Healthy food and an active lifestyle go a long way to prevent various chronic diseases and long-term illness. A definite proportion of nutrition is valuable to keep ourselves healthy at every stage of life. As we know, protein is known as the building block of the body and is an abundant source of energy, finding out every detail about it and understanding its importance is a must. Though there are both animal based and plant based protein available, our focus will revolve around plant protein.
What is Protein?
Protein is a large-scale supplement that is fundamental to building muscle mass. It is a rich source of macronutrients and is composed of amino acids, which are organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen.
Rich Sources of Protein
There are two types of proteins: animal protein and plant protein, as mentioned above already. However, whenever the topic of protein is discussed, a number of sources discussed cover animal plants, which restricts vegetarians and vegans. Keeping this in mind, let us take under consideration plant based protein and help those who can’t consume animal protein.
Lentils - Lentils and other legumes like seeds, peas and beans are a full package of protein. They are also rich in fibre, vitamins, phytonutrients, minerals, etc., which makes them a great source of vegetarian protein.
Chickpeas - Chickpeas are legumes highly rich in protein, phosphorus, iron, fibre, folate and healthy fatty acids.
Hemp Seeds - Undeniably, the richest source of protein, little hemp seeds contain all nine essential amino acids.
Tofu - Tofu is again a very reliable source of vegetarian protein and also contains potassium and iron.
Nuts - Nuts are the richest source of protein and offer the most protein per serving.
Quinoa - Quinoa is referred to as whole grain and can easily replace other grains like rice. It is considered a great plant based protein and is often considered a complete protein.
Nutritional yeast - Nutritional yeast is filled with B Vitamins, antioxidant glutathione and protein. These nutty yellow flakes are an essential item for those looking for plant protein.
Tempeh - Tempeh is a less popular source of protein but is a high-protein product.
Peanut butter - Peanut butter is considered a source of healthy fat. It is a great source to boost the plant protein content of meals.
Broccoli - An amazing vegetable, broccoli has more grams of protein than some types of beef.
Read more: How to Use Peanut Butter for Weight Gain
Is Plant Based Protein as Good as Animal Based Protein?
If you’re vegetarian or a meatless Tuesday person, then you might have always compared your nutrition level with that of your non-vegetarian friends. You will be glad to know plant based proteins are equally nutritious as animal based proteins.
All proteins are made up of amino acids that are combined to serve different purposes in the body. The human body uses 20 different amino acids and seven of those are non-essential amino acids because our bodies can create them on their own. There are four essential amino acids, which our body can make, but not necessarily.
The remaining nine amino acids are considered the “Essential amino acids (EAAs)”. These essential amino acids are meant to be consumed through a healthy diet as they are not built naturally by the body. They help in building and repairing tissue like muscles as well as in building hormones, neurotransmitters and enzymes.
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), a subcategory of EAAs, play an important role in muscle protein synthesis, a process when the body repairs and builds muscles after exercise.
Benefits of Plant Based Protein
Plant proteins are rich in nutrition and low in calories and fat as compared to animal based proteins. Moreover, these vegetarian protein sources boost the nutrient profile by providing all types of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients.
No matter if you desire to become fit, improve your well-being simply follow a better eating regimen, plant protein or vegan protein powder can help with them all. Some possible benefits are as below:
Losing weight - Plant protein helps in losing weight owing to low quantity of calories.
Heart health - Vegetarians tend to have lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure numbers that can be beneficial for the heart. It keeps the heart healthier and lowers all the risks of heart diseases.
Why is Protein Important?
The human body needs protein to stay healthy and functional, as it fuels the body with energy that’s required to keep the body working properly. Our skin, nails, hair, cartilage, muscles and tendons are maintained because of protein.
Besides muscles, proteins are also essential for mental wellness and their deficiency results in mental and physical tiredness.
Lack of protein in diet leads to muscle building and muscle loss. It also degrades the concentration levels and originates issues such as loss of hair, headache, fainting, nausea, depression, anxiety and mood swings.
How Much Protein Do You Need Every Day?
Intake of protein differs from person to person depending on several factors like age, weight, activity level, goals, health status, diseases, height, etc. If you want to know the amount of protein your body requires in a day then you must frame a nutrition calendar for yourself. A nutrition calendar will help you in maintaining a diet with a proper portion of fats, carbohydrates, protein, etc.
Sedentary People - This category of the human body should aim for a bare minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
Adults over 65 - This category of the human body should aim for 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram or 0.55 to 0.91 grams per pound of body weight per day. As the research suggests, older people should intake more protein irrespective of the recommendations to slow down muscle loss.
Athletes - Athletes are highly active people and should aim to intake 1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
For a pregnant lady - During pregnancy, the female body requires more protein for proper tissue development and growth. Intake of proteins benefits both the mother and baby.
Average person - The human body with a healthy weight, no workouts, should aim to consume 0.36-0.6 grams per pound.
Is it Important to Add Protein Sources at Each Meal?
All whole foods including greens and veggies contain protein. The human body has a system that can fulfill the requirement of protein by itself. All you need to do is eat a variety of nutritious food.
Proteins are all about the variety of food. The question of protein is a frequent one for plant-based eaters. Variety is the key to acquiring protein or all essential amino acids.
