"Where do you get your protein?" This is a common questions vegans tend to be asked...
So, how much protein do humans actually need? The answer will vary depending on individual requirements but a rough guide is 1g per kg of body weight. So if I'm 60kg, it means my daily requirement is around 60g. If we consider times of greater need, such as when we are recovering from illness, times of chronic stress or undertaking endurance exercise or a challenge at the gym our requirement for protein increases. This can be up to 1 and a 1/2 times the usual daily requirement.
Many vegan protein sources are also high in fibre, minerals and vitamins. Plant based foods tend to be less acid forming in the body as well as being more easily digested. Whether you add some of these protein sources to your regular diet or use exclusively, you will get many health and wellness benefits!
A wide variety of foods is good practice for many reasons, not only ensuring adequate overall protein, but also the mix of amino acids within each protein source.
The best way to ensure you are getting enough protein is to include a protein source at every meal and snack. This might mean adding a plant based protein powder to your smoothie, include beans to any dishes, nuts and seeds and quinoa to your salads, hommus snack or topped on your roast vegetables. Soy is a good source of most of the amino acids and although it gets bad press, the overwhelming evidence is that it is a great addition to your protein and mineral intake.
Here are some examples of specific protein sources:
- Beans (eg red kidney beans, black beans) provide around 15g protein per cup.
- Legumes (eg lentils, chickpeas) provide 18g protein per cup.
- Tofu provides 10g protein per cup.
- Tempeh provides 40g per cup
- Edamame 1 cup provides 17g protein
- Quinoa provides 10g per cup
