What Nutritionist Students Learn About High Protein Vegetarian Foods
Say “Protein”, and most people automatically think of a steak. However, protein can be found from a variety of other plant based sources – whole grains, legumes, soy products, and nuts and seeds are primary protein sources in a plant-based diet. Nearly all vegetables contribute to daily protein needs as well.
- Economy: Far less expensive that meat based protein foods.
- Ecology: reducing the intake of pesticide and animal antibiotic residues, but also for the planet as livestock deplete enormous land and water resources
- Disease prevention: Plant-based diets are high in fiber and low in fat which lowers the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
- Variety: adding diversity by cooking and eating a variety of protein sources helps to ensure you are taking in balanced amount of vitamins and minerals.
How to:
- Variety: Try one new vegetarian recipe per week that uses beans legumes, soy or nuts as part of the protein source.
- Protein snacking: Snack on nuts and seeds such as almond, walnuts or fruit smoothie with ground flax seed.
- Grain shake up: Switch up rice or pasta for quinoa and get 13 grams of protein (full essential amino acids profile) in just a ½ cup cooked.
Food Sources of Protein Serving Size Protein (grams) Foods:
Soy Foods
Firm tofu 4 oz 13 Tempeh 3 oz 16 Seitan 2 oz 14 Edamame ½ cup 10 Soy Burger 1 11 Miso paste 2 tbsp 4
Grains
Amaranth (dry) ½ cup 14 Barley (cooked) ½ cup 5 Buckwheat (cooked) ½ cup 3 Millet (cooked) ½ cup 3 Oats (cooked) ½ cup 3 Quinoa (cooked) ½ cup 5-6 Brown Rice (cooked) ½ cup 3 White Rice (cooked) ½ cup 2 Bread 1 slice 2-3 Flour tortilla- 6” 1 3
Beans and Legumes, cooked
Whole beans ½ cup 6.5-9 Lentils ½ cup 9 Refried beans ½ cup 8 Sunshine Burger 1 6 Split Pea or soup (cooked) ½ cup 8
Nuts and Seeds
Hemp powder 2 tbsp 5.5 Nuts ¼ cup 8 Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flax) ¼ cup 9 Nut butter 2 tbsp 8 Seed butter 2 tbsp 5
Non-dairy foods
Soy milk 1 cup 7 Hemp milk 1 cup 4 Almond milk 1 cup 2 Rice milk 1 cup 1 Soy yogurt 1 cup 6
Other
Apple 1 0.3 Medium potato, w/skin 1 4 Spinach, cooked 1 cup 5 Corn 1 ear 2.6