How do you get enough protein with a vegetarian diet?

July, 2024

A lot of people put the work into lifting weights, running, and keeping active, but they neglect the nutritional side of getting into shape.

Eating well and, more importantly, eating the right kind of foods is vital if you want to reach your fitness goals.

No doubt you’ve heard that you need to up your protein intake if you are exercising regularly and starting a new fitness plan. Getting the right amount of protein can be straightforward if you eat meat as chicken, turkey, and steak are all high-protein foods; however, how do you get your recommended protein intake as a vegetarian?

I’m not going to explain why protein is important for exercise, how much you need everyday, and also what foods will help you achieve this if you don’t eat meat.

Why is protein important?

Protein is important for muscle development. It repairs and grows muscle and without it, you won’t see the gains you expect over time after following an exercise regime.

Protein is also necessary to allow your body to recover from a workout. It accelerates glycogen replacement which helps your body recovery quicker especially if you are exercising intensely. This is why you often see people reaching for a protein shake or protein rich foods after a workout.

How much protein do you need?

You can easily calculate the amount of protein you need each day. It’s recommended that adults consume 0.75g of protein per kg that they weigh. So, if you weigh 75kg (165 lbs or 11.8 stone), you should aim for 56g of protein per day.

This is a base level because depending on what you want to achieve with your fitness goals, you will probably need to up your intake.

For example, if your main aim is to build muscle then you should target up to 1.7g of protein per kg of body weight. In my example above (that you weigh 75kg), this would mean a daily protein intake of 127g.

High protein vegetarian foods

How do you achieve your protein intake if you don’t eat meat?

Well, the good news is that there are a lot of meat-free options that are high in protein content.

Some vegetarian friendly foods that have a high-protein content include:

• Lentils (9g of protein per 120g)
• Beans (usually 15g of protein per 170g)
• Edamame (18g of protein per 155g)
• Tofu (8g of protein per 100g)
• Eggs (7g per egg)

There are a lot more meat-free foods that can help you hit your protein intake too.

You can also supplement this with a protein shake. While some protein shakes aren’t vegetarian or vegan friendly, there are many that are and you can easily get 15-25g of protein from one serving.

So, if you are wondering how you are going to achieve your recommended daily protein target as a vegetarian, there are a ton of options out there. This will help you build muscle, allow your body to recover, and help you reach your fitness goals.

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