Plant Protein to Meet Your Daily Protein Needs

Are you one of many that thinks that you need to eat animal products to ensure you are getting enough protein? Well someone told you wrong, honey.
In this article we talked about how to meet your daily protein needs on a plant-based diet, what foods you can eat on a plant-based diet, and also a breakdown of what a serving of protein rich plant foods looks like.
If there is one thing being on a plant-based diet has taught us, it’s this: getting enough protein is definitely not a problem!
Dr. T Colin Campell

Plant protein offers all the protein you need with so many more health benefits.
What exactly is protein?
Protein is a vital nutrient responsible for the growth, maintenance and repair of our bodies. A protein is made up of 9 essential amino acids.
To keep ourselves healthy we must consume a healthy amount of high-quality protein every day.
What kinds of protein are there?
All protein is plant protein!
Any protein you are getting from eating an animal is just recycled plant protein. Only plants have the ability to take Nitrogen from the air, break the molecules apart, and incorporate that Nitrogen into amino acids that then make protein according to Dr. Milton Mills

YOU DO NOT NEED TO EAT ANIMAL TISSUE IN ORDER TO GET ADEQUATE PROTEIN!
What is the daily recommended value for protein?
The recommended dietary allowance for protein assumes that adults need, on average, a little more than 0.5 grams of protein daily per kilogram of body weight, but because individuals vary in their ability to utilize proteins, the RDA adds 0.3 grams per kilogram as a safety factor- so a total of 0.8
If you would like to know your exact recommended value you can calculate how many grams of protein you need per day for your weight. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs you would divide 150 by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms- so in this case, 68.18kg. Then you multiply your weight in kilograms 68.18kg by 0.8 which will give you 54.54g for your daily protein requirement.
Friendly reminder: Your body can’t store protein, so make sure you eat some every day.
High sources of protein
Almonds (1 oz or 24 nuts) | 6 grams of protein |
Avocado (1 medium) | 3.6 grams of protein |
Beans black, pinto chickpea (1 cup cooked) | 15 grams of protein |
Broccoli (1 cup cooked) | 4.6 grams of protein |
Spinach (1 cup cooked) | 5 grams of protein |
Lentils (1 cup cooked) | 18 grams of protein |
Oatmeal (¾ cup cooked in water) | 4.6 grams of protein |
Brown rice (1 cup cooked) | 5 grams of protein |
Quinoa (1 cup cooked) | 8 grams of protein |
Soybeans (1 cup cooked) | 29 grams of protein |
Tempeh (½ cup) | 15.7 grams of protein |
Tofu, firm (½ cup) | 20 grams of protein |
Wheat, shredded (2 biscuits) | 5.2 grams of protein |

What plant protein can you eat for breakfast on a plant based diet?
Peanut butter toast and orange juice
Oatmeal with seeds and berries
Cereal with soy milk
Waffles with peanut butter and oranges
Avocado bean toast
Cooked oatmeal (1½ cup) | 9.2 grams of protein |
Soy milk (1 cup) | 7 grams of protein |
Orange juice (1 cup) | 2 grams of protein |
Whole-wheat bread (2 slices) |

What plant protein can you eat for lunch on a plant-based diet?
Hummus wrap
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Veggie meat and vegan mac and cheese
Salad with nuts, seeds, and apple
Hummus spread (½ cup) | 6 grams of protein |
Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, etc. | 2 grams of protein |
Peanut butter (2Tbsp) | 8 grams of protein |
Pita bread (1 pocket) | 4 grams of protein |
Grapes (1 cup) | 2 grams of protein |

What plant protein can you eat for dinner on a plant-based diet?
Black bean tacos (top with tomatoes, onion, and avocado)
Chili (I love the 3 bean trio-kidney, pinto, and black bean)
Veggie meat, pasta, and vegetable mix
Quinoa with black beans, carrots, butternut squash, and kale
Stir-fry Tofu (⅓ cup) | 13.3 grams of protein |
Stir-fry Broccoli (1 cup, cooked) | 4.6 grams of protein |
Stir-fry Cashews (1 oz) | 4.6 grams of protein |
Stir-fry Brown rice (1½ cup, cooked) | 7 grams of protein |
Spaghetti (1 cup cooked) | 8 grams of protein |
Fruit Fresh fruit salad (1¸ cups) | <2.0 grams of protein |

Plant protein offers all the protein you need with so many more health benefits.
Challenge yourself to eat more plant foods and less animal products for 30 days and you will be so excited about all the health benefits. Please reach out and let us know about all the wonderful things that a plant-based diet is doing for you and your family!