Beginners guide to plant based protein
My top suggestions for increasing your protein with plant based foods
How much protein do we need?
For those of us with body composition goals, increasing the amount of protein we eat is typically a required first step towards changing our diet.
There are many ways to calculate how much protein you ‘need’ to have in your diet for a specific goal, a common target is 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your own bodyweight.
For many people, particularly those on a plant based diet, this can be a huge jump. It can also cause confusion due to the disparity between the advice given from global health organisations which recommend 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
If you are somebody with no specific body composition goals and you just want to eat to be healthy, 1 gram per kg of bodyweight is a perfectly fine target for protein. However if you are resistance training while aiming to lose fat or build muscle, the evidence does strongly support increasing your protein intake to at least 1.6-2.2g/kg bodyweight.
Top sources of plant based protein:
Protein powder:
For most people, I usually recommend 1-2 serves of protein powder daily to make it easier to reach your protein target. Just remember not to completely rely on protein powders as your source of protein, because that means that you are missing out on consuming less nutrition from whole food sources.
Many people worry about whether it is better to purchase a blended protein powder, or a pea protein isolate, one which is unflavoured, one which has no soy, or one with added digestive enzymes. Honestly speaking, protein powder is a supplement. It’s not supposed to replace an adequately balanced diet. Just pick one that you like the taste of.
My personal favourite plant based protein brands are Macro Mike, Prana On and Balance. I’ve tried many brands before (including Nuzest, Musashi and Blessed), but I find those three to be the most palatable.
Shop here https://www.nzmuscle.co.nz/shop-by-category/vegan-friendly
2. Explore Cuisine pasta
The brand Explore Cuisine makes high protein pasta which is made from black beans, mung beans or edamame beans.
If you are dieting then I would highly recommend using this super filling, nutrient dense pasta alternative. It definitely does taste a little chewier than regular pasta, but it’s not bad at all if you make it with a TVP or tofu bolognese sauce.
Shop here https://www.explorecuisine.com/
3. TVP (Textured vegetable protein)
Dried TVP looks a little freaky, however, you may not realise that most vegan meat substitutes are made from TVP and then sold at much more expensive prices.
TVP is just dehydrated soy protein. It’s super easy to prepare. Just pour boiling water over it for it to rehydrate, and then mix it with whatever sauces and spices you like. Use it how non-vegans would use beef mince. Think bolognese sauce, ‘beef’ tacos, ‘beef’ spicy noodles, sloppy joes, homemade burgers, etc.
4. Tempeh
Tempeh has more protein per 100g than tofu does. It definitely has more of a taste and texture to it as well. Some people hate the taste, I personally love it and don’t even need to season it. This is because it is made from fermented soy beans, giving it a little bit more flavour (it’s still pretty subtle).
Because it’s fermented, it’s also a probiotic, meaning it’s great for gut health. I like to slice and pan fry it and then have it in a crunchy, creamy caesar salad or in a sandwich with BBQ sauce and hummus. Use it wherever you want a ‘meaty’ bite to something.
5. Ultra firm tofu
Have you ever noticed the varying protein content between different types of tofu? Well if you haven’t before- now you do!
In general, the firmer it is, the more protein. I now buy my tofu from Asian supermarkets and look for the ultra firm pressed tofu in a vacuum sealed bag. You can buy marinated versions too, which taste nicer and only have a slight difference in total carbs.
Firm tofu can be used in pretty much any savoury dish you like, think stir frys, salads, curries and pasta dishes.
That being said, any type of tofu is still super healthy and a good source of protein.
I like raw silken tofu with soy sauce, sriracha and spring onions, maybe a little sesame oil and sesame seeds. Silken tofu is also really nice for making sauces out of. Try Nutri-Bulleting a package of silken tofu with a small tin of chipotle sauce. Best creamy, smokey sauce ever to serve with falafels or for salad dressing.
