How to Get Plenty Of Protein as a Vegan
Vegans eschew all animal products – a main source of protein. But it's still possible to get the USDA recommended amount with these tasty alternatives.
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Get more nutrients into your diet with the crash course in nutrition provided by these videos.
You Will Need
- Beans and lentils
- Veggie burgers, hotdogs, and sausages
- Bulgar wheat
- Seitan
- Tempeh
- Quinoa
- Tofu
- Soy milk, soy cheese, and soy yogurt
- Nuts and nut butters
- High-protein vegetables
- Hummus (optional)
Steps
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Never change your diet without first consulting your physician.
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Step 1
Add beans
Add cooked beans -- such as kidney, lima, or navy -- or lentils in place of meat in soups, stews, casseroles, and chili. You can also make bean burgers and lentil burgers for a hearty meal.
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Hummus, made with chickpeas and tahini, is a delicious high-protein spread.
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Step 2
Try soy
Try soy and grain-based protein products like veggie burgers, veggie hotdogs, and veggie sausages.
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Step 3
Incorporate meat substitutes
Incorporate other meat substitutes into your diet, including bulgar wheat, seitan -- a wheat gluten -- tempeh, which is cultured soybeans, quinoa, and tofu.
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Step 4
Substitute dairy
Substitute dairy in recipes with soy milk, soy cheese, and soy yogurt.
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You can make delicious dishes like vegetable lasagne and veggie pizza with soy cheese.
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Step 5
Go nuts
Go nuts! Eating nuts and delicious nut butters daily is a great source of protein for vegans.
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Step 6
Don't forget the veggies
Remember that most vegetables contain some protein, and often a great deal. Some that are particularly high in protein include artichokes, beets, broccoli, peas, potatoes, and spinach.
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Nine of the essential common amino acids humans require are made in the body; the other nine come from protein in our diet.
