You’re Vegetarian...how Do You Get Your Protein?

Anytime I mentioned to someone that I’m a vegetarian, the most common question I hear after they gasp out the words “You don’t eat ANY flesh…” is always the inevitable: ”How do you get your protein then?”

Well, being vegetarian does not mean your diet will be lacking in protein. Most plant foods contain protein and in fact it would be very difficult to design a vegetarian diet that is short on protein. Moreover, the irony of the whole protein debate is that being overly concerned about sufficient sources of protein for vegetarians may not even be that necessary as it's been proven that excess dietary protein may lead to health problems. Friends, the necessity for protein for the human body is about a nickel's weight worth, the excess is basically excreted in urine.

Of course we all need a certain amount of protein everyday to remain healthy. However, based on misinformation to this effect, several people view the daily consumption of a high-protein diet as beneficial and this in itself may actually be wrong.

Take a look at these statistics will you:

-According to the French Hygienist, Albert Mosseri, diseases and conditions which can be caused or aggravated by too much protein intake include: Leukemia, Skin Diseases and even Cancer.

-Based on the John Robbins work titled: Diet for a New America, the number of people in the US suffering from diseases caused by protein excess is a mind-boggling 40, 000, 000 compared to a measly 3 people suffering from the deficiency of this substance.

Now for some sufficient sources of protein for vegetarians, here are some recommended items.

1. Green Leaves: Believe or not, these babies have sufficient amounts of protein and of extremely high quality, containing all the essential amino acids. They are highly absorbable and will not ferment in the intestines nor poison the body.

2. Fruits: Some of the fruits containing higher quantities of a protein supply for a vegetarian are –Avocados, Dates, Bananas, Olives

3. Nuts

4. Whole Grains

5. Some root vegetables (such as Sweet Potatoes @ 2% by dry weight.)

6. Legumes (though not necessarily advocated...are a good protein supply for a vegetarian)

So my good friend, there you have it, a list of adequate food items that can be consumed for the necessity of meeting your protein needs as a vegetarian, just remember, it’s really not something that you have to be overly obsessive about…really.

Which Protein Is Best For You?

If you are physically active and taking supplements but still cannot seem to get the energy back in your body and brain, then it’s time to look at how much and what kind of protein you are getting. Even though dieters have been using high-protein diets for years, many are unaware of how much protein they actually need and how critical it is to their overall health. Low-protein diets can be lacking greatly in a lot of essential nutrients such as zinc, iron, manganese, chromium, copper, and others. This deficiency can cause illness and fatigue. Protein deficiency leads to difficult recovery from exercise, feeling tired, frequent colds, poor hair or nails, and a cessation in menstrual period for women, which may sound pleasant but is potentially dangerous. People of all ages are not aware of how much their protein needs change as they increase exercise. As your activity increases, so does your protein needs.

Protein is important in your body because every single cell in the body is made up of proteins. Protein is also essential for muscle building, producing red blood cells, the production of various enzymes and hormones, and good hair, nails, and skin. Our immune systems are almost all protein based, so providing our body with protein means that we can fight colds and other infections better. Proteins are also needed in our body to repair muscle damage that occurs during mild exercise. Protein is made from a chain of amino acids and our body cannot make some of these amino acids, which means that they need to be found in our diet. There are eight amino acids that our body cannot make and must be found in our diet every day. These include: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Although it is nice to know which amino acids are essential, it is even more important to know where you can find these amino acids because your muscles and body need them on a daily basis.

Since proteins are constantly being broken down, it is necessary to get some every day. It is suggested that women aged 19 to 70 need 46 grams of protein per day, while men of the same age need 56 grams. Now that you know that protein is essential to your life, what kind of protein is actually needed? Even though protein can be found in a good diet by simply eating meat, nuts, eggs, and other foods, many of us with busy lives need a quick and convenient source of protein. At a health food store, your choices are soy, casein, whey, and egg. Although the classic protein source is whey protein, the problem is that even though it has a high amount of useable amino acids, some people don’t like it or have a hard time taking it. Other proteins like soy and casein don’t have the complete amino acid content that your body is looking for.

With all the different forms of protein available one might wonder which is best? Egg white is the perfect protein source. Egg whites contain more than half the protein of an egg and are also rich in chlorine, niacin, potassium, magnesium, riboflavin, selenium, vitamin K, and sulfur. Additionally, egg whites have a high amount of protein but exclude the cholesterol and sodium found in the yolk. Egg white protein is considered almost perfect because human requirements for amino acids and the amino acids contained in eggs are almost identical. Eggs are also one of the well-tolerated proteins, as over 90 percent of the protein of eggs is digested into the individual amino acids that your body needs. Egg white protein is one of the few products on the market that taste good without the added artificial flavors, colors, or additives.