Protein is an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet. It offers energy to the body, strength to the bones and satiety to the stomach. While non-vegetarians have it easy when it comes to finding food sources of proteins in the form of meats, vegetarians may have a bit of a problem finding enough protein-rich foods that are equivalent to meats. The problem is not having enough veg sources of proteins, it is not knowing about them that proves to be an issue.
So how do vegetarians get enough protein?
Here we are throwing light on non-meat sources of protein that can be easily substituted for chicken, mutton and more meats. There are many high-protein vegetarian foods that offer enough protein.
Also read: Egg Shortage In India And US: 6 Other Sources Of Protein You Can Try
Which Vegetarian Foods Are High In Protein? Here're 6 Best Options:
1. Peanut Butter
What a delicious way to consume proteins! Peanut butter is just the spread we need to add taste as well as health to our toast. You can have 2 tbsp (8 g) of peanut butter in a day. Did you know you could make your own peanut butter at home? Here's our recipe for homemade peanut butter.
2. Chickpeas
The combo of chana-chawal always wins our hearts. Imagine eating to your heart's content and getting all the protein you need! You can try adding them to salads and mixed vegetable dishes and more.
3. Milk
Not just calcium, milk is an excellent source of protein too. If you don't like to have plain milk, try making smoothies or cereal bowls, or oatmeal with it. Although, we would highly recommend having turmeric milk, especially in winter, to build immunity along the way. Here's how to make it.
4. Seeds
Proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals - the small seeds are big on nutrition. Have a handful (2 tbsp) of seeds every day. Better, mix them with nuts and consume them every morning. Here's how to make nuts and seeds for a healthy snack.
5. Walnuts
Protein is one of the many nutrients that walnut offers. A serving of 2 tbsp every day should be enough. You can have ground walnuts as is, as a part of trail mix, or add them to your drinks and foods like shakes and salads.
6. Eggs
Egg is a great option for people following lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which is basically a plant-based diet but includes dairy and eggs. "Lacto" means dairy and "ovo" means eggs, and these two food types combined with typical vegetarian foods form the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet.
Try to have at least one egg every day. And the best part is you can consume eggs in a number of ways. Click here for different egg recipes you can try.
Enrich your vegetarian diet with these robust sources of protein.
(This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.)