7 High Protein Foods for Vegetarians: Plus Supplement Options

There are many plant-based protein supplements available for the vegan and vegetarian among us, and for those wishing to reduce their consumption of acidifying animal protein.

Some vegetarian protein sources such as albumin and soy have been available for several years, but many have only just been introduced, and a number of these can offer an attractive alternative, either singly or in combination.

In this blog, we list seven high-protein foods popularly used in vegetarian protein supplements. If you're looking to up your intake of protein, it is advisable to incorporate these foods into your weekly meal planning.

Pea protein (derived from yellow pea) is an excellent source of readily digestible protein. It helps to satisfy the appetite better than most other vegetarian protein sources and, as a consequence, it can be used as part of a weight loss programme, as well as offering support to your kidneys and helping to nourish cells.

One of the great advantages of pea protein is that it does not have the allergy problems that some can experience from whey or soy-based sources of protein.

Hemp seeds are high-protein seeds that contain all nine of the essential amino acids. Hemp seeds also have a high fatty acid content, and are rich in fibre, vitamin E and trace minerals.

This powerful vegetarian protein source has a balanced ratio of omega-3 to 6 fats at around a three-to-one ratio, and its protein content is very digestible.

Hemp is also free of anti-nutrients such as phytic acid, which exist in other vegetarian protein supplements like soy, and inhibit nutrient absorption.

Although flax seeds do not have as high a protein content as hemp seeds, they have other benefits which make them worth considering as a potential vegetarian protein source.

Flax seeds are the best vegetarian source of omega-3 oil, and are also the highest vegetable source of plant lignans.

Plant lignans are phytonutrients which are understood to benefit hormonal balance, systolic blood pressure and even bone health.

Spirulina does not immediately spring to mind as a vegetarian protein food, mainly due to its other, better-known benefits. However, this power-packed algae  is nearly 60% protein.

Of course, spirulina is best known for its width of nutrition in terms of trace nutrients and, consequently, makes a good addition to any vegetable protein supplement for that reason.

Alfalfa seed is again an important ingredient in several new vegetable protein supplements. Although its protein content is not exceptionally high, it offers extensive additional nutrition in terms of fibre, Vitamins A, C and K, and some of the B vitamins, together with a number of valuable minerals.

Although pumpkin seeds have been used by Eastern European and Asian cultures for many decades, the nutritional value of the pumpkin has never really been appreciated until recent years.

In addition to the pumpkin seed oil, defatted pumpkin seed has a high protein content (approx 60%). It is a highly nutritious whole food offering the full range of amino acids with particularly high levels of tryptophan.

It is also probably one of the best-tasting vegetable proteins.

This is another common vegetable protein supplement ingredient. Although its actual protein content is lower than those above, its other nutrients are helpful for our general health and immunity.

Among other things, it is understood to have benefit for cholesterol control and blood sugar management.

Many of the best vegetable protein powders now available are combinations of several types of vegetable protein.

These combinations give you a much wider spectrum of nutrition in addition to providing high levels of readily-digestible protein that is much less problematic in terms of allergens than soy or whey.

While there are several good-quality plant protein powders on the market, none comes to close to Maximum Vibrance. There are several reasons for this. It contains:

• More protein than most supplements (20/23g per serving for Vanilla/Chocolate)

• More food-derived ingredients

• More vitamins, minerals and polyphenols

• More probiotics (25 billion)

• More digestive enzymes (7)

The protein content in Maximum Vibrance comes primarily from yellow pea, although also from cracked-cell chlorella, sprouted brown rice and spirulina.

Formulated to support nutrition, digestion, circulation and immunity, Maximum Vibrance is an alkalising combination of green vegetables, cereal grasses, fruit, algae and botanicals. It contains around 120 ingredients in total, including over 8 grams of plant food.

While some plant protein powders contain only that – plant protein – Maximum Vibrance is considered an all-in-one futurefood due to the dense nutrition it provides. Thus you can use it to increase your protein intake, build or maintain lean muscle, and help meet your daily nutritional requirements.

Simply add two scoops to water or almond milk for a high-protein, low-carb meal replacement – or one scoop for a high-protein, low-carb snack. Some people actually have a Maximum Vibrance shake instead of breakfast.