The Most Common Question Vegetarians Get ; "Where do you get your protein?!"

If you are a vegetarian no doubt you have been asked many times "where do you get your protein?" by a concerned associate. If you are that concerned friend or family member you have probably asked this question. Maybe you are a new vegetarian and you aren't sure where you are getting your protein, hopefully I can help you out.

So contrary to popular belief to get protein with out meat is not a hard thing to do. You do not have to eat excessive soy products like meatless , processed crap (unless you want to.. then you can go for it haha) or constant tofu. Now.. let me just say that if anyone is eating a balanced diet they will get all their protein, whether they are eating meat or not. A person needs 5 -6 % of protein in relative to total calorie in take. But most people over eat protein, the average American for example eats..wait for it.. 11-21 % . I don't know the Canadian figures but I would guess that they are probably not far off.

#1: Veggies

The reason I say that you don't have to live on soy products is that animal protein is not the only type of protein. There is such a thing as vegetable protein. Keep in mind that most veggies don't have much. Tomatoes for example has 2g, asparagus, beet root, and brussel sprouts all have 3g etc. Here is a handy dandy chart to use: http://www.weightlossforall.com/protein-vegetable.htm
Though these foods are lower in protein than meat but they are also lower in fat and calories and have lots of other good stuff in there. So eat your veggies friends!

#2 Whole Grains

Grains are a great way of getting protein and are really good for you especially if you eat whole grains - grains that are not refined. Whole products are whole wheat bread (pastas, breads, crackers) , multi grain bread, oatmeal etc. One piece of whole wheat bread has 2.4 g of protein, and one bagel has 6 g. These are also a nice choice because they are high in fiber -yay for roughage. ;)



Rice as well has lots of good stuff in it, but try to stay away from plain, white rice- trust me you'll be missing out. One cup of brown rice has 4.9 g of protein and lots of other good stuff. 1 cup white rice only has 4.1 g .


#3 Beans beans the magical fruit! (Lentils and Beans)
1 cup:

Baked Beans: 5g
Chick Peas: 8g
Soya Beans: 14g
Lima Beans: 14.7
Lentils : 16g

Yum yum - beans!

#4 Nuts and Seeds
Keep in mind it is best to only eat 1 serving of nuts (or one hand full roughly) a day as they are high in fat and oil.

Almond 21g
Cashew nuts 20g
Peanuts 25g
Peanut Butter 22g

#5 Soy

1 cup soy milk 33.4 G
Tofu 8g

#6 Dairy Products

If you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian (ie you still eat animal by products ((not a vegan)) ) then getting protein is beyond easy as eggs and milk are high in protein.

So as you can see as a vegetarian it's very hard not to get enough protein unless you are living on junk food . Just eat your veggies, whole grains, dairy/soy or beans or nuts -- whatever you want , just make sure the fruits, veggies, and grains are there (that goes for omnivores too!). There is lots of variety in a veg diet (meat does not = variety), you choose what you feel like eating and don't worry about protein.

Good Luck and happy eating!
-The Angry Giraffe.

*(Protein numbers vary)