What is the highest protein rich food a vegetarian can eat?!


Question: What is the highest protein rich food a vegetarian can eat?
I'm vegetarian and my uncle (who's actually not even a veggie and eats meat) has recently had a blood test and has got no protein in his blood. Its kind of scared me a little. I mean I'll never eat meat but I still eat cheese, eggs and hummus etc stuff like that and am generally pretty healthy.

But what is the highest concentrated protein a veggie could ever eat? I mean if eggs, cheese is not included but beans, vegetavbles, rice and grains etc etc?

Different meal times would be awesome too, i.e for breakfast, lunch and tea? Thank you for your answers.

Answers:

Lentils: High in iron and dietary fiber too, lentils are easy to prepare. They're great for curries, soup (obviously), or braised with wine. And, a cup of cooked lentils will give you 35% of your daily protein.

Chick Peas: Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are delicious—mash 'em up and fry them for falafel, throw them into a salad, or eat them straight out of the tin. Eating a cup of chickpeas gets you 30% of your daily protein needs.

Tofu: I never could get used to tofu; it was one of my great failures as a vegan. But 4 ounces of tofu nabs you around 20% of your protein intake—and there are a slew of potentially delicious dishes you can make with tofu. Seitan and tempeh are high protein foods worth keeping around, too.

Nuts: Eat plenty of nuts. Just about any kind will do—avoid salted nuts, at least at first, because you might find yourself eating more than you did in your non-vegan days. Walnuts, almonds, and cashews are some personal favorites.

Peanut Butter: Logic may dictate that this should be included in the 'Nuts' category, but I say there's a difference. Peanut butter comes in handy in completely different ways—on toast in the morning, in a sandwich for lunch, even as part of a chunky topping to a dessert. Now, peanut butter is the least purely healthy food on the list, so use it sparingly, and buy organic to avoid the processed stuff.



"Whole grains are a great source of protein, but the queen of whole grains when it comes to protein content is quinoa. Unlike many sources of vegetarian protein, quinoa contains all of the essential amino acids, making it a "complete protein". Just one cup of cooked quinoa contains 18 grams of protein, as well as nine grams of fiber."

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnut… :-)



Pretty much everything contains protein. I've heard you need 0.8g for every kilo you weigh. For me that's about 50g and I get that easily enough.

Soya milk, soya 'mock meat', tofu lentils, chickpeas, quinoa (a complete protein), buckwheat, seitan (mock meat from gluten), spinach and broccoli (high protein to calorie/ fat ratios). Nuts as well but they are high in fat.



High protein hemp seed powder is 50% protein and the highest quality veg protein there is. It doesn't taste very good though and it's rough to swallow. plus it's heavy in the stomach.

https://store.nutiva.com/hemp-protein/



Whey protein is a supplement used often by bodybuilders. It's a by-product of cheese production, but considered a high quality protein source.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protei…



Hemp Seed, Flax Seed, Chia Seed, Almond Milk, fruit (smoothie)



Soy beans are the best source of protein in veggies. They're the only vegetable that contains protein similar to meats, eggs, dairy.

Protein is made up of amino acids. Meat, eggs, dairy products contain all the amino acids needed for complete protein. Most veggies (other than soy) contain only some of those amino acids. Veg*ns should eat a wide variety of veggies every day so their body can combine the different amino acids in the different veggies into the complete protein their body needs. And some of those veggies should be legumes (beans). They are the only source of the amino acid lysine which is needed for complete protein. One serving is needed, three is better.

But you shouldn't build your diet around soy products. Soy has been tied to early fertility in girls, thyroid problems, and low sperm count in men. They promote it to women for menopause symptoms! Health agencies in several countries have issued health warnings about soy consumption. If you don't have thyroid problems or a family history of them, soy in moderation is probably ok. Just don't build your diet on it.

But if you're eating a wide range of foods, including dairy and eggs on a regular basis, you're probably fine. Don't over react, just take time to reassess your diet. Good luck...

BTW, this link shows only 4.5 grams of protein in one serving of quinoa.

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calorie…

About soy: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/so…



In regards to your uncles protein deficiency, is there any chance it is a health issue? its actually quite difficult to be lacking protein on a standard western diet...I think it would be more likely he has a problem with processing his protein. I actually used to have a dog like this...his body could not use protein and he got very thin until we got special medication for him...obv your uncle is a human but I'm sure it can happen to people too? Not meaning to scare you as if it is medical I'm sure they can sort it out, but it might not be that your uncle doesn't eat enough protein.

If you are concerned about your protein levels, try joining http://www.sparkpeople.com and inputting what you eat on a daily basis. You don't have to do it all the time, but tracking a typical couple of weeks for you is a good way to find out what you are getting in your diet. Its free and very useful.



It sounds like something else might be going on with your Uncle. Have zero protein in the blood is a pretty serious issue - could be symptomatic of other problems.

If you're concerned about getting enough protein, it sounds like you're already doing a great job. Eggs, whole grains, legumes, cheese in moderation, tofu, Silk, milk, etc.

Really, though, America is currently on a protein binge that is unnecessary. Literally every food you eat has protein in it - and complete ones at that (there are varying amounts of amino acids in foods, but all foods have some of all amino acids). Iceberg lettuce, even, is a complete protein (although it's only 1%DV). If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about your protein levels - you're conscious of it enough.

http://vegonline.org/
http://vegonline.org/Health-&-Nutrition/…



No offence and do not judge me on saying this I do not mean to be rude BUT meat is the best source of protein and you only have to consume small amounts and it benefits the body faster!!

We did not live thousands of years not noticing the benefit of meat in some circumstances!!

Also there are many different kinds of vegetables high in protein but they are still second to meat as a source of maximum nutrients. It does not mean however that people if they live in relative comfortable circumstances can not live a healthy life on vegetables alone as long as they follow their diet plan and notice the changes in their body and change accordingly so they would get enough protein from vegetables!!

Addition: You veg/vegans are never happy I am still making vegtables as a possitive yet I still get a thumbs down!! You guys need to get your head out the clouds and realise that in some parts of the world and to some people meat means survival!!

Addition: I do appolygies you where asking for what types of vegtables you need to eat as a vegatarian, sorry about my answer it was not wrong but not the info you are looking for. Everybody esle has got it on the mark but do not concentrait on carb protiens, you need greens, pulses and lentals to give you a good balance.

There are places where meat is the only staple diet and stored as a survalval requirement.




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