Vegan Diet Secrets: Protein Myths

When you want to become a vegetarian the most important question you may ask yourself or your health care specialist is "How about proteins? How am I gonna get enough proteins? I've heard that a vegetarian diet doesn't include enough proteins. Is that true?".

I know proteins are considered the number one ingredient in our diet. A lot of people believe that meat is the major protein source and protein from meat, fish or eggs is by far superior to protein coming from other sources. Now, let's look at the reality and the facts, for a change.

It is not true that protein from meat, fish, milk or eggs is superior to protein from plant sources. Thousands of health studies tell a different story. And here are the facts:

Protein Fact #1: Protein coming from meat, fish or eggs is by no means superior to protein from plant sources. They are the same. In fact protein from plants could be considered healthier since plants contain no fats or toxic residues.

Protein Fact #2: A vegetarian diet with balanced portions of proteins, minerals, fats and carbohydrates will protect you and provide enough protein for your body to work effectively.

Protein Fact #3: You need to have a balanced diet. Too much protein is as bad as too little protein. Too much protein increases the risk for serious health conditions like heart disease, diabetes or stomach problems. On the other hand, a complete vegetarian and vegan diet are proved to be remarkably successful in the treatment of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and more.

In other words it's fairly easy for a vegetarian to cover protein needs. Almost every kind of vegetables, grains, nuts or seeds contain proteins. The key is to have a balanced diet and consume all kinds of food. Combine vegetables with fruits and nuts and you'll have no difficulty getting enough protein. Just make sure you also get enough calories to maintain your weight status.

Scientists recommend that adults should consume at least 50-80 grams of protein each day. Here are some vegan foods that contain more than enough protein to meet your needs. You can make all kinds of combinations using the following food-list:

- Beans

- Black eyed peas

- Veggie burger

- Soy milk

- Chickpeas

- Bagel

- Peanut butter

- Spaghetti

- Spinach

- Soy yogurt

- Sunflower seeds

- Walnuts

- Almonds

- Cashews

- Rice

- Potatoes

I have no idea why protein has been so misrepresented. Even health care professionals will tell you that protein is the queen of a healthy nutrition. Researches show that today, the average adult receives 7 times more protein than is needed.

Once again, money and the struggle for wealth are responsible for this misunderstanding. Factory farms, modern meat processing industries and refrigeration made meat available to everybody. And what are the results? Health problems, world hunger, environmental issues and more problems deriving directly from the industrialization of our diets.

Our world and our societies would be much healthier and kinder if only we had adopted green diets or a balanced combination of "Green Foods", meat and dairy products. If only we could realize that meat and protein is not as significant as it is considered to be.