MAKING PLANT BASED EATING EASIER: HOW TO EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN, PLANT BASED PROTEIN SOURCES, AND HEALTHY RECIPES
For many, one of the biggest barriers when first starting to track your macros is hitting your protein target. It’s easy to think that eating protein is only important for bodybuilders and elite athletes, but it plays a crucial role in all of our bodies, regardless of our age or athletic ability. Protein is essential in building, maintaining, and repairing tissues and also helps perform vital functions that aid in our body’s immune processes. Protein plays a huge role in changing body composition, too - whether that is wanting to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass or wanting to improve strength and performance.
Hitting your protein target may be hard at first, but it’s not impossible -- and it definitely doesn’t require just eating meat all day, every day. In fact, since making the personal choice to stop eating meat last year, I know that it’s totally possible to eat an adequate amount of protein and even follow a higher protein diet with little to no animal-based sources. In this week’s post, I’m sharing just how to do that along with a list of plant-based protein sources and some awesome, easy (and macro-friendly!) plant-based recipes.
When we think of protein sources, we often think about lean meats like chicken, lean ground turkey or beef, and leaner cuts of pork or steak and fish, eggs or dairy products as these are the most common sources. But it is possible to find protein in many other places and some of that is also changing how you think about protein and how you include it in your meals. When working with nutrition clients, one thing I encourage all my clients to do is lead with protein when making choices for meals and snacks. And for those who eat animal-based protein sources, this often looks like including 1-2 palm-sized portions of cooked protein, like chicken breast, salmon or eggs for example, in each meal. It’s an identifiable part of the meal and typically ends up being ~25-30g of protein towards their protein goal.
For those who are plant-based or vegetarian, thinking a little bit differently about how you include protein in meals is the key. Instead of thinking about a large quantity of protein or even an identifiable source of protein, aiming to include several smaller sources of protein is the goal. In other words, shifting your mindset from a “protein focused” meal to a nutrient-balanced meal is step one. And step two is not discounting the inclusion of all of the seemingly small things that will add up over the course of the day. By taking some time to learn what plant-based sources of protein are, you can start to incorporate them into your meals and snacks and with a little bit of effort, you’ll be hitting your protein target consistently.
When it comes to plant-based protein sources, something to keep in mind is that while they contain protein, they will also likely contain carbohydrates and/or some fat. Removing the expectation that it has to be mostly protein to count will really help your efforts of hitting your protein target. With that, you may also consider adjusting your targets to be more approachable for plant-based eating. This could look like a macro split of 20-25% protein / 25-30% fat / 50-55% carbs, for example. Another approach could be giving yourself a minimum amount of protein to aim for each day. That way you’re removing some of the pressure to hit a target that feels too high, but instead, you’re aiming for one that you know you can hit and exceeding it on the days that you’re able to.
While most vegetables do contain protein and will add up over the course of the day, the real MVPs for plant-based eaters aiming to include more protein are beans, lentils and grains. This can be dried beans that are then soaked and cooked ‘from scratch’, canned beans, refried beans or even frozen beans (like shelled edamame). The same goes for lentils. Whole grain breads, wraps, pastas and lentil or bean-based pasta products can also be a great option. If you find that any of these make you feel bloated, know that it takes time to build up a tolerance when including more legumes in your diet because they are high in fiber. Allow yourself to start with smaller amounts at first and slowly increase the amount you’re eating each day as your body adjusts.
EASY PLANT-BASED PROTEIN SOURCES
Beans
Lentils
Grains: quinoa, farro, amaranth, brown rice, oats
Seitan
Whole grain bread: Dave’s Killer, Joseph’s Lavash Bread, homemade sourdough or other wheat-based bread and bagels; Trader Joe’s often has a good selection, too.
