Yes, protein comes from plants, not just steak! This is a hard concept for a lot of people, but you CAN eat a satisfying meal made up of only plants. The key here is to include variety! You shouldn’t be limited to only meat and potatoes. Not only is it boring, but you are not getting the full benefit of nutrients from a variety of foods (especially vegetables and fruit!)

Meatless Monday’s are a step in the right direction to boost your plant-based protein intake and increasing your plant-based meals does take a bit of creativity in the kitchen but chances are you will see benefits like clearer skin, improved digestion, increased energy and so on. I urge you to pick up the shield and stand with me in the defence of veggies.

Don’t know many plant-based protein options? Here are some of the top ways you can increase your plant-based protein intake:

Pumpkin seeds:

• • 2 tbsp of pumpkin seeds equals 6 grams of protein
  • Add your pumpkin seeds to your oatmeal, salads, or trail mix!

Nuts:

• • 1/4 cup of nuts equals 4-8 grams of protein
  • Add nuts on top of your yogurt, mix it into your trail mix, sprinkle onto your salads, or just have a handful as a snack

Hemp Seeds:

• • 2 tbsp of hemp seeds equals 6-8 grams of protein
  • Add your hemp seeds to your oatmeal, salads, stir into soups and stews, or top your hummus or any other dips with hemp seeds.

Nutritional Yeast:

• • 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast equals 6 grams of protein
  • Add your nutritional yeast to your salad dressings or any dish to give it a cheesy taste.
  • Salad Dressing Recipe: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.

Quinoa:

• • 1 cup of cooked quinoa equals 9 grams of protein tbsp
  • Add your quinoa to salads as a base, or to soups/stews, or have it as a side dish with your meal.

Lentils:

• • 1 cup cooked lentils equals 18 grams of protein
  • Sprinkle your lentils onto your salads, or add them into your soups/stews.

Chia seeds:

• • 2 tbsp of chia seeds equals 5 grams of protein
  • Add your chia seeds to your oatmeal, smoothies, or make a chia pudding!

Spirulina

• • 1 tbsp of spirulina equals 4 grams of protein
  • Add your spirulina (in powder form) to your smoothies.

Beans

• • 1 cup of cooked black beans equals 15 grams of protein
  • Add your spirulina (in powder form) to your smoothies

Buckwheat

• • 1/2 cup of buckwheat equals 13 grams of protein
  • Use your buckwheat as a substitution for oatmeal

Plant-Based Protein Powder

• • 1 scoop of BioSteel Plant-Based Protein Powder equals 21 grams of protein
  • Add a scoop of our Protein into any of your smoothies for added protein, or into several recipes! Check out the rest of our blog for some great protein recipes such as our Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls, Green Smoothies, or Brownie Pancakes!

 

Ok carnivores, no more excuses for thinking you need to eat an entire cow to get your protein in. Get creative in the kitchen and make some delicious plant- based dishes.

Thanks to Championship Lifestyle for this informative blog post on plant-based nutrition!