Best Protein Foods for Vegans

Best Protein Foods for Vegans

A Vegan diet is a popular diet for people who are conscious of their health. Unlike other types of diets, a vegan diet is strictly limited to only vegetables and no meat or animal products. From a nutritional stand point, a diet void of meat and animal based products can potentially be quite unhealthy if careful attention is taken to replace the protein content within the diet. There is ample evidence to show that typical vegan diets contain insufficient protein as well as iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12. To no surprise, all of these macro and micronutrients are found in animal based proteins and foods. Luckily thought, there are many vegetables that do contain protein and these can be used to supplement the protein content in a vegan diet. To help you create a meal loaded with healthy protein, here is a list of best protein foods for vegans.

Whole Grains

Adding whole grains such as Quinoa into your diet can help to complete your daily protein requirements. Quinoa is a great source of both protein and essential amino acids. A cup of the quinoa is also loaded with fiber, and it has approximately 18 grams of protein.

Soy Products

Soy has become more and more popular as a health food, especially among vegans. Soy is quite versatile as it is used to create many protein substitute products. It can be used in different dishes and deserts such as soy milk, soy yogurt, soy cheese, soy nuts and soy ice cream. Soy and soy products are rich in protein, iron, vitamin B12 and calcium.

Beans and Legumes

Beans and legumes are staple within the vegan diet. They provide a good source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Beans such as kidney beans, vegetarian chili, black beans, Indian dhal, chickpea and split pea are best recommended for their taste and nutritional values.

Meat substitutes

If you’re craving for something meaty like burgers, you don’t need to cheat on your diet or feel deprived in anyway because you can buy meat substitute at the nearest grocery store to make your own veggie burger. Meat substitutes typically consist of wheat protein, soy protein or both. Although processed, nutritionally speaking they are still acceptable within a vegan diet.

Seeds, nuts and butters

Seeds and nuts like, cashew, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and almonds are rich with protein and healthy fats. Nuts make a great snack or addition to a salad. There is also a large range of nut based spreads available on the market. These can be good as simply a spread or an addition to a meal.

Tempeh

If you’re a fan of Tofu, you may also find tempeh satiable! It is made with slightly fermented and cooked soybean, which is formed into a patty. Tempeh is almost similar to Seitan and tofu, and it can also be prepared in many ways.