High protein vegetarian meals – The Source of protein for vegetarians has been a question. Most of the time in a friend’s circle you can see a vegetarian trying out meat. Well, being a vegetarian is a personal choice, but sometimes it could be for religious reasons, health, or animal welfare reasons. Even vegetarians do get protein in their diet. You just have to add some protein-rich food to your snacks and every meal. Do you know what is the source of protein in vegetarians or vegans? What happens when the body lacks protein? How intake of protein can aid in losing or gaining weight?
High protein vegetarian meals – Protein is macromolecules that consist of amino acids which are considered to be the building blocks. Amino acids are used by the body to build or repair your muscles, bones and also help in making enzymes and hormones. These can be the source of energy too. When the body is not getting enough protein, you will see signs like Loss of muscle mass, Muscle cramps, Hairloss, Brittle nails, Skin Pigmentation, Increased appetite, Lower immunity, etc.
Protein intake helps lose weight by regulating hormones. It reduces the hunger hormone “Gherlin” thus making you feel full. Keeps you full quite long hours hence you wouldn’t search for munchies in between meals. You might have observed when you take in a lot of carbohydrates and less protein you will feel hungry again soon. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which is the main source of fuel for the body. Hence you feel hungry again. But when High protein vegetarian meals is added to your diet, protein takes more time to digest, it also increases metabolism, thus burning more calories.
Benefits High protein vegetarian meals
- Protein intake reduces your appetite. So you do not have to worry about eating extra calories.
- Improves heart health by regulating blood pressure.
- Improves your immune system thus you will not fall ill often.
- Boost metabolism.
- Improves bone strength thus reducing the risk of bone fractures, osteoporosis, etc.
Before moving to the High Protein Vegetarian meals, I would request you check out recipes Paneer Butter Masala recipe, Matar paneer sabzi recipe, Paneer burji recipe, Paneer toast recipe, Soya keema recipe, tofu recipe, Dal palak recipe, Homemade paneer recipe, etc. You may also check our other categories of recipes
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Source of protein for vegetarians or vegans – High protein vegetarian meals
Lentils
Lentils are a great source of protein. When you order full meals in restaurants or canteens you can see how the nutrients are distributed. You get a cup of dal, one cup of sabzi, one cup of curd, etc. You might not prepare the same way at home but You can add cooked lentils to your meals. They can be added to salads too to make High protein vegetarian meals. There are various types of lentils available. Lentils provide almost 9gms of proteins per 100 grams. When consumed too much can cause gas or cramping.
Kidney beans
Kidney beans are a plant-based source of protein. It is a type of legume. These are considered to be rich in many minerals, fibres, vitamins, etc. Kidney beans are considered to provide almost 24g of protein per 100 grams. Helps in weight loss, helps to regulate blood sugar levels. Kidney beans can taste great when you try out recipes like rajma chawal. You can even prepare salad out of rajma. Make sure to cook the beans properly.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas are legumes. Try adding chana masala to your meal to make High protein vegetarian meals. Chana masala goes well with rice, rotis, pooris, or paratha. You can prepare the salad by adding boiled chickpeas or soaked chickpeas. Chickpeas can provide almost 19g of protein per 100gms.
Greek yoghurt
Greek yoghurt can provide at least 10g of protein per 100gm. Greek yoghurt can be added to a salad or can be consumed as it is. If you plan to include Greek yoghurt in your diet, go for the plain flavour as the other flavours might have sugar content in them. Vegans may skip greek yoghurt.
Nuts
Nuts make an excellent snack for your hunger. The nuts might lose their properties if they are roasted or salt added. Hence try to add some raw nuts to your diet if you are not allergic to nuts. The estimated protein in 100 gms of nuts is 20g.
Paneer
Something that is a must in most vegetarians’ diets. The quality of the paneer depends on the milk used. 100gms of paneer is estimated to provide about 23g of protein. Try to add paneer to your gravies, dry dishes, salads. Some of them even consume it raw. Paneer provides a number of health benefits.
- The protein helps in muscle building. Hence helps in Weight loss or weight gain.
- The calcium improves your bones and teeth strength.
- The potassium helps regulate the blood pressure thus preventing heart disease, stroke, etc.
- Improves the body’s metabolism.
Not an option for vegans
Tofu
Tofu is made through a process similar to making cheese. Tofu is made from soymilk. A good source of protein. It is also gluten-free. It contains anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory properties. The estimated protein from 100g of tofu is 8g. A good option for vegans. You may try out a variety of recipes with tofu. Or you may just toss them to your salad. You may also make a number of curries to make High protein vegetarian meals.
Soybean
Soybean is rich in protein and also provides many other nutritional benefits. You may eat them, drink them. They make a good alternative for milk or milk products. Soybean is providing almost 12g of protein per 100g. With the use of soybean, the heart disease risk is reduced, can help manage your weight, good for osteoporosis. Vegans can go for soy milk and soybean products.
Oats
Oats can be boring to eat plain. But there are ways to make it interesting to eat. It is good when oats are consumed without adding masala. Oats are a good source of many vitamins, fibers, minerals, and anti-oxidants. Helps lower blood sugar levels helps in weight loss and reduces the risk of heart disease. Oats can provide 12-13g of protein per 100g. Also, it is gluten-free. You can prepare overnight soaked oats of different varieties and consume them for breakfast as a healthy option.
Conclusion – High Protein Diet
It is not true that vegetarians do not have a good source of protein in their diet. There are a number of options for High protein vegetarian meals available to choose from. You have to add the right amount of protein to the diet to meet the requirements of the body. With the proper supply of protein, you can gain or lose weight. You can add these sources for each meal and snack. So when you get hungry instead of eating junk, you may choose healthy options. You may prepare granola for snacks or you may consume the nuts directly. There are many other sources of protein in the vegetarian. You can choose any of them depending on how your body responds to them.
Points to consider.
- Check for the signs that indicate the body lacks proteins.
- Never too late to start adding protein-rich ingredients to your diet.
- When you take an adequate amount of protein through your food, there won’t be a need for an additional protein supplement.
- Learn how your body reacts to different ingredients. This will help you identify what your body accepts and what it does not. For example, if lentils are causing gas troubles, try other protein-rich ingredients.