Best sources of vegan protein

Once you tell someone that you follow a vegan lifestyle, the first question you will get is ‘but where do you get your protein from?’. When I was vegetarian (so still eating eggs and dairy) I was never asked this question once, yet as soon as I went vegan it was all anyone would ask me and to this day it is still the most common question I get. As though somehow being vegan means that you are at super high risk of protein deficiency. It also seems to be a very common misconception that you can only ever obtain protein from meat.

So for all of you just starting out in your veganism journey, to those who are fed p of having to answer this question, I have prepared the following list of where vegans (and everyone else for that matter) can get their protein from.

1. Tofu
2. Seitan
3. Nuts
4. Seeds – such as sunflower, hemp and pumpkin
5. Quinoa (red or white)
6. Beans (just be careful with baked beans as these can be quite high in salt)
7. Lentils
8. Chickpeas, including hummus!
9. Chia seeds
10. Buckwheat
11. Oats
12. Brown rice – technically more of a carbohydrate but still contains a lot of protein
13. Avocado – also a very good source of healthy fats
14. broccoli
15. cauliflower
16. Nutritional Yeast – super yummy on top of popcorn and a source of B12
17. Potatoes

This list is obviously not exhaustive and I have included mainly the whole foods options. Protein can be found in most fruit and vegetable and so long as you are eating a balanced diet with a variety of fruits and veggies on a daily basis, you should have no issue getting enough protein.

This is also not including any of the meat alternative products out there on the market at the moment. The good news as well is that many of the meat alternatives use tofu as their main base, so are like higher in protein than the actual meat it is based off of. If you need ideas, you can find some high protein meat alternatives such as Beyond Meat products, Huel products and the Linda McCartney products in every grocery store and supermarket in the UK, and no doubt there are hundreds more in different countries.

That being said, there are also options out there should you want to consume more protein, for example if – like me – you are looking to build more muscle or get into better shape. There are numerous companies out there that create tasty and affordable protein powders and other supplements that allow you to consume large amount of protein without having to necessarily eat large amounts of food.

As always, finding what works best for you and your body when it comes to veganism is the most important thing. It will also not happen over night, but a large part of the fun is trying out all these new products and meals to see which ones you love and which ones you know to avoid next time. Of course, if you have any real concerns, always check with your doctor to see if there is any underlying issue that needs to be dealt with.

T xxx