Top 8 Vegetarian Sources Of Protein

Proteins is the building block of life and like all animal forms, vegetarians need it too. There is a common misconception that there is not enough protein in vegetarian food forms. But that is not entirely true. If taken in the right amounts and opting for the right types of foods, there are enough sources available for vegetarians to indulge in proteins.

Here Are The Top Protein Sources For Vegetarian:

Legumes

This is one of the best protein sources for all vegetarian forms. In fact, you can make most of your stews and soups using legumes and get some added share of proteins. These can also be consumed in raw forms like in salads and other sources. Legumes that you can consider here are the yellow and green lentils along with red kidney beans, white beans and even the classic black beans that are enriched with protein to keep the vegetarian going!

Nuts

Nutty things are the best way to get your source of protein. The best part is that along with proteins, you also get some healthy fat and cholesterol through nuts. Think of nuts like walnuts, Brazilian nuts, cashew nuts and even almonds. You can have these in assortment or even mix them together and indulge in it as a snack. Do not toast or add too much salt to these nuts because it destroys some of the other nutrients too. 1 cup garbanzo beans contains 14.5 grams and pinto  beans contain12 grams of proteins.

Dairy

Yogurt, buttermilk, regular milk and even cheese are the best forms of dairy you can get your dose of daily protein. However, it should be remembered that even toned milk has good protein, it is just lean on the fat. So you don’t have to indulge in fatty milk or cheese forms. Ideally, 1 cup yogurt contains 13 grams, while 1 oz cheddar cheese contains 7.1 grams and 1 cup cottage cheese 10 grams of protein.

Leafy Vegetables

No matter how much you despise your leafy vegetables, there is no denying that they are indeed rich in protein forms. You can always add them to your everyday meals using simple techniques like pureeing them or even having them in salads or other forms. Ideally 1 cup of broccoli and spinach each contain 5 grams of protein. So that adds to almost 10 grams of healthy protein for you, with the good fiber.

Tofu

For those who are vegetarians and vegans, tofu turns out to be an excellent form of protein. In fact, 1 cup of tofu alone contains at least 22 grams of protein. You can also have tofu or soy milk along with forms of soy cheese, etc. These are easily available in the market and nourish your body with goodness of proteins.

Fruits

Avocado contains about 7 grams of protein per serving while other fruits like mangoes, guavas, etc contain smaller doses of protein. Nevertheless, if you are actually consuming 2-3 portions of these fruits in a day, you are sorted for your protein needs as a vegetarian.

Grains

Quinoa, buckwheat, wheat, etc. are some of the other healthy and rich sources of protein. In fact, quinoa contains at least 8 grams of protein per cup while buckwheat contains about 6 grams of protein. So you are actually getting a lot of healthy fibers along with goodness of proteins.

Seeds

Hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds are other rich sources of proteins. They can be toasted and munched on or added to salads. These sources contain at least 7-8 grams of protein per cup!