Protein is an essential nutrient that performs several vital functions in the human body. For this reason, every person needs adequate amounts of protein, including vegetarians. Fortunately, there are many vegetarian protein food sources.
What is Protein?
Protein is a substance made up of amino acids that maintain growth and muscle mass as well as aid in many other life functions. There are 20 different types of amino acids. Of these, nine cannot be produced naturally by your body and must come from food. These nine are considered essential amino acids.
How Much do I Need?
In general, 10 to 35 percent of your diet should be protein, even for vegetarians. If you consume 2,000 calories in a day, at least 200 of them should be protein.
Food Sources
Because vegetarians avoid eating meat and animal products, potent sources of protein, consuming an adequate amount of protein may not be as easy. Fortunately, there are plant sources of the nutrient including beans, nuts, peas and soy products.
Incomplete Protein
Plant-based protein sources are usually incomplete proteins, meaning they are missing one or more essential amino acids. To fix this, complementary proteins should be eaten together or within the same day to obtain all the amino acids.
Complementary Proteins
Eating rice and beans together is an example of complementary proteins. The amino acids missing in rice are found in beans, and vice versa.
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