Protein is an essential nutrient for our body and plays an important role in human growth from the very beginning. No matter if you are on a diet or not, consuming protein has become an inseparable part of living for a vigorous life. But, sometimes, we face difficulties to find protein content when in a vegetarian or vegan diet.
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Finding some meatless protein sources and including them in our regular diet is something that can save us from nutrient deficiency. Fortunately, we have ample of meatless protein sources around us. These sources are skilled in fulfilling the requirements of protein but come without the fat content of animal protein. Hence, they can be even more beneficial for our health. Here we suggest a few recommended meatless protein sources in this attempt along with a few significant sides of protein in our health. Let’s check them out below-
- The needs of protein in our body
- The requirement of meatless protein sources
- How much meatless protein you can consume per day for a healthy living
- Some best meatless protein sources from our regular food
The Needs Of Protein In Our Body:
No matter if you are in a weight-loss diet or weight gaining diet program, including protein in your regular meal, is essential in both cases. Protein plays an important role in every stage of our life; even when we are in our mother’s womb! Being a core macronutrient, protein is crucial for our health to stay healthy. Protein comes in different forms but the overall requirements of it remain the same in each condition. Some of the common reasons for consuming protein in our regular diet are-
- Our body uses protein to build and repair tissues
- Each body cell is made of the protein component
- Protein helps to make body hormones and other essential body chemicals
- It requires to make enzymes which are important for normal body functioning
- Protein is an imperial building block of bones, skin, and blood in our body
- Unlike other macronutrients, protein has no reservoir and never get stored in our body unnecessarily
- And this nutrient also plays a crucial role in building bones and muscles in our bodies.
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The Requirement Of Meatless Protein Sources:
There could be some basic reasons to work behind the urge to find meatless protein sources. Some of the typical causes are as follows-
- You are a vegetarian or turning live a vegan life
- You are in a strict vegetarian or vegan diet for rapid weight loss
- You are allergic to animal protein
- You don’t want to get the unwanted fat that comes with animal protein
- You are having a gastric and bloating issue after consuming animal protein
- And suffering for digestion issue with animal protein sources
How Much Meatless Protein You Can Consume Per Day For A Healthy Living?
Depending on the studies of dietary guidelines, the perfect amount of protein to eat per day could vary from man to woman. Women could consume 46 grams of protein per day through their regular food. On the other hand, men should consume 56 grams of protein daily to live a vigorous life. However, you can increase and decrease the amount depending on your regular activity level and age.
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Some Best Meatless Protein Sources From Our Regular Food:
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Nuts:
Nuts are a great source of plant protein and packed with some health-beneficial minerals also. They work supremely beneficial for the enhancement of our body, while the protein content helps to build new muscles and strengthening old muscles efficiently. One ounce of these healthy nuts contains 5-7 grams of protein; hence you can get almost half of your required protein from just once a handful of nuts in your regular diet! Some of the must-includable nuts in this attempt are-
- Almonds
- Peanut
- Cashew
- Hazelnuts
- Pistachio, etc.
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Seeds:
Seeds are one more category that helps us immensely in the search of including meatless protein in our diet. These seeds serve almost 6-8 grams of protein and 10-15 grams of fiber in every ounce. Hence, they help to fulfill your protein requirement and control your hunger both. Apart from protein, these edible seeds are rich in some other health-enhancement nutrients like omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin B, iron, calcium, selenium, etc. minerals. Thus they act with complete versatility for the improvement of our health. Some of the recommendable seeds are-
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Flax seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- And sunflower seeds
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Green Vegetables:
Some vegetable greens are also considered a brilliant source of plant protein in our regular diet. These greens serve almost 9-10 grams of protein content in every 1 cup component in their raw as well as cooked forms. Apart from protein, they also provide some essential nutrients in our body too, which keep us healthy during our dieting days. Fiber, vitamin C, A, K, and minerals like iron, zinc, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, folate, thiamine, etc. are some of the nutrients you can get from there protein-rich greens. Some of the recommendable items in this regard are-
- Green peas
- Spinach
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Garden asparagus
- Bok choy
- Collard greens
- Mustard green, etc.
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Lentils:
Lentils are a supremely healthy component for our regular diet, which comes with the goodness of plant protein. You can get almost 18 grams of protein content from 1 cup of cooked lentils. Apart from protein compounds, they also contain a huge amount of simple carbs and high fiber content. The beneficial nutrients found in lentils feed the good bacteria in our colon and improve the gut functioning innately. Also, the richness of minerals like folate, iron, manganese, etc. promotes our health from several aspects, and then add in our regular diet plan. Any type of lentil is beneficial in this matter, but red lentils are the more recommendable once among them.
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Dairy Products:
Low-fat dairy products are also an incredible source of the protein component. Dairy products, which come from the grass-fed cow-milk, contain a higher amount of omega-3 fatty acids along with a good amount of protein content. The best part of including these dairy products in your diet is that you can get the goodness of protein but don’t need to bother for the fat content, which comes with most animal protein components. You can get approximately 8-10 grams of protein per dairy f products that are made of 1 cup of cow’s milk. Some of the most preferable dairy products in this regard are-
- Cottage cheese
- Skim milk
- And yogurt
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Egg:
It is superfluous to say how beneficial an egg for maintaining our regular health. An egg is a whole protein and despite coming from animal sources, it provides the goodness of vegan protein entirely. The white part of an egg contains the utmost part of the protein than the yolk part. Apart from protein content, an egg is also rich in some super advantageous nutrients like vitamins D, B6, B12, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, etc. Every 100 grams of eggs contain almost 13-14 grams of raw protein content, especially when served in hard-boiled form.
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Quinoa:
Quinoa is a wonderful healthy component that comes with meatless protein content quality too. Despite being a grain product, it doesn’t grow from grasses, thus regard as pseudo-cereals. You can get 8-9 grams of protein from every cup of cooked quinoa. Unlike other grains, quinoa is considered a plant protein source and thus easily includable in a vegan diet plan. Besides protein, you can also get some other essential nutrients from this low-fat grain products like fiber, iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and a mild amount of complex carbs.
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Beans:
Beans are a fabulous source of meatless protein and can control your appetite for a surprisingly long period too. Hence, they are definitely a choice for any type of diet chart. You can get 7.3-7.5 grams of protein from a half cup of these healthy beans. Being a high-fiber component and a low-calorie element, beans fit perfectly in a diet plan. You can eat them cooked and soaked both forms, depending on your taste values. Some recommendable beans in this attempt are-
- Black beans
- Pinto beans
- Red beans
- Green beans
- Yellow beans
- Chickpea, etc.
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Sprouted Grains:
Sprouted grains are a renowned source of protein. They are made of organic and sprouted whole grains products and thus come in a complete low-calorie form. Apart from a high amount of protein content, they are also loaded with some health beneficial nutrients, which promotes your health deeply inside. The amino acid is something; you can get in a higher amount from these sprouting products. Some mentionable items in this regard are-
- Ezekiel bread
- Products made of spelt
- What products
- Millet
- and barley products
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Soy Products:
Soy products are one more category to mention here in the search for protein content in meatless sources. Soybean is a whole source of protein, thus products, which come directly from soybean. You can get almost 15-20 grams of protein from every half cup of soy products. Besides, protein components, these products are also rich in calcium, and iron content and thus recommended favorable for our overall health as well. Some must-includable items of this category are-
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Edamame Soy milk, etc.
If you are vegan or vegetarian, try these meatless protein sources in your diet. The health benefits of these plant source proteins are described in the given article.