Are you a vegetarian and do not know where to get enough protein in your diet? Don’t worry we got you covered with our list of top vegetarian protein rich foods.
When it comes down to getting protein, animal sourced foods like meat, milk, eggs and seafood are always superior sources. Protein from these foods is highly digestible and provides better results as compared to plant based foods.
However, as a vegetarian you can still get enough good quality protein in your diet by incorporating following foods on daily basis. As a vegetarian we assume that you consume enough dairy and eggs.
Following are our top 7 picks.
1.Raw Milk
Milk is considered as a “reference protein”. Reference protein is one such protein that is highly digestible and has an excellent amino acid content comparative to any other food.
Milk protein is highly digestible by humans and provides all the nine essential amino acids in appropriate amounts. What else? it is cheap and easily available to everyone.
One liter of whole cow’s milk provides 32g of protein.
We recommend you to opt for specifically raw milk as it is far better than conventional pasteurized milk. Click here to know more about it in depth.
2.Chickpeas and rice
Chickpeas and rice are one of the best combinations for vegetarians.
1 cup of cooked chickpeas paired with 1 cup cooked rice provides 19g of protein with somewhat good balance of amino acids.
3.Eggs
Another reference protein beside milk is egg.
1 whole egg provides 6g of high quality protein. So, eating 5 eggs a day can get you 30g easily.
Not to mention eggs also contain many vitamins, minerals, cholesterol and choline all of which are required for healthy brain and body.
4.Cheese
Cheese of any kind except processed cheese is a rich source of many vitamins, minerals and of course it is a high quality protein source which is why it made on this list.
100g of cottage cheese for example provides 18g of protein and 100g of cheddar has 23g of it. All of it is casein which digests slowly. This makes it a better choice for overnight recovery.
Cheese is also delicious, easily available and it goes well with lots of dishes.
5.Beans and rice
Another great source of protein is beans and rice.
1 cup of cooked white rice and 1 cup of kidney beans for example provide 18g of protein.
Any kind of beans goes well with white rice except soybeans. Soybeans are not a health food as believed by many so, avoid it at all cost.
6.Lentils and rice
Lentils and rice makes a delicious meal together.
1 cup of cooked lentils and 1 cup of white rice together provides 22g of protein.
7.Yogurt/curd
Yogurt is eaten in most cultures in some form with or without meals.
250g of yogurt provides 8g of protein. It is always better to eat it with your main meals to get an extra boost in protein intake.
Not to mention, It is also loaded with probiotics which is good for digestive health and healthy fats.
Takeaway
These are best protein sources which you can eat as a vegetarian on daily basis. No need to look further.
However, you need to know that animal based foods are always superior in terms of quality.
They are not only rich in protein but also in essential vitamins and minerals which are not found in plant based protein sources.
If you want to know how incorporate more protein in your diet, click here to read this article.
