Vegetarians pay particular attention to ensuring they're consuming enough protein because there's no meat centerpiece to take care of that important nutritional component. There are often choices like tempeh and seitan for building a veggie-friendly salad that goes beyond tofu, and quinoa is a go-to grain because it contains high levels of protein. When you're choosing a meatless meal out, don't skim over these selections because you're not sure how to pronounce them. Expand your vegetarian vocab by learning how to say these three words.
- Tempeh: Pronounced tem-pay, 4 ounces of this soy-based meatless alternative contains 22 grams of protein.
- Seitan: Made from wheat gluten, this veggie option is pronounced say-tan or see-tan. Just 3 ounces of it contains 19 grams of protein.
- Quinoa: Often referred to as the mother grain, the options with this protein-rich grain are endless. Ask for keen-wa, and you'll get 6 grams of protein in just 1/4 cup.
Vanessa Bruno
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Good information, but a vegan/vegetarian typically already knows this
1Fit...please try not to inply that veggies have such a chore getting protien. It really gives Vegetarianism a bad rap...at a time when we as a country need to cut back on meat. I say that because it is much more environmentally friendly to gain protein from vegetable sources that from animal sources. Google it to see stats on this. Thanks
2Yay - a post for vegetarians! I've got another word for ya:
Miso: fermented soy-based broth
3Go, go Bmoney!
4Seriously - the focus should be on eating well rounded and healthy - and then there is no issue of whether or not you are getting enough protein. Beans, whole grains, nuts, soy, veggies, all are great protein sources. Ex. Spinach is about 50% protein, as is kale, and brocolli.
People get WAY more protein than they need (i wont start citing all the wealth of scientific data out there supporting this).
But I will make this point - breast milk is considered a complete source of vitamins and nutrients, since its all babies are meant to consume. Only 10% of the calories from breast milk come from protein. I would argue that is nature's sign that 10% of daily caloric intake is a good amount of protein.
5I'm not a vegetarian but I do try to eat less meat these days so I found this to be very helpful. Thanks fit.
6Yeah, I agree that this post gives the wrong impression of what one's focus should be as a vegetarian. Protein is NOT a good thing when it is consumed in excess from animal sources, and most vegetarians get ample protein from grains, veggies, etc.
7I agree with many of the other comments above, although I myself enjoy meals more if they contain some type of "meat-like" alternative such as tofu, tempeh, or seitan. Unfortunately, most restaurants do not offer these choices. SillyGirl--I agree with most of what you said but I don't think looking at the nutrient content of breastmilk will give one an accurate idea of the nutrient needs for adults since babies' needs are much different. Doesn't breast milk have a high percentage of fat in it?
8I agree with what other people already stated. It's not actually a lot of work to get protein in the diet and people focus way too much on specifically protein and not enough on getting nutrients in general. Whether or not people eat meat, people are more likely to have too much than too little.
9it's interesting - i've been a vegetarian for about half my life and it's only recently that i've discovered some of these alternatives. in Florida, there really weren't options aside from Tofu, but now that i'm back in NYC - i see all these great things, and i had to do a lot of research to understand what they all were, and what benefits i could get from each. thank you for writing this post though.
i think that it's something that even meat eaters could benefit from seeing as how you don't always have to eat meat ...right?
10as a meat eater interested in the vegetarian diet, it's actually nice to know how to vary the diet. i've mostly heard of only soy-based meat substitutes and didn't realize that there are more!
11I'd really love to go vegetarian, please post more tips!!
12Ferret & Krae-
13I know I can't speak for anyone else here, but I think most vegetarians would love to give you tips about veggie conversion. Fit isn't a vegetarian, so she may not be the absolute best person to ask.
Just PM me if you ever want recipes or have questions or anything!
It's really not all that difficult to get enough protein in your diet, even if you are a vegetarian. As long as you get all the essential amino acids in your diet, you'll be fine. You can get them from tons of different sources...plants, nuts, fruits, etc. Just because meat, eggs, milk, etc. do have all the essential amino acids doesn't mean that you need to consume complete proteins. If you pair different incomplete proteins with complimentary amino acids, eating vegetarian is pretty simple.
14SillyGirl-- the idea that the nutritional composition of breast milk reflects a human's "ideal" diet is a bit ludicrous. The specific breakdown of breast milk changes daily with the mother's diet and often contains far more fat than we need as adults. There is a reason we stop eating it at some point, as dietary needs change as you age.
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