Ancient Whole Grains
Writing about gluten-free products and recipes has also given me a new perspective on vegan protein and vegan supplements. Even after cutting out all of the animal products, many people still fail to really expand their diet beyond the truncated menu that remains after they remove meat and dairy. So many people eat produce and wheat, with the occasional bowl or oats, at least here in North America.
If you shop for vegan meals, you will have to see the hundreds of other healthy diet choices that are available all of your local healthy supermarket or specialty shop. Try Quinoa, and Teff which are both extremely high quality proteins. There is also millet and buckwheat, which have flavours that many people will find familiar.
Textured Vegetable Protein and Tofu
Most people use tofu in their vegan meals unless they have a soy intolerance or sensitivity. It is a tremendously versatile food that can be used even in desserts. A similar high protein option is textured vegetable protein. It is very affordable and very high protein. It is almost flavourless and can be added to a huge list of strict vegetarian dishes and vegan meals, including pastas, soup and stews. The result will just be much higher protein without doing much to alter the consistency of the dish.
Soy Milk
Not much needs to be said about soy milk these days. There are brands available now that taste great and not made straight from the soybeans themselves but from soy protein and flour. Compare So Good, which tastes great, to some of the smaller traditional soy milk producers which taste too beany to use on cereal or in some baking.
Beans and Legumes
Beans are a huge source of both vegetable protein, as well as fibre. You can slowly add beans and legumes to your diet, in combination with the other choices that I have mentioned in this article and you’ll find that the fibre will be a health benefit for you without so much of the gas and bloating that some people experience while overdoing it. Anything high in fibre is better taken in increasing doses, starting slow, so your body and intestinal tract can get used to them.
In the beans and legumes family alone there are dozens of common varieties available at any supermarket. What’s more, beans can be extremely affordable and are usually still of high nutritional value canned.
In most cases one cup of cooked beans will have in somewhere around 12-14 grams of protein.
