Posted by monica on June 4th, 2008 in Natural Health Articles
A common question Vegan gets is “Where do you get your protein?” After all, protein is the main constituents of cells and tissues of our body, right! And in our culture, a lot of people are obsessed with protein.
The short answer is: being vegan does not mean your diet will be lacking in protein. Most
plant foods contain protein. In fact it would be very difficult to design a vegan diet that is short on protein. Nuts & seeds, pulses, wholegrain and grain products all supply protein.
Previously, it has been thought that plant proteins are of a lower quality than animal proteins in terms of their essential amino acid content. However, this is no longer regarded as a problem and eating a balanced diet of plant foods will provide all the essential amino acids in adequate amounts.
According to the new Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI), the amount of protein nutrient which is enough for at least 97% of the population is as follows: an adult male requires 55 gm of protein a day, an adult female requires 45 gm of protein a day.
Just to give you an example of the amount of protein in vegetable, fruit, nuts, seeds and legumes:
Vegetable Protein Food (based on one pound per category):
- Garlic 30.85 g
- Brussels Sprouts 27.50 g
- Kidney Beans 17.75 g
- Parsley 16.70 g
- Broccoli 16.35 g
- Spinach 15 g
Fruit Protein Food (based on one pound per category):
- Dates 9.75 g
- Avocado 9.55 g
- Olives 8 g
- Figs 6.84 g
- Oranges 6.84 g
- Black Raspberries 6.40 g
- Apricots 6.35 g
Nuts (1 oz)
- Almonds 6.03g
- Cashew Nuts 4.34g
- Hazel Nuts 4.24g
- Walnuts 4.32g
Seeds
- Pumpkin seeds, 1oz 9.35g
- Sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon 2.55g
- Sunflower seeds, 1oz 5.48g
Legumes
- Chick Peas 1/2 cup, 8.4g
- Lentils, cooked 1/2 cup 7.8g
- Kidney Beans, cooked 1/2 cup 7.3g
Grams of protein in these three simple meals a vegan might consume :
Breakfast:
1 cup Oatmeal 6g
1 cup Soymilk 7g
1 Bagel 9g
Lunch:
2 slices Whole Wheat Bread 5g
1 cup Vegetarian Baked Beans 12g
Dinner:
5 oz firm Tofu 11g
1 cup cooked Broccoli 4g
1 cup cooked Brown Rice 5g
2 Tbsp Almonds 4g
Snack:
2 Tbsp Peanut Butter 8g
6 Crackers 2g
TOTAL 73 grams Protein Recommendation for Men
OR
Breakfast:
2 slices Whole Wheat Toast 5g
2 Tbsp Peanut Butter 8g
Lunch:
6 oz. Soy Yogurt 6g
2 Tbsp Almonds 4g
1 Baked Potato 4g
Dinner:
1 cup cooked Lentils 18g
1 cup cooked Bulgur 6g
Snack:
1 cup Soymilk 7g
TOTAL 58 grams Protein Recommendation for Ladies
Does a vegan have to combine or complement foods to get a complete protein?
Previously, it has been thought that protein complementing needed to occur within a single meal. However, it is now known that this is not necessary as the body keeps a short-term store of the essential amino acids.
Although, vegetarian diet usually meet or exceed protein requirements, they are typically lower in total intake of protein than non-vegetarian diets. This is not necessary a bad thing: this lower protein intake may well be beneficial as high protein intake has been associated with osteoporosis and aggravating poor or failing kidney functioning.
Dr. Norman W. Walker D.Sc.,Ph.D. states in his book Natural Weight Control, “the most constructive protein is available in fresh, raw vegetable juices. The combination of carrot-celery-parsley-and spinach… is one of the richest sources of protein.”
When you don’t always eat right and don’t have time to juice, consider pop a purple or pop a green. “A dose of good nutrition in a capsule.”
