Can You Get Enough Protein from a Plant Based Diet?

For the last few years, I have toyed with the possibility of becoming a vegetarian. While I don’t think I am willing to go without seafood and the occasional steak or burger (just being honest), I am definitely looking to make my diet more plant based. With that comes the concern of ensuring that I consume a sufficient amount of protein, especially as I try to encourage my husband to join me. His largest objection to going meatless is fear of dwindling away to nothing due to not eating enough protein.

But a conversation we had this weekend with a good friend of ours brought the topic to my mind again. He mentioned that he was moving towards a vegetarian lifestyle, and all the energy he was gaining by upping the amount of plant based foods that he was incorporating into his diet. What inspired him was a documentary called Forks Over Knives, which is all about how whole food, plant based diets are the key to optimal health. So I decided to check out the website for some inspiration and there was an article about getting enough protein from a plant based diet. Bingo!

The bottom line is, everything we as humans need to survive is available is whole, plant based foods, including protein. Think about it – some of the largest animals are herbivores. Elephants, rhinos, horses – all large, strong animals that don’t look like they’re lacking any protein. And they aren’t eating the variety of plant based foods that are available to use that are great sources of protein.

The article noted that eating a plant based diet will provide us with 10% of protein from total calories without doing anything special. Foods like oatmeal, beans, nuts and avocados (which I personally hate but hey) are great protein sources. So by incorporating these foods and other protein rich foods into your diet, you can get enough protein without foods that are animal based.

If you’d like to read the entire article that I referenced in this post, click here. Or from more information on Forks over Knives, visit www.forksoverknives.com.