As a vegan, one of the questions I get all the time is where I get my protein. To be honest, when I first transitioned to a vegan lifestyle, I wondered that myself. In fact, I had many concerns originally about getting enough vitamins and nutrients in this new diet in comparison to how I ate before. Then, I laughed my butt off. What “diet” was I on before?—the ‘all-you-can-eat pizza, mac ‘n cheese and ice cream plan’? Yeaaaaah, pretty sure my plant-based lifestyle would pick up the slack in the nutrients department—no problem.

So where do I get my protein now that I’m actually on the hunt for it? Easy. There are TONS of foods out there that are willing to step up to the plate. Allow me to geek out for a moment and list them for you.

My Favorite Plant Based Protein-Packed Foods

• Avocado (1 whole): 4 grams of protein
• Kale (2 cups): 5 grams of protein (Try a great juice recipe with kale)
• Spinach (340 grams– bunch): 9 grams of protein
• Sweet Potato (1 cup mashed, cooked): 4 grams of protein
• Pinto / Black Beans (1 cup, cooked): 15 grams of protein
• Nuts – Cashews, Almonds (1 ounce): 5 grams of protein
• Almond Butter / Peanut Butter (2 tablespoons): 6 grams of protein (Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Recipe)
• Quinoa (1 cup, cooked): 8 grams of protein
• Brown Rice (1 cup, long-grain cooked): 5 grams of protein
• Yellow Corn (1 cup): 15 grams of protein

Let’s stop here for a second. You know why it’s easy being vegan? Look at the choices above. Avocados, Beans, Rice, Corn… Mexican food, anyone? I like where this is going.

Now pretend for a moment that you can’t party hard and have a fiesta every night. How else would you get your plant-based protein? Enter the wonderful world of plant-based protein powder.

Plant-Based Protein Powders (products selected to demonstrate protein content)

• Hemp Protein (4 tablespoons): 9 grams of protein in Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Protein (Try Hemp Hearts Baked Apples Recipe)
• Spirulina (1/4 cup): 16 grams of protein
• Soy Protein Isolate (1 ounce): 22 grams of protein
• Brown Rice Protein: 17 grams of protein in Garden of Life Organic RAW Protein
• Pea Protein (1 scoop): 25 grams of protein in Olympian Labs Vanilla Pea Protein

Want a great protein shake recipe? Try my go-to breakfast when I’m too tired to think: Blueberry Banana Vanilla Bean Smoothie.

I hope this helps you!

*Protein estimates from the USDA unless otherwise noted.

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Featured Natural Foods

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