6. Chickpea flour
Another unsuspecting item you may have never really considered adding into your diet is chickpea flour.
I would highly recommend it for making vegan ‘omelettes’ and pancakes, both sweet and savoury. They’re so simple to make, just mix the flour with soy milk until you have no lumps, spice up the batter with whatever you like, and then fry on a non-stick (this is key) pan for 2-3 minutes each side.
For spices, I like regular salt and pepper. Turmeric and nutritional yeast can work to make it look a little bit more ‘eggy’. Serve your pancake with some sort of relish (I love tamarind relish), greens like rocket or braised cabbage, and a generous amount of hummus or tahini.
7. Sunfed Chick’n
A real game changer in the meat alternatives category, I personally favour Sunfed for many reasons, including their minimalist ingredients list, very high protein content, great taste, and the fact that it is a New Zealand brand.
Use the chick’n however you like, it works best pan fried first. Throw it in a sandwich, salad or stir fry. Make curry or fried rice. You really don’t need to try too hard to make this product taste good.
8. Soy yoghurt
Soy yoghurt seems to be the less cool cousin of coconut yoghurt and almond yoghurt in the dairy free yoghurt categories, but I actually prefer it by miles. Not only is it a lot cheaper, but it has a lot more protein with a lot less calories and still tastes good.
Serving sizes for coconut yoghurt are generally about 2 tablespoons. Who only eats that much yoghurt? I can quite happily eat a whole 250 gram container of berry flavoured soy yoghurt and make that fit into my macros, while feeling a lot more satisfied.
Get a fruity one, it’s a lot nicer than plain IMO.
9. Nutri Grain
For some reason I had always been convinced that cereals like Nutri Grain were ‘full of sugar’ and there were much better options out there for breakfast. Only recently did I ever consider checking the nutritional information of Nutri Grain, realising that Nutri Grain has more protein per serving than any other common breakfast cereal, including oats.
There really isn’t a whole lot of added sugar that would need to be any worry for an active individual (like you and I), so if NG brings back nostalgic memories for you, go for it!
10. Lower carb bread
Lower carb bread isn’t actually ‘low carb’ bread, technically, but it does have less carbs than other bread, with more protein and a little more fats. I recommend Freya’s. It tastes really good, so it’s a great choice when you actually would like to include a carb source but are looking to work around those macros.
11. Canned beans
Whenever people go vegan, canned beans (or cooked, if you’re good like that) become pretty much a staple. Chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans and lentils are all amazing and super healthy for you.
The biggest mistake I believe people make, is they create a dish containing beans + another carb, in the same way that an omnivore might structure a meal with a separate protein + carb.
Beans actually contain more carbs than protein, which means that you should really be either pairing them with another, higher protein food source (tofu, tempeh, tvp etc), OR you should ditch adding extra carbs and increase your serving to a whole can, instead of half a can.
A whole can of beans might get you about 20 grams of protein. Even that isn’t exactly a lot. You can see how if you’re currently having half a can of beans, plus some rice to make a buddha bowl, you’re really cutting yourself short with your protein to calorie ratio.
12. Frozen edamame
Out of all the beans known to man, one bean reigns superior to them all. The soy bean! The greatest gift ever to a vegan! Edamame contains more protein per serving than any other type of bean, plus they are totally tasty enough to just eat by themselves as a snack or thrown into a salad.
Get frozen, shelled edamame for convenience. Rinse them under hot water and you’re good. I like to snack on them in a bowl with cherry tomatoes or make a mini salad with chopped cucumber and a bunch of fresh herbs. These are honestly so great, plus they seem to make dishes look super aesthetic.
Other surprising protein things
Peanut butter, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, quinoa and broccoli are all foods I’ve heard people talk about being good protein sources, but they’re really not compared to the rest of this list.
Conclusion
I hope this extensive list of protein ideas helps you with your plant based protein struggles!
If you need any more help, just contact me and I’ll be happy to help you out.
