by Katerina Nikolas

Created on: February 27, 2010

Protein is essential for everyone to maintain a healthy body. It is stored in skeletal muscle and needed to maintain and repair the body, for growth, and for energy. Amounts needed differ but the latest findings indicate that the average man needs around 55 grams daily, the average woman 45 grams, and pregnant women 51 grams. Those who exercise a lot require more.

The most obvious source of protein comes from meat and food products derived from meat. However, too much protein is not a good thing as it can lead to higher cholesterol levels and more risk of heart disease. A well balanced vegetarian diet can actually provide an adequate whilst not excessive amount of protein to meet our daily needs.

Presuming that the vegetarian diet allows for dairy products there is plenty of scope for a protein filled diet, but a greater mix of foods is needed to obtain it than a diet consisting of daily steak. Silken tofu, the creamy block which comes in water, is an excellent source of protein and extremely versatile. There are plenty of ways to use it and ideas can be gleamed from Chinese cooking as tofu (or bean curd) is used a lot.

Soya meat replacements also contain good amounts of protein so by emulating a meat based diet with soya sausages and burgers you will obtain lots of protein. Plain yogurt is recommended as a good source of protein but it only has half the amount which is found in Greek yogurt, so look for that as a wonderful tasting option, especially if eaten with honey and fruit. If your vegetarian diet allows for diary then cheese and eggs are protein packed.

The richest vegetables as a source for protein are broccoli and leafy greens. Other protein rich foods are oats, rice, barley and pasta. Whole grain bread and muesli make good breakfast choices, whilst more substantial meals can include baked beans, beans, and potatoes.

Snack choices abound in nuts of many varieties; particularly high in protein are peanuts, cashew nuts, walnuts, as well as other nuts. If you like seeds then both sesame and sunflower seeds are protein packed and can be snacked on or incorporated into cooking.

Of course the protein rich foods outlined here are only part of the vegetarian diet, but they show that there are plenty of choices for those who don’t want meat in their diets. In fact these foods are now being lauded as a more healthy choice of protein than the more traditional animal sources, showing that vegetarianism as a choice was a good choice all along.

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