High fiber tortillas and wraps: brands like La Tortilla Factory, Joseph’s Bakery, etc. often have low carb tortillas that are generally high in protein, with 8-12g per tortilla)
Bean or Lentil pastas: Banza, Explore edamame pasta, Trader Joe’s lentil and black bean pastas
Veggie and bean-based burgers: Aldi has several great options; Morningstar Farms, Don Lee Farms
Hummus
Soy-based products can also be a great source of protein for plant-based eaters and contrary to popular belief, research shows that including soy in your diet actually decreases the risk of certain cancers. The amount of soy that you would have to consume for the acclaimed negative effects to happen is quite a large amount that you would basically have to be eating all soy everything, everyday for an extended period of time. Shifting from nut-based milks to soy-based milks can be a good swap as well as opting for things like edamame, tofu or even soy-based meat or yogurt alternatives here and there.
SOY-BASED PROTEIN SOURCES FOR PLANT-BASED EATERS
Unsweetened soy milk
Soy yogurt
Tofu
Tempeh
Textured vegetable protein
Frozen mukimame (shelled edamame beans)
Speaking of which, when it comes to more processed forms of plant-based proteins like supplements, protein bars, protein drinks, meat alternatives, cheese alternatives, etcetera, my advice is often the same for my plant-based clients as it is for my omnivore clients: aim to eat whole foods a majority of the time but know that leaning on these from time to time is ok!
PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS AND MEAT REPLACEMENTS FOR PLANT-BASED EATERS
Meat alternatives: brands like Impossible, Morningstar Farms, Quorn, Gardein
Protein Powder: look for one’s labeled vegan; many brands nowadays have a good vegan option; make sure there’s a variety or protein sources and a complete amino acid profile
Protein bars: look for ones that have at least 12-15g protein that comes from soy, pea, brown rice, hemp or other plant-based ingredients (I personally like Clif Builder's Bars because they’re affordable and easy to find at your local grocery store.)
Protein cereals: Kellogg's Special K Protein Cereal, Kashi Go Cereal, Premier Protein Cereal
If you’re someone who is mostly plant-based but is ok with vegetarian protein sources like eggs and dairy, including those in your meals can be really helpful and again. This isn’t something that you have to rely on or include all of the time, but it can be a great way to pump up your protein intake throughout the day.
VEGETARIAN PROTEIN SOURCES
Egg whites: I utilize egg whites for so many things beyond eating them as an egg substitute. For breakfast with veggies or I mix them with oatmeal for a perfect post-workout snack or use them with pancake mix to make a higher protein pancake.
Non-fat greek yogurt: use plain nonfat as sour cream or mix it with frozen berries and peanut butter, or buy the flavored single serves like Oikos or Two Good
Cottage cheese: great as a salad topping or as a snack with fresh veggies or fruit
Reduced fat cheeses
Fairlife milk: Fairlife is ultra-filtered to make protein content higher and also does not add sugar like other milk brands do; they also have great pre-made protein drinks
Lastly, seemingly negligible sources of protein like nuts, seeds, powdered peanut butter and nutritional yeast, for example, can be like secret weapons for topping off your meals and increasing your protein intake that much more. I love adding things like nuts or hemp seeds to my salads, nutritional yeast to roasted veggies or in soups, chia seeds and/or peanut butter powder to my oatmeal or smoothies and all of those add just a little extra that often makes the difference between me hitting my target or not.
UNEXPECTED PROTEIN SOURCES FOR PLANT-BASED EATERS
Chia Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Spirulina
If you’re a plant-based eater or someone who wants to be, know that you can (and should!) still include protein in your diet with a little bit of effort and knowledge. It starts with changing how you think about protein and continues with learning how to include it throughout the day in creative ways. Don’t discount the little things and be open to trying new things, too! And if you need some inspiration, we’ve included some meal ideas below with our very own macro-friendly recipes to get you started!
HIGH-PROTEIN PLANT-BASED RECIPE IDEAS
Plant-based Peanut Noodle Bowl
Plant-based Protein Veggie Burgers
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