What are good non-meat sources of protein?

Question

I want to become a vegetarian, and since I am cutting out meat from my diet, this also means cutting out the main source of protein. Thanks and please help!

-hope

Answer 1

Believe it or not, you are NOT cutting out your main source of protein, you're cutting out your main source of *excess* protein. The average American meat eater gets 4x the protein they need every day and it's really hard on your health and your body. Excess protein, particulary of animal origin, is an immune system irritant, a burden to your kidneys and cause for calcium to leach from your bones. That said, of course you need some protein to stay healthy. Vegetarians get their protein from practically everything in their diet (where do you think large herbivores like cows and elephants get their protein from? Plants, of course.) You can get plenty of protein from soybeans and soy products (tofu, meat analogs, tempeh, edamame, etc,) beans and other legumes (lentils, peanuts, chickpeas, beans and peas,) nuts and seeds, whole grains (quinoa is a great source of veg protein because it's also loaded with iron and calcium and is as versatile as rice,) fruits, veggies and mushrooms. If you're keeping eggs or dairy in your diet you get protein from them, too, but even vegans get plenty from a balanced diet. There is almost no such thing as protein deficiency in the developed world.

Answer 2

Beans and rice form a near perfect protein. Soy beans especially are high in protein. Soy products like tofu and tempe can be blended in to all kinds of excellent dishes. Nuts are also a very good source of protein. Look up a recipe for tofu nut loaf. Excellent!!! Avacodos too are excellent!

Answer 3

I get the feeling you have not heard about the protein myth yet. Humans do not need protein. We need amino acids, and we use those to make our own protein. In fact, we cannot do anything with protein before it is first broken down into amino acids. Breaking protein down into amino acids actually takes quite a lot of bodily energy; it's much more efficient to consume amino acids rather than protein.

Answer 4

Yanno, as long as you don't eat a junk food diet and you get enough food, you will get PLENTY of protein. I mean, in industrialized nations, protein deficiency is practically unheard of. I certainly never heard of kwashiorkor until earlier this year.

You don't even need to combine your proteins to be effective. If you want to have a beany chili at lunch and a stir fry with rice at dinner, that's just fine. Just eat a variety of healthy foods: fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts.

Answer 5

Protein is far more abundant in fruits and veggies than anything the meat and dairy industries pump out.

Answer 6

some good sources of protein are beans, peanuts, and lentils. some people like to eat alot of soy products for protien, but soy contains alot of estrogen, which is harmful if you eat too much of it, especially for females. so i try to stick to to other sources of protein.

Answer 7

Tofu, beans, nuts, cheese, and eggs are all great sources of protien.

Answer 8

cheese, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, instant breakfast. and i think u can also get like little calcium chews that have lots of protein in it. :)

Answer 9

Soy products, almonds, peanuts, beans, etc.

Answer 10

check out Quinoa. (pronounced keen-wa). Look it up on wikipedia.