If you‘re vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, or whatever else you may want to call it – how many times have you heard, “How do you get enough protein?“ I remember when I first became a vegetarian (back when I was in middle school) and I was relying on protein drinks and powders to get my necessary protein intake. Now, after becoming a holistic nutritionist and fully plant-based, I realize how unneeded this was! Sincerely, this obsession with protein has become a little crazy. Don‘t get me wrong, it is definitely important to get enough protein, but enough with the protein powders, supplements, bars, cookies, etc., etc., etc.
Even if your diet centers around plants, it is still very possible to get enough protein from diet alone! I don‘t spend my entire day counting macros, but I certainly do my best to make sure every meal I eat has at least two sources of proteins or one large source. You may even be surprised by what plant foods contain protein.
Plant Proteins
- Tofu
- Beans (any type!)
- Oats
- Quinoa*
- Nuts
- Nut Butters
- Seeds
- Brown Rice
- Soy Beans*
These are only some of the plant proteins out there that come from a whole foods and plant based diet. Quinoa and soy beans are emphasized here because they contain all nine essential amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. Does this mean the others aren‘t good? No! With other plant proteins, if you pair them with a different plant protein, they can combine to make all nine. For example, the combination of beans and brown rice can create a complete protein.
Realistically, this is more information than you need about proteins, so I‘ll just move on to explaining how I get enough in a day and some examples.
Protein Tips
- Strive to include at least two different sources of protein in every meal. For example, you could make a burrito bowl for lunch – with brown rice as a base and black beans to top it off – two proteins right there!
- Include protein in your snacks too! As much as you can, try to include protein sources in your snacks. Instead of having just blueberries as a snack, have blueberries AND cashews. Apples slices and peanut butter are also a true classic. Try making your own plant based protein bars – check out my recipe!
- Include proteins in your homemade sauces. Make a vegan alfredo sauce using cashews or a homemade hummus with lots of chickpeas! I love a peanut butter sauce on my pad thai or a dressing over a salad.
- Beans, beans, and more beans. Beans are one of my favorite plant proteins to add to any meal because they are so versatile. Add chickpeas to a pasta dish (there are even chickpea pastas now!) or black beans to nachos.
Example of a Protein-Packed Day
| Meal | Food | Grams of Protein |
| Breakfast | Pumpkin Oat Bake with Almond Butter and Flax Seed Meal | 13 g |
| Snack #1 | Hummus and Carrots | 2 g |
| Lunch | Quinoa, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Diced Tomatoes, Arugula, Black Beans, Guacamole, Homemade Green Goddess Dressing | 15 g |
| Snack #2 | Blueberries and Cashews | 5 g |
| Dinner | Tofu “Fish“ Sticks, Baked Fries, Broccoli | 18 g |
| Total Amount of Protein Consumed: | 53 g |
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