The Facts About Vegan Proteins
It is safe to say that America has a food obsession.
Whether this obsession surrounds over the top weight loss or gain, Americans still know incredibly little about health and nutrition. Even with all the talk of our obesity epidemic, those among us who decide to cut certain things from our diet are often looked at strangely.
Being a vegan, the most typical question I'm asked is, "Where do you get your protein?"
Vegetarians are those who cut meat from their diet, and vegans cut any animal products. Most people think vegetarians just eat a lot of eggs or peanut butter, while vegan protein sources remain puzzling.
The endorsed amount of protein for an adult female is around 45 grams, and for an adult male about 55 grams. While meat and eggs are fine sources of protein, the idea that those are the sole natural choices is wrong. Vegetarians and vegans don't necessarily need to supplement their diets with shakes and tablets either (though I know a few that do, those individuals are bodybuilders). It is true that a 6oz steak has about 40 grams of protein, and a large egg has about six, but those aren't your only options.
What most people do not realize is that there's at least a little bit of protein in most things you eat.
Vegetables, as an example, provide small amounts of protein. On the higher end, a serving of broccoli provides about 4 grams of protein. Asparagus, artichoke and spinach each offer 3, and most other vegetables fall somewhere below that. Compared with one steak, that is nothing. But the majority do not consume the advised amount of vegetables. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, an individual with a typical calorific consumption of approximately 2000 should have around 9 servings of vegetables a day, which is about four and a half cups. So say you ate nine servings of broccoli in one day (mmmm, right?) you would have consumed 36 grams of protein!
Ok, realistically let's imagine you did eat 9 portions of vegetables and they weren't all broccoli. You're most likely a male, because most ladies don't aim for 2000 calories a day. We will say your average quantity of protein per serving was just 2.5 grams, so you are already at 22 1/2 grams of protein. That's not 55, so let's take a look at what else you can have that day.
I cup of tempeh (a protein made of whole soybeans) has 41 grams of protein, and one cup of cooked soybeans has 29 grams. Only 3 oz of seitan (a protein made from wheat) has 31 grams of protein, a cup of lentils has 18, 1 cup of chickpeas has 12, and 1/4 cup of almonds has 8. Even one cup of spaghetti has 8 grams of protein.
Selecting from that list can bring you closer to your daily amount, and I haven't actually gone into beans and other legumes that are probably part of your diet already. In my experience, if we are careful to eat the correct amount of vegetables and whole grains, proteins will naturally fit into place.
Whether this obsession surrounds over the top weight loss or gain, Americans still know incredibly little about health and nutrition. Even with all the talk of our obesity epidemic, those among us who decide to cut certain things from our diet are often looked at strangely.
Being a vegan, the most typical question I'm asked is, "Where do you get your protein?"
Vegetarians are those who cut meat from their diet, and vegans cut any animal products. Most people think vegetarians just eat a lot of eggs or peanut butter, while vegan protein sources remain puzzling.
The endorsed amount of protein for an adult female is around 45 grams, and for an adult male about 55 grams. While meat and eggs are fine sources of protein, the idea that those are the sole natural choices is wrong. Vegetarians and vegans don't necessarily need to supplement their diets with shakes and tablets either (though I know a few that do, those individuals are bodybuilders). It is true that a 6oz steak has about 40 grams of protein, and a large egg has about six, but those aren't your only options.
What most people do not realize is that there's at least a little bit of protein in most things you eat.
Vegetables, as an example, provide small amounts of protein. On the higher end, a serving of broccoli provides about 4 grams of protein. Asparagus, artichoke and spinach each offer 3, and most other vegetables fall somewhere below that. Compared with one steak, that is nothing. But the majority do not consume the advised amount of vegetables. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, an individual with a typical calorific consumption of approximately 2000 should have around 9 servings of vegetables a day, which is about four and a half cups. So say you ate nine servings of broccoli in one day (mmmm, right?) you would have consumed 36 grams of protein!
Ok, realistically let's imagine you did eat 9 portions of vegetables and they weren't all broccoli. You're most likely a male, because most ladies don't aim for 2000 calories a day. We will say your average quantity of protein per serving was just 2.5 grams, so you are already at 22 1/2 grams of protein. That's not 55, so let's take a look at what else you can have that day.
I cup of tempeh (a protein made of whole soybeans) has 41 grams of protein, and one cup of cooked soybeans has 29 grams. Only 3 oz of seitan (a protein made from wheat) has 31 grams of protein, a cup of lentils has 18, 1 cup of chickpeas has 12, and 1/4 cup of almonds has 8. Even one cup of spaghetti has 8 grams of protein.
Selecting from that list can bring you closer to your daily amount, and I haven't actually gone into beans and other legumes that are probably part of your diet already. In my experience, if we are careful to eat the correct amount of vegetables and whole grains, proteins will naturally fit into place.
