One of the great myths about vegetarians and vegans is that they do not get enough protein. This is a myth perpetuated by the meat industry. There have been many proven health advantages of being a vegetarian, and no evidense that humans who eat a meatless diet will lack protein.
What is complete protein?
A complete protein is a protein that contains all the amino acids needed by the human body. There are twenty of these amino acids, ten of which the body can make itself. The other ten are derived from food. According to the R.D.A humans only need 0.8 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight. Some people need a little more, but a vegatarian diet is abundant in protein and a vegetaian who eats a reasonably varied diet will not have any problems with protein deficiency. In reality most people who eat meat get much more protein than they actually need, (along with alot of animal fat) which can cause health problems such as kidney stones as well as certain kinds of cancer and heart disease.
What are some vegetarian protein sources? Soy is the most complete and digestable of all the vegetarian protein sources, containing all the essential amino acids. It is made into many differnt foods, for vegans who do not eat animal byproducts such as milk or yogurt or cheese. Soy makes very deliscious substitute products..
Other rich sources of vegetarian protein include legumes, nuts, and seeds. There are also many high protein grains such as spirulina, quinoa, buckwheat, hempseed, and amaranth. Eating a variety of incomplete proteins is just as good as eating one complete protein.. Your body stores the amino acids and when it has enough of each one it will put them together to make a complete protein.
complete vegetarian protein sources: Soybeans, Avocado, Pumpkin seeds, Goji berries, Pinto beans, Brazil nuts, Ezekiel bread, Buckwheat, Hummus, Quinoa, Spirulina, Amaranth, Aheatgerm, Hempseed, Milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Eggs
incomplete vegetarian protein sources: Walnuts, Peanuts, Hazelnuts, Cashews, Almonds, Filberts, Pine nuts, PecansSesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Chickpeas, Pink beans, Navy beans, White beans, Northern beans, Kidney beans, LentilsOatmeal, Rice, Barley, Whole wheat bread, Corn, Potatos, Sweet potatos, Brocoli, Spinach, Collard greens, Artichokes, Asparagus, Beet Greens, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Zuccini, Tomatos, Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon.