Quick guide to meeting your daily protein needs on a vegan diet

Proteins are essential to maintain our body, they are called the building blocks of our body, as they are responsible for regenerating and producing tissues, hormones and enzymes.

But, what we often overlook is that too much protein is also associated with various conditions, such as impaired kidney and liver function for example. Nutritionists recommend a protein intake of around 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. You just have to multiply the figure by your weight and the result will be your daily intake [generally it is 0.7 for people with moderate physical activity and 1 for adults with greater physical activity or in the case of adolescents]. For example, a person who maintains a normal physical activity and weighs 52 kilograms, his daily protein intake will be 36.4 grams.

The need to adapt our diet towards veganism today, apart from the obvious weight that an intake free from animal consumption at an ethical and moral level represents, is also a [very necessary] way of respite for the Planet, minimizing the ecological and environmental impact that It supposes that it generates a vegan diet compared to a conventional diet, saving large amounts of water, land extensions [and with this protecting more biodiversity in fauna and flora], greenhouse gas emissions and energy.

Advantages of vegetable proteins compared to those of animal origin:

• They are less acidifying in our blood, as they are accompanied by more minerals.
• They contain less purines and are eliminated better.
• In the intestines they ferment and do not rot like meat. The vitality of the meat drops instantly while the vegetable proteins last up to weeks without losing vitality, that is why they do not rot but ferment.
• They contain less fat and are unsaturated (beneficial for health)
• They do not contain cholesterol.
• They have fiber.
• They put less strain on the liver and kidneys.
• Easy to digest.
• Ideal for low calorie diets.
• They are cheaper for our economy and that of the Planet.

Main sources of protein in a vegan diet

Today the number of vegans is increasing, and with it the demand for products that do not come from animals. There is at our disposal a wide variety of foods with high nutritional value, and with a quality protein content. All foods contain proteins, some in greater quantity, others in less quantity, which is why variety is the key to a balanced and complete diet:

gr. of protein per 100 gr. of food:

Nuts:

Vegetables and greens :

Cereal derived foods :

Others:

Per portion:

- Plant milks: soy milk, almond milk or some seeds such as marigold [sunflower], sesame [sesame] or quinoa, provide 7 to 9 grams of protein per cup

- The seitan or wheat gluten already prepared, has about 52 grams per cup, so care must be taken not to consume high amounts of this food, so as not to overload the body

- 100 grams of tofu contains 15 grams of protein [plus a large amount of calcium and minerals]

- Nut, peanut and almond butters contain about 8 grams of protein in 2 tablespoons

Supplements

There are some supplements based on spirulina or brewer's yeast, which are often used by vegetarians and vegans for their rich nutrient and protein content, but this is optional, since if we have the correct foods we will not have deficiencies nutritional.

Did you know that vegetable proteins ...?

The Bachelor of Nauropathy, Josep Vicent Arnau affirms that unlike vegetable proteins, animal proteins contain many purines. These are substances that must be dissolved by the liver and eliminated by the kidney. Among the purines that abound in meat is xanthine, with an exciting action on the heart and brain, causing the aggressiveness of carnivores. Purines from plant products are less harmful because they contain potassium and are a diuretic. The kidney can eliminate up to 600 mg. of purines per day, provided you are healthy, imagine the saturation of purines that exists in today's diet, when with a 150 g steak. We have covered half of what the kidney must clean, all these toxins are the beginning of diseases and skin problems, while it is the lymphatic system that collects these substances, becoming a dung heap, and this is a direct path to cancer and degenerative diseases in general.

Video: How to Build Muscle On A Vegan Diet - The In-Depth Guide (June 2022).