Protein & Vegetables

Most people know that meat, poultry, and fish are excellent sources of protein. If you’re considering no longer eating meat and possibly dairy products, you might worry that you won’t get enough protein in a typical vegetarian meal.

I began doing the Daniel Fast on June 8, 2012 and have been successful for 3 days. What I have found so far is that there’s little need to be concerned about protein intake if you are ilmiting food intake from animals, as long as you know your options. Protein is very easy to obtain with a balanced diet and good food choices.

According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board, the average adult needs about 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight — that’s about 43 grams of protein daily for a 120-pound woman and about 58 grams for a 160-pound man. Consuming more protein than that is not necessarily better and eating lots of red, fatty meat can contribute to health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disorders, colon and liver cancer, and osteoporosis. Athletes, on the other hand, need extra protein compared to people who are sedentary. I consume about 80-100 grams of prtein per day, which is about .8-.9 grams of protein for every pound of my body weigth (104lbs).

But when you’re cutting out traditional foods with protein, including milk and yogurt, you need to make up for it with protein alternatives.

Protein-Rich Foods: Know Your Options

Proteins are made up of compounds known as amino acids, Giancoli explains. Nine of these amino acids are considered essential. Animal foods contain all nine, which is why they are called complete proteins and are the traditional — and easy to get — protein source. Most plant foods are lacking in one or more of the essential amino acids, which is why they’re called incomplete proteins. I have found that taking one serving of an amino acid chain helps increase my energy and provides the extra amino acids that I am not getting from animal foods.

Some dairy foods are complete proteins — eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese. However, vegans and some vegetarians won’t eat dairy products because they come from animals. If you don’t eat dairy, you’ll need to get your protein from plant sources. In the plant world, soy is considered a complete protein. That’s why you hear about vegetarians eating a lot of soy products — tofu, edamame, soy milk, and others.

If you’re allergic to soy or just don’t like the taste, you still have other options for making a healthy vegetarian meal. Most plant foods, including grains, nuts, and legumes (beans), contain some amount of essential amino acids. But because they are not complete, you should pair certain foods together to cover your bases and get all of the essential amino acids you need in one vegetarian dish.

For example, grains such as rice typically lack the essential amino acids isoleucine and lysine, but contain methionine and tryptophan. Beans contain isoleucine and lysine, but lack methionine and tryptophan. Therefore, together, they make a complete protein. This is also referred to as complementary proteins. Even better, they don’t have to be eaten at the same time.

Are you looking for high sources of protein as a vegetarian? Go to Victoria’s Recipes to see her latest 2 vegetarian recipes!

P.S. Victoria is not a full-time vegetarian. She is doing this as part of a spiritual fast and to continually grow in her nutritional databse!