“Where do vegans get their protein?”
This is a question vegans hear often, specially when talking to other athletes. My default answer is: “through protein supplements.” While it is a somewhat misleading answer, non-vegan athletes accept this as a simple enough answer and move on. Honestly, I do rely on vegan protein supplements to help me meet my macros goals but I obviously couldn’t and don’t get all of my protein purely from protein supplements.
However, anyone who has tracked their macros using MyFitnessPal like I do knows that a LOT of meatless foods contain protein. The Wild Berry PEScience supplement provides 20g of protein per serving, but there are several meatless foods that are high in protein. Check out the list below.
- Plant-based meat alternatives (My favorite brand is BeyondMeat)
- Black beans
- Almonds
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Peanut butter
- Soy milk
- Quinoa
- Chia seeds
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Lentils
For those concerned about their protein intake, food tracking using MyFitnessPal can be an amazing way of knowing how much protein you’re consuming. It’s very likely that you’re eating a lot more protein than you realize. Give it a try!