Vegan Protein

Plant based protein sources also have the added benefit of having no cholesterol or animal fats to pollute your body either.

PROTEIN:WHY DO WE NEED IT?

We need protein in our diet to help our body repair itself. Our body tissues are constantly repairing themselves, breaking down and re-forming and protein is needed to help things along. When we digest foods containing protein, the protein is broken down and turned into amino acids which make the protein in our bodies.

There are 20 known amino acids and we make some of them in our bodies. However, there are nine amino acids that we need to get through our diet. These are what we call "essential amino acids" and if we do not get enough of these essential amino acids in our diet, then the proteins in our bodies break down and we lose body protein. In the long term, this will lead to a feeling of weakness and eventually serious illnesses.

The proteins we eat are made up of various combinations of these amino acids and are split into two groups. There are "complete proteins" which contain all 9 essential amino acids, and there are the "incomplete proteins" which have one or more amino acids missing.

Below, I have listed a group of complete plant proteins which contain all 9 amino acids, and below that is a list of incomplete protein foods. You can incorporate the incomplete proteins in your diet as well as the complete proteins as this will give you a good mix of all the proteins as well as ensuring you have a varied diet, which is important.

Complete Protein Sources:

The amino acids that are missing in some plant based food items tend to vary from protein food item to protein food item unless you are eating the complete proteins as listed above. This is where protein combining comes into play which some people like to do although it isn't neccessary.

When you eat various foods which contain protein, one food item will usually make up for another food item lacking in one or two amino acids and vice versa. But it is generally accepted that we shouldn't get too hung up on this because if a vegan eats a well balanced diet, they will naturally be eating a combination of protein foods that compliment one another without any planning.

Incomplete Plant Proteins:

Here are a few examples of protein food combining:

1 cup tempeh = 41 grams

You can see from the above listed food items that it is fairly easy to get enough vegan protein. Most nuts, grains, beans and seeds contain a high amount of protein - and nearly all vegetables contain good amounts of protein too.

A vegan diet will easily meet or exceed the RDA of protein but will typically be lower than that of someone who eats a meat and dairy diet (the average American consumes around double the RDA of protein). But the good news is that this lower intake will also benefit you as a high protein diet has been linked to osteoporosis and aggravating poor kidney functioning.

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