Plant Protein: What Are the Best Sources?
Protein is a hugely important nutrient in our diets. Protein gets broken down into amino acids, which are then used by the body to build every part of us. There are 20 amino acids we need, nine of which the body cannot produce itself and can only come from food — these are the essential amino acids.
The exact amount of protein someone needs depends on their size, but on average, women need 45 grams per day and men need 55 grams per day.
While meat is one of the most common sources of protein, people who follow a plant-based diet have many choices to help them get enough. You can find protein in a number of different plant sources — from nuts and seeds to rice, and things like lentils and beans.
Tofu, edamame and tempeh — all from the soy plant — are complete proteins, meaning they have all nine essential amino acids. In total, just 100 grams of tofu will give you 8 grams of pure protein and edamame has 11 grams. Tempeh, a traditional Indonesian food made from soy beans, offers around 19 grams, similar to a piece of chicken.
Other complete vegan proteins include grains like quinoa, buckwheat (used to make soba noodles) and amaranth, as well as chia and hemp seeds.
Incomplete protein foods can also give you all of the essential amino acids if you eat them together. For example, neither rice nor beans are complete proteins but together, they have all the essential amino acids. These are called complementary proteins. Other good complementary protein combinations are any kind of nut butter and whole wheat bread or hummus, made from chickpeas, and pita bread.
And even if you don’t have a complete protein at every meal, you can still get all the amino acids you need by regularly eating a variety of sources.
