Reader Question: Topic- Protein

Question:

I am also trying to lean more towards the vegetarian lifestyle. I am just so concerned about making sure to get enough protein intake. What do you think is an adequate amount of protein for a daily intake. I think we are close to the same size. Do you feel like it is really difficult to get enough protein each day?? 

Answer:

Honestly, letting go of meat has not been hard at all (I’ve never been a huge meat eater anyways) and the benefits of going without it trump eating any meat/poultry etc. for me as well.

For an average girl our size, Daily Recommended Intake for protein is around 45g, that’s for (around) a 125 lb female. Really, Americans over consume protein more than any other nutrient. I work out daily and assume you probably do as well, so at first I was a little worried about getting enough protein also, but after going without it for a month, I realized that I didn’t feel all that different.

I eat 0% fat Greek yogurt daily which is packed w protein, as well as quinoa (not sure if you’ve had this but it’s a grain, similar to rice). Quinoa (along w soy, which I don’t eat) are the only two plant proteins that are complete, meaning that it contains everything (all essential Amino Acids) your body needs to build muscle. There is also something called pairing complementary proteins, which is just combining two incomplete proteins to make a complete protein inside your body (such as rice and beans). Eggs/egg whites are another great source of protein, depending on what you decided to keep in your diet as a vegetarian. For me, I pretty much eat a vegan diet, with the exception of fish (mostly Wild Caught Salmon) for the Omega 3s, Greek yogurt and eggs. Everyone is different so you really just have to see what your body wants/ needs. Hope this helps you!

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