Conscious Consumer: Getting Enough Protein

Many vegetarians and vegans have heard the all too familiar question, “You don’t eat meat!? How do you get enough protein?” The truth is, many Americans are getting too much protein in their diets. The average daily protein requirement is 20-40 grams—about the weight of 10 pennies. The average American eats 90-120 grams of protein each day. This can cause health problems including damage to the kidneys, calcium loss, and osteoporosis. A varied vegetarian diet easily provides all the necessary amino acids. You don’t have to worry about combining proteins. A variety of foods through out the day will suffice. Some excellent vegetable protein sources include grains such as brown rice, oats, millet, and wheat, legumes such as green peas, lentils, alfalfa sprouts, beans, tofu, textured soy protein, soymilk, and peanuts. Nuts and seeds such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds are also good sources of protein as well as greens such as broccoli, collards, and spinach. Although it's not necessary, combining vegetable protein rich ingredients in one sitting can increase protein absorption by about 30%. Some examples that average 15-35 grams of high-quality protein are: corn tacos with pinto beans, soy yogurt with walnuts, whole grain bread with peanut butter and jelly, noodles with sesame seeds, and hummus made with tahini spread on pita bread. For more information visit: www.vegweb.com www.gentlebirth.org/nwnm.org/Diet_Prevents_Osteoprosis.htm www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/protein.php