Keep calm and have some plant-based protein

"Where do you get your protein?" is a question that persists and deserves a sincere answer

Chances are if you’ve gone vegan and announce it to a non-vegan you’ve been asked, “How do you get your protein?” Some longtime vegans roll their eyes at having to endlessly explain their protein sources.

In all these years that I’ve been writing and speaking about the vegan way of eating and living, I’ve gotten this question a lot. But I’ve rarely felt it was asked in a rude or provocative way. Those who ask seem genuinely to want to know, so I answer in that spirit.

This week, many of us are feeling like we need some extra strength to carry on! Good-quality protein is necessary for everyone, and is especially helpful in times of physical healing and stress.

Plant-based protein sources are abundant, and we'll explore them here, from whole foods like grains and legumes, to today's wide array of vegan meat substitutes.

You can print this out so that you, too, can answer this question in specifics for others, and have the information at hand for yourself.

And don’t forget, please consider TheVeganAtlas.com as your go-to source for recipes, food guides, and lots more between newsletters.

The myth that it's hard to get adequate protein on a vegan diet is tenacious. Many foods have at least some protein. Whole grains, legumes, soy foods, nuts, and seeds all offer high-quality protein. Many common vegetables have small amounts of protein, so if you eat plenty of them, they add in to your daily total as well.

Studies have shown that plant-based protein is great for most people, including women as they age. Evidence definitively shows that plant-based agriculture is a lot less damaging than animal agriculture when it comes to climate change. And of course, the plant-based diet saves billions of animal lives.

How to determine your daily protein requirement

Arriving at how much protein you need is based on a calculation. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), established by the National Academy of Sciences, states that an adult in good health needs an average (average being the operative word) of .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So just to give you an idea, for a 125-pound woman that would be about 46 grams of protein per day. Not difficult to achieve, but remember, there are variables.

I’m not here to give specific advice, so here are a few of articles that will help you calculate how much protein you need for your age, level of activity, gender, and weight. Please note once again that most of these calculate protein needs based on your weight in kilograms, not pounds.

• Are You Getting Too Much Protein? (Mayo Health Clinic)

• Protein for Life (NIH)

• How to Get Enough Protein on a Plant-Based Diet

And now for the really useful part of this post!

Plant-Based Protein Sources

The next time someone asks you where vegan get their protein, refer to this list. It’s not an exhaustive listing of all plant-based protein sources, but a fairly thorough rundown of many of the most common, and ones you’re likely to use most.

Follow any links below to find guides and/or delicious recipes highlighting these ingredients.

Beans and legumes (cooked, 1/2 cup serving)

Remember, beans and legumes are so blessedly low in calories and fat that if you need more protein and have the capacity, a 1-cup serving isn’t unreasonable — so you can double the protein count from these sources below.

• Chickpeas = 7g

• Edamame (fresh green soybeans) = 8.5g

• Black beans= 8g

• Pinto beans = 6g

• Lentils, brown and others = 6 to 8g

• Lentils, red = 13g

• Split peas (green or yellow) = 8 to 10g

Tofu, tempeh, and seitan

• Seitan (4 ounces) = 28g
  (it’s not easy to find good seitan, but you can make your own)

• Tempeh (4 ounces) = 20 to 21g 

• Tofu, firm or extra-firm (4 ounces) = 8 to 10g

• Tofu, baked (2 ounces) = 10g

• Tofu, silken (4 ounces) = 7g

Nuts (1/4 cup)

• Almonds = 8g

• Cashews =  5g

• Peanuts = 7g

• Pistachios = 6g

• Walnuts =  4g

See the guide to Nuts on TheVeganAtlas.com for more info.

Nut butters (2 tablespoons)

• Peanut butter = 8g

• Cashew butter = 6g

• Almond butter = 8g

Seeds

• Chia seeds = 4 g

• Flax seeds (2 tablespoons) = 3.8g

• Hemp seeds, also known as hemp hearts (2 tablespoons) = 6g

• Sunflower seeds (2 tablespoons) = 3.5g

• Pumpkin seeds (1/4 cup) = 8g

Grains (1/2 cup cooked serving)

As with legumes, whole grains are low in fat and high in fiber. If you need more, up to a 1 cup serving for those with heartier appetites or higher protein needs is a reasonable quantity.

• Amaranth = 5g

• Barley = 8g

• Brown rice = 3g

• White rice = 2.2g

• Farro = 3.5g

• Millet = 3g

• Oats, steel cut = 5g

• Quinoa =  4 to 4.5g

Nutritional yeast 

• 1 1/2 tablespoons = 8 g (also a great source of Vitamin B12;

See our Guide to Nutritional Yeast)

Pastas (1 cup cooked serving, unless noted)

• Quinoa pasta = 4g

• Spelt pasta = 12g

• Soba noodles (2 ounce serving) =  7 to 8g

• Whole wheat pasta = 7g

• Ordinary durum wheat pasta = 7g

Plant-Based Meat alternatives

Plant-based meats are an easy way to pack in a lot of protein. It would be “Impossible” (get it?) to list all the various brands and varieties on the market today  — which seem to be growing by leaps and bounds — so here’s just a small sampling of some of the popular products.

• Beyond Burger® (1 patty) = 20g

• Beyond Sausage® (1 link) = 16g

• Gardein Beefless Ground (1/2 cup) - 12g

• Gardein® Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n (7 nuggets) = 11g

• Field Roast® Sausages, any flavor (1 link) = 25 – 28g

• Field Roast ®Fieldburger (1 patty) = 25g

• Impossible® Burger (1 patty) = 19g

• Lightlife® Smoky Tempeh Strips (4 strips) = 12g

• Lightlife® Smart Dogs (2 links) = 14g

• Tofurky® Bologna Style Deli Slices (3 slices) = 14g

• Tofurky® Italian Sausage (1 link) = 24g

Vegetables

• Asparagus (1 cup) = 4 g

• Broccoli (1 cup cooked florets) = 2 to 3g

• Brussels sprouts (1 cup cooked) = 4g

• Kale (1 cup packed) = 2g

• Spinach (1/2 cup wilted, packed) = 3g

• Sweet potato (1 medium) - 2. 25g

Other vegetables and fruits, including butternut squash, green peas, blueberries, medjool dates, and others, have from 1g to 2g protein per serving. So it does all add up!

More ...

Even ordinary foods like bread (whole grain, of course), add to your day’s total protein needs. A slice of whole grain bread has 2.5g to 4g protein, so a two-slice sandwich gives you 5 to 8 grams, before you even add the filling.