training session faster.
Soy Protein Powder
Protein content per 100g: 88g
Soy protein powder is a super clean alternative to whey powder and has been proven to be equally as effective at building muscle. It is also brimming over with iron, which helps your blood deliver oxygen to your muscles more effectively.
A scoop of soy protein in almond milk with some oats or a banana makes for the perfect pre or post workout shake.
Mycoprotein (Quorn)
Protein content per 100g: 18g
Quorn is an excellent meat-free alternative. Very similar to meat in taste and texture you can enjoy a range of Quorn products from fillets to fishless fingers! Quorn is low in saturated fat and calories too.
Roasted Quorn with some herbal flavoring is absolutely delicious! The possibilities for recipes are endless.
If you are a vegetarian or have been thinking about it, then hopefully the options above have opened your eyes to the variety of proteins out there.
Protein is essential for nearly all processes in the human body, especially when it comes to muscle recovery and repair as well as the growth of new skin cells and hair.
There are also plenty of other healthy foods you can include in your daily diet to up your protein intake such as beans, lentils, broccoli, nuts and seeds… the list is endless!
