What Are The Good Sources Of Protein For Vegetarians?
The most important thing to consider: comsume complete proteins. Good sources of protein in a vegetarian diet is essential. There are many vegan and vegetarian protein sources to choose from.
The most well known complete protein source is red meat. What should you include in your vegetarian diet to get all the benefits of proteins?
What is a complete protein?
A complete source of protein must contain the eight essential amino acids that must be found in your food. It is important to remember that the proteins play an essential role in the growth and regeneration of tissues.
Essential amino acids are:
Isoleucine
Leusine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine
Remembering Their Names Is Not So Important But...
To be utilized by your body you must:
Vary your sources of protein. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to combine different sources of proteins at the same meal to get a complete protein. The amino acids from the diet are deposited in tissues and muscle mass. Your body will take what it needs to make the proteins. This process can be completed within the same day or within 2 days
Consuming sufficient calories. If not, the proteins will be used as an energy source and not for the growth or cell repair
What Are Good Sources of Protein For Vegetarians?
If you're an ovo-lacto vegetarian, cheese and eggs are a source of complete protein
Soy products, tofu and soy milk are high in complete proteins on their own. That's why they are part of a healthy vegetarian diet
Another way to consume a source of complete protein is to combine food groups
CEREALS + LEGUMES
LEGUMES + NUTS OR SEEDS
CEREALS + MILK PRODUCTS
To Help You, Here Are Examples Of Foods From These Different Groups
Dairy products: milk, cheese, yogurt
Beans of all kinds, soy (tofu and soymilk), split peas, pulses, lentils
Cereals, whole grain flours (wheat, rye, corn,..), whole grain noodles, oatmeal, barley, buckwheat, millet, rice, bulgur
Nuts and seeds: peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds
And Here Are Examples Of Combinations
Rice + lentils
Rice + black beans
Corn (tortilla) + red beans
Bulgur + chickpea
Bread + pea soup
Rice + tofu
Soybeans + sesame
Lens + walnuts
Oatmeal + milk
Pasta gratin
Bread + cheese
In Conclusion,
There are many good sources of protein available. To make sure we get complete proteins I put a "Post It" on my fridge with
cereals + legumes
legumes + nuts or seeds
cereals + milk products
as a reminder. I am what we call a semi-vegetarian but when I cook vegetarian meal for my myself and my family, I want to make sure we get the best, and the best is to include complete proteins in our diet!
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