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.”
