More on Protein

Just in case you didn't feel satisfied by the information in my last post, I thought I would provide a more detailed account on vegetarian/vegan friendly protein sources.

The soybean is an important protein in any meat-free diet.  Soybeans contain all essential amino acids – there are 10 – and provide a respective amount of protein to the human body. 

Soybeans can be consumed in their original form, and actually make a great addition to your favourite trail-mix, but they can also be found in a wide variety of soy-based products.  Soy milk, tofu, veggie burgers and dogs are only a few of the products available to vegetarians and vegans.  The soybeans are miraculous in that the many different forms take on a variety of flavours guaranteed to satisfy a range of tastes. 

Aside from soybeans, vegetarian/vegan protein comes from sources such as:

Legumes: garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans

Grain: barley, brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, quinoa, rye, wild rice

Vegetables: artichokes, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, green peas, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, spinach, watercress, zucchini … to name a few

Fruit: apples, bananas, melons, grapefruit, peaches, pears, pineapple

Nuts and Seeds: almonds, cashews, hemp seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts

And the list goes on.  So, as you can see, there are a wide range of proteins available to those who chose not to eat meat.  These options offer a variety of textures and tastes of which you’ll surely never be bored. 

Oh, and one last thing, to further support my previous claim that people tend to think we need more protein than is necessary, The Happy Cow says that “we need only 2.5 – 10% of our calories from protein, and ALL vegetables offer us more than that.”