As we all know, getting enough protein is very important if you want to be fit and keep good health. Protein also helps build, renew and preserve muscle tissue. Having enough muscle mass keeps you looking young.
Protein is also important for youthful skin and good hair.
That said, vegans and vegetarians often don’t eat enough protein rich foods and tend to believe that they can’t get quality protein.
However, it is a myth. Fact is that Vegetarians and Vegans “CAN” get enough protein provided they include enough such protein rich foods in the right combination.
What do I mean when I say that?
Basically, for a protein to be used properly in the body, it has to be a complete protein. i.e. you to have get all 9 essential amino acids (which are the building blocks of protein) in the same meal. For that you have to combine your foods correctly. You can combine Cereals with a Pulse/Legume to complete the amino acid profile. That is because Cereals provide the amino acids which are lacking in Pulses and Legumes.
For Lacto-Vegetarians, Cow milk Curd and Paneer are good sources too.
Few examples of Protein rich food combos are given below:
- Chapati/Bhakri with Dal
- Rice with Dal
- Rice + Rajma
- Chapati + Chhole
- Curd + Rice
- Chapati + Mung/Matki sprouts sabzi
- Roasted Paratha + Curd
- Poha + Mung sprouts
- Idli + Sambar
- Dosa + Sambar
- Chapati + Paneer sabzi (of cow milk)
- Curd or Chaas
- Chapati /Bhakri + Tofu Sabzi
- Oats cheela with curd (savoury pancake)
To make sure you’re getting enough, your 3 main meals a day should include protein. Besides the examples mentioned above, ALL Pulses and legumes are protein rich.
The only difficulty with getting enough protein through plant sources is that these proteins come along with more of carbohydrates. Hence they need to be watchful of their total calories, their macros or of the portions if they want to control or reduce their body fat percentage.
Hope this information helps make a positive difference to your diet and eventually your health. 😊 Feel free to share it with the people who will benefit.