For building muscle and staying healthy, the essential nutrient in your diet is protein. Protein helps you maintain body mass and keeps your skin and hair healthy. Some familiar sources of protein include all kinds of meat, eggs, whey, and some specific vegetables.
But a vegan diet excludes the most important protein sources, which is meat, and some vegetarians avoid dairy and eggs too. So how a vegan diet includes 100grams of protein every day is a challenge. But actually, it isn’t too hard to meet the required protein amount in a vegan diet.
Here are some cool vegan diet ingredients that will help vegetarians meet their protein demands.
- Tofu
Tofu, tempeh, and edamame are all originated from soybeans. They consist of the whole amount of protein, and they have essential amino acids to keep your body moving. Bean curds are used to make tofu similarly like cheese making. Edamame is a young soybean; it is steamed or boiled to consume and can be added to soups or salads. Average intake of 10grams protein per 100grams tofu.
- Lentils
Lentils are a fantastic source of protein, and it provides you up to 18grams of protein per cooked cup of 240ml. Lentils can be a part of your diet, salads, soups, and many more dishes. Lentils also consist of carbs and an ample amount of fibres that would fulfil 50% of your body needs. Lentils may reduce heart disease risks, and they are rich in iron, manganese, and folate.
- Beans
Chickpeas, kidney, black, and almost every kind of beans are high in protein. They contain 15grams protein per cooked cup of 240ml. They contain complex carbs, fibre, phosphorus, and iron. Researches summarise that diet, including the right amount of chickpeas and beans, can reduce cholesterol diseases, help you control sugar and blood levels.
- Ezekiel Bread
A bread made by sprouted whole grains and legumes. It is entirely organic and consists of millet, wheat, spelt, and barley. Easy 8grams of protein will be provided by two slices of Ezekiel bread, which is more than average slices of bread. It is high in vitamins like vitamin C and Vitamin E and can help you increase your metabolism.
- Soy Milk
Soy milk is made soybeans and is fortified with healthy minerals and vitamins. It can be a great alternative to dairy milk. It contains 7grams of protein per cup of 240ml. It is a fantastic source of Vitamin D and calcium. It is readily available and can be used in every kind of baking and cooking dishes.
- Oats
Oatmeal and Oats are the easiest yet the most delicious sources of protein. Oats in a 240ml cup can provide a total of 12grams of protein. They are also an efficient source of carbohydrates. They are rich in fibre, zinc, and magnesium. Oats can be used to cook in many different ways; they can be a part of your breakfast routine and even be grounded into flour for baking.
- Vegetables and Fruits
Almost every vegetable has protein, but the amount is very minute. But some specific one of them provides the right amount of protein. Broccoli, spinach, kale, artichokes, and sweet potatoes are fantastic sources of healthy protein. They contain 4 to 5grams of protein per cooked cup. Fruits are generally low in protein, but blackberries, guava, banana can have up to 2 to 4grams of protein.
8. Protein Supplements - Rice , pea and hemp powders.
One of the easiest ways to increase your protein intake using vegan friendly supplements can increase dietary protein intake as part of a healthy balanced diet. The protein levels for each supplement are below.
Pea protein per 30grams serving 24grams protein
Hemp protein per 30grams serving 14grams protein
Rice protein per 30grams serving 24grams protein
Verdict
If you need to intake 100 grams or more per day would need a healthy balanced diet with supplementation. As consuming the protein levels required to achieve these levels would be hard to achieve. A realistic way to increase the intake would be 3 healthy protein base meals using ingredients from the list above, with a Pea protein shake daily. The protein shake would give you 24grams whilst an average balanced protein diet can give you around 80grams of protein per day.
Many people may be interested in raising their protein requirements for plenty of reasons. This simple list can be a great help to make your meals unique and rich in protein. Furthermore, they are high in minerals and essential vitamins.
