How Can a Vegetarian Get 200 Grams of Protein?

Beef, chicken, fish and dairy products aren't the only sources of protein. Plenty of plant foods, including beans, nuts and grains, provide protein — just not as much as animal sources — so, as a vegetarian, you'll need to make smart food choices to get 200 grams of protein a day. But you may want to start by reconsidering how much protein you actually need.

Your options for getting 200 g of protein a day depend on what type of vegetarian diet you follow. According to the Vegetarian Society:

"A vegetarian does not eat foods that consist of, or have been produced with the aid of products consisting of or created from, any part of the body of a living or dead animal. This includes meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, insects, by-products of slaughter or any food made with processing aids created from these."

However, vegetarians may include eggs and/or dairy in their diets, in which case they're categorized as:

• ‌Lacto-vegetarians,‌ who include dairy products but not eggs.
  
• ‌Ovo-vegetarians,‌ who eat eggs but not dairy products.
  
• ‌Lacto-ovo-vegetarians,‌ who include eggs and dairy in their diets.
  

Once you've determined what kind of vegetarian diet you follow or would like to follow, you can identify the protein-rich foods within each food group that will help you plan your 200-g protein vegetarian diet.

All plant foods contain some protein. Even a cup of romaine lettuce has .5 g of protein. But that's not even 1 percent of 200 g, so you'll need some foods with a little more protein power, such as:

• Seitan (made from wheat gluten): 25 g in 3.5 ounces
• Tofu (made from soybeans): 9 g in 3.5 ounces
• Garbanzo beans: 15 g per cup
• Quinoa: 8 g per cup, cooked
• Lentils: 18 g per cup, cooked
• Hempseed: 9.5 g in 3 tablespoons
• Almonds: 8 g in 1/4 cup
  

Plant-based protein powders are often more concentrated sources of protein. Using these in smoothies or to stir into oatmeal will help you get more protein than you could from whole foods alone. Some choices you have when choosing a plant-based protein powder include:

• Pea protein: 21 g per 28-g serving
  
• Hemp protein: 12 g per serving
  
• Pumpkin seed protein: 18 g per serving
  
• Brown rice protein: 22 g per serving
  
• Soy protein: 22 g per serving

If you eat dairy, eggs or both, your protein options are a lot more extensive. Eggs are said to be among the most bioavailable sources of protein in the human diet. According to a 2004 review in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, egg has a biological value of 100, second only to whey, with a value of 104. One large egg has 6 g of protein.

Milk, with 8 g of protein per cup, has a biological value of 94, making it another high-quality protein source. Other protein-rich milk products include:

• Cottage cheese: 15 g per 1/2 cup
  
• Yogurt: 10 g per cup
  
• Greek yogurt: 22.5 g per cup
  

Including eggs and dairy in your vegetarian diet also offers more protein powder options:

• Whey: 22 g per 28-g serving
• Casein: 26 g in a 30-g serving
• Egg: 24 g per 32-ounce serving
  

Now that you know which vegetarian foods are highest in protein, you can maximize your meals and snacks to meet your daily goals. However, something to consider is that you may not need as much protein as you think. The recommended daily intake for protein is 46 g for women and 56 g for men. While this is likely suitable for sedentary or moderately active people, people who exercise strenuously, who are into bodybuilding or who are athletes will need more — but not as much as people often think.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, athletes need 1.2 to 2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. That's 92 to 154 g of protein per day for a 170-pound person. Chances are, unless you're a professional quarterback, you don't need 200 g of protein — and reducing your protein intake will make it much easier to get all the vegetarian protein you need.