Spiritual Portal

Protein sources for vegetarians
Protein is essential for many bodily processes, including tissue building and repair. Protein is made up of smaller building blocks called amino acids. These amino acids are classed as non-essential (can be made by the body) and essential (must be obtained through the diet).

A ‘complete’ protein has all the 9 essential amino acids necessary for dietary needs. Most plant foods, however, are not complete proteins – they only have some of the 9 essential amino acids. Soy products, quinoa and amaranth seeds are some of the few exceptions of a complete vegetable protein.

It was once thought that vegetarians and vegans needed to combine plant foods at each meal to ensure they consumed complete proteins (for example, baked beans on toast). Recent research has found this is not the case.

Consuming various sources of amino acids throughout the day should provide the complete complement of protein. Generally, if energy (kilojoules or calorie) intake is sufficient, vegetarian diets can meet or exceed their protein requirements, but some vegan diets may be low in protein.

Some good vegetarian sources of protein include:

legumes (such as beans, peas and lentils)
nuts and seeds
soy products (including soy beverages, tempeh and tofu)
whole (cereal) grains (such as oats and barley)
pseudo-cereals (such as quinoa and amaranth)
It’s recommended that vegetarians and vegans eat legumes and nuts daily, along with wholegrain cereals and pseudo-cereals, to ensure adequate nutrient intakes.