Vegetarian Protein

Popular vegetarian protein sources are tofu, beans and cheese but without protein in a vegetarian diet from raw food protein, a person will begin to look drained and sickly.

How the vegetarian is misled

I diligently ate eggs, tofu sautéed in oils, nuts and seeds, gas inducing beans, loads of salty cheese ( not knowing how harmful salt is to the body), and breads and grains touting high protein.

It all sounds pretty healthy to the untrained ear, but I felt terrible and looked washed out and exhausted. I felt the way I looked but I blamed it all on "not enough protein".

Eventually, I turned to egg white based protein powders but didn't feel any better and sometimes felt worse. I was confused because I thought being a vegetarian was healthy, but I couldn't deny that I didn't feel healthy.

I had migraines, dizziness, excess weight, terrible PMS and cramps, bladder infections, yeast infections, chronic fatigue, acne and the list went on.

Is there a vegetarian protein source I was missing?

It was by accident almost that I stumbled upon something called the raw food diet and I finally found all the vegetarian protein sources I had excluded.

Greens and fruit! Of course!

After all, What do cows eat?

Grass.

What do gorillas eat (who share 95% of their DNA with us)?

Greens, fruit, small amounts of bugs.

Why are we worried that raw plants can't give us protein when these two animals are among the most muscular creatures on the planet?

Why are we eating cows to receive the protein they got from the plants? Wouldn't it be much more efficient to just cut out the middle man?

Plant based protein has all the amino acids we need in exactly the right amounts, unlike animal sources of protein that must first be digested and broken up into its amino acids before it can be used by the body (not to mention that these foods are damaged by cooking, contain high amounts of fat, are acidic and constipating, and have far less nutrients than plant foods).

Read more about how much protein we need and why we need raw protein from plants HERE.

How can plants give me enough protein??

True, these foods have protein, but I was still skeptical. Although I was in agreement that raw food protein is logically better than protein that has been damaged and denatured by heat, I was still concerned with the quantity of protein these plant foods could provide.

After so many years of obsessing over protein it was going to take some convincing to break some walls down.

So, when I actually looked at some raw food diet plans , I was surprised that these foods offer as much protein as I would need in a day, if not more, and a better quality, entirely usable to my body, on top of it.

The thing is, we are used to eating a low volume amount of food because cooked food is low in water. Thus, we can eat hundreds upon hundreds of calories in just a few bites. Think of how long it takes you to wolf down a cheese steak that can have up to a 1,000 calories.

But on a raw food diet, you have to eat a very large volume of food to receive enough calories because fruits and veggies are packed with water that make the food take up much more space calorie for calorie. (This is actually in tune with our natural inclinations to chew a lot and eat large meals, and part of the reason why we feel unsatisfied after eating a tiny sandwich.)

So, the point is, although a banana, for instance, only has 1 gram of protein in comparison to a hamburger that might have 20 grams, you aren't going to be eating one banana. Look at what you might eat in one day on a vegan raw food diet and see how protein easily adds up.

(Designed for a 120 pound person)

Lunch: 1 small watermelon: 600 calories, 7 grams protein

Snack: 4 peaches, 2 cups blackberries: 396 calories, 12 grams protein

Dinner: 1 pound romaine lettuce, 4 oz tomato, 4 oz celery, 10 apricots: 300 calories, 16 grams protein

Totals: 1,996 calories, 42 grams protein

You can see that this days worth of food provides more than enough protein and is packed with nutrients, carbohydrates to fuel your body, and natures own water to hydrate your every cell.

So if you are looking for the best vegetarian protein source, look no further than fruits and greens and give us vegetarians the reputation of being strong and healthy that we so rightfully deserve.

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