Protein intake for a plant based diet
If you’re thinking about making the switch to a vegetarian or plant-based diet, understanding where you will get your protein from is one of the factors that needs to be considered. While it is absolutely possible to get all the protein you need from a plant-based diet, when you remove one food group (whether it’s meat or any other kind of food) you need to ensure you are still getting what you need from alternative foods.
Firstly, it helps to understand how much protein you actually need as this will vary person to person for reasons such as the kind of training they do, what their goals are and their size. For example, if the main kind of training is strength and the main goal is to gain strength & increase muscle mass, then the protein needs of that individual may be higher than an endurance athlete who is looking to keep their body weight lower.
The calculation we use and have been taught for adding up how much protein we need, is .8gram – 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. So if someone was to weigh 141lbs (64kg), they would eat between 125grams – 141grams of protein per day – this is between .9grams – 1gram protein per pound of their bodyweight.
It’s also a good idea to track your progress, so if you have calculated how much protein you think you need and you are hitting that target consistently, after several weeks you could ask yourself these questions:
Am I recovering well? (Not pulling up super sore after training sessions all the time)
Am I building muscle to the level that I would like? (This of course is going to be a slow, gradual change)
Am I feeling strong and capable during training? If you’re feeling weak and fatigued in training that may be a sign that your protein levels could need an increase
Am I waking up feeling rested? If you’re consistently waking up feeling tired and lethargic, it may be a sign that you’re lacking in protein
Am I feeling satisfied in regards to hunger? If you’re feeling unusually hungry all the time, this could be a sign that you’re lacking in protein
Once you’ve established roughly how much protein you need, you need to learn where to get it. Some good options are:
Tofu: the amount of protein varies quite a lot depending on the brand. I buy Woolworths Macro brand protein (the “perfectly firm” one) and that has 14.7grams of protein per 100grams of tofu.
Tempeh: the same applies as above regarding different brands. I usually buy Primasoy tempeh which offers 18.4grams per 100grams of tempeh
Lentils: around 8-9g of protein per 100g
Chickpeas: 7g of protein per 100g
Beans, including black, pinto, cannellini, edamame and kidney: between 7-10g protein per 100g
Hemp seeds: 5g per tablespoon
Ground linseed: 3g per tablespoon
Almonds: 3g of protein for every six almonds
Walnuts: around 3g of protein for every three whole walnuts
Pumpkin seeds: 4g per tablespoon
Cashew nuts: 3g per 10 cashew nuts
Vegan protein powder is also a easy and simple way to increase your protein intake throughout the day. Here are our suggestions based on taste and price:
Prana On – One full scoop (44grams powder) has 30grams . A little more expensive at $69 per kilo bag, but we have found is the yummiest, with nicest consistency.
Earth Protein from Bulk Nutrients – one full scoop (30g of powder) has 23g protein. This is also the cheapest option out of these three suggestions at $30 per kilo bag.
True protein - one full scoop (30g of powder) has 23g protein.
All these brands are super clean and not overly sweet. A lot of brands have added sugars and all sorts of unnecessary ingredients that make them taste delicious, but results in them being super high in sugar or fat.
One important thing to consider when buying vegan protein powder is that the protein is made up of rice and pea rather than just one or the other as this is most complete protein you can get.
It is absolutely possible to get enough protein through a plant-based diet and there are all sorts of vegan athletes out there from sports such as ultra-marathon runners to Strongmen. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but it is important (regardless of what diet you’re following) to ensure you are giving your body what it needs to be healthy and do the things you’re asking it to do!
-Isabel D’Aloia
