Vegetarian and Vegan Protein Basics. Why you need it and where can you get it?
Considering a plant-based diet but you’re concerned about getting enough protein without meat? Recently become a vegan or vegetarian but now find yourself repeatedly answering the concerned questions from family, friends, or strangers of where you get your protein?! Feeling groggy and considering a protein deficiency could be the culprit?
How to get enough protein when vegetarian or vegan often causes a lot of concern both for new vegetarians or vegans and their family or friends. On the bright side, though, getting enough protein on a plant based diet may not need to be as worrisome as you think.
Why is protein important? What does it do?
Protein is one of the three macronutrients, the other two being carbohydrate and fat. It is common now to hear people refer to these as macros (short for macronutrient), especially in the exercise/fitness world.
Macronutrients are our energy supply and they each play unique, important roles in our bodies.
Protein is vital to many body functions. We usually think of protein being necessary for muscle growth or repair. This is absolutely true, but protein is important for several other important functions as well!
The proteins we eat are digested and broken down into their smaller components--amino acids. Our bodies need amino acids to build body proteins. They provide structure for our individual cells as well as our muscles, skin, hair, collagen, tendons, and ligaments. Clearly protein is important!
We get the amino acids we need by breaking down the food we eat or breaking down and restructuring the proteins in our bodies.
Amino acids/proteins are also important for our:
Immunity
Proteins make up our skin, which is our first and biggest barrier/line of defense when it comes to our immune system.
Antibodies, which are formed by our immune systems to destroy foreign substances (e.g. viruses, bacteria), are made up of proteins
If we are protein deficient, our ability to fight infection is compromised as our antibody production could be impaired
Muscle synthesis and movement
Proteins make up the muscles of our body that allow us to move and function.
In addition to the muscles we think of for movement (e.g. arms and legs), proteins allow our digestive tract and blood vessels to contract and function properly
Enzyme and hormone production
Some of our hormones are made from proteins
E.g. Insulin and glucagon, which help to regulate our blood sugars, are made from amino acids
Non-protein functions
DNA synthesis
Melanin (skin-pigment) production
With so many important functions in our body, it is no wonder getting enough protein is a concern of many who are cutting animal products out of their diet. Fear not, though, because there are plenty of plant based sources of protein for vegetarians and vegans!
Vegetarian and Vegan Protein Sources
There are plenty of plant based protein sources. Many plants can provide some form of protein in your diet, but some choices have a higher protein value than others.
Soy
Edamame (18.5 grams protein per cup of shelled soybeans)
Tofu (7-9 grams per 3 oz serving)
Tempeh (15-18 grams per 3 oz serving)
Grains
Quinoa (6 grams per ⅕ cup uncooked quinoa)
Farro (6-7 grams per ¼ cup uncooked farro)
Rice (3-5 grams per ¼ cup uncooked rice)
Note: these values may seem low, but grains are generally a greater source of carbohydrate than protein and they provide fiber, vitamins and minerals
If you’re looking for a protein heavy-hitter, grains may not be your first choice, but they certainly contribute some protein to your overall diet
Seitan
Provides 18-24 grams of protein per serving depending on recipe or brand
Made from gluten, the protein in wheat
Pulses
Includes lentils, beans, and chickpeas
Lentils (17.2 grams protein per cup)
Chickpeas (15 grams protein per cup of cooked beans)
Kidney beans (13 grams protein per cup of cooked beans)
Black beans (15 grams protein per cup of cooked beans)
Nutritional Yeast
Provides 8 grams protein per ¼ cup serving
Can be added to dishes to imitate a cheesy flavor
Good source of B vitamins; may be fortified with Vitamin B12, which is important to make sure you’re getting enough of if you’re vegan.
Nuts
Walnuts (4 grams protein per 1 oz serving)
Peanuts (7 grams protein per 1 oz serving)
Cashews (5 grams protein per 1 oz serving)
Almonds (6 grams protein per 1 oz serving)
Nut butters (4-7 grams per 2 tbsp serving depending on type of nut butter)
Similar to grains being a better source of carbohydrate, nuts are a better source of healthful fats than they are protein, but they do contribute some protein to your overall diet.
Seeds
Hemp (9 grams protein per 3 tbsp serving)
Chia (2 grams per 1 tbsp serving)
Sunflower (2 grams per 1 tbsp serving)
Flax (2 grams protein per 1 tbsp serving)
Similar to nuts, seeds are a better source of healthful fats than they are protein, but they do contribute some protein to your overall diet as well.
Non-dairy milks and yogurts
This can be a tricky category as some types have more protein than other options. Soy milk, for example, is a good source of protein while rice or almond milk is generally not unless it’s fortified. Check the nutrition facts label for grams of protein per serving. A typical almond milk may only have 1-2 grams per serving while soy milk may have somewhere around 8 grams per serving.
This is similar for plant-based yogurts. Compare nutrition facts labels and look for higher protein options.
Do you need to combine proteins?
If you’ve heard plant proteins are incomplete protein sources, you may have heard recommendations to combine your proteins, or eat complementary proteins, in order to make your meal a complete protein source.
If you’ve never heard this and it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, it comes down to proteins being made up of amino acids, some of which are considered essential and some of which are considered nonessential.
We need both kinds, but essential amino acids are those that our bodies cannot produce and we therefore need to consume. Nonessential amino acids, on the other hand, are those that our body can produce if we don’t consume enough of them by rearranging other amino acid structures, breaking down the proteins we eat, or breaking down the proteins in our body (i.e. our muscle).
Lot’s of science-y biochemistry talk. Basically animal proteins (meat, poultry, dairy, eggs) and soy are considered complete proteins because they contain all of the essential amino acids.
Plant proteins are generally, with the exception of soy, considered incomplete proteins because not every plant protein source contains all of the essential amino acids.
Because of this, it may be recommended to combine proteins. For example, rice and beans on their own are both considered incomplete proteins, but when eaten together they complement one another to provide all of the essential amino acids by compensating for the amino acids the other is lacking.
So does this mean you constantly need to be aware of which amino acids are in what vegetarian or vegan protein source? Maybe keep a little chart on your fridge door? Certainly not!
Generally, overall protein intake is more important than intake at individual meal-times.
Unless you are eating rice as your only source of protein (i.e. rice all day every day), combining proteins at every meal is not entirely necessary. If you are eating an overall balanced diet and making a conscious effort to consume a wide variety of plant proteins like those listed above, then you are likely getting a variety of amino acids and getting enough protein in your diet.
The takeaway: as a vegetarian or vegan, if you are eating a sufficient amount of calories, it is very likely you are getting enough (and the right types of) protein/amino acids, even from plant based sources. Worrying about combining proteins, well, isn’t exactly worth it or necessary. Eat a variety, eat enough food overall, and you should be all set.
Confused about plant based vs vegan vs vegetarian? Check out our article HERE where we break down the nitty gritty of plant-based eating.
