What we’ll cover:

• The benefits of eating more plant-based proteins
• Why it’s important to ‘complement’ your plant-based proteins
• Practical meal ideas to boost your intake

Whether you follow a fully plant-based diet or are simply trying to reduce animal products, one of the most common concerns is protein intake.

Protein plays a key role in weight management, muscle maintenance, and metabolic health. It is possible to meet your protein needs with plant-based foods, but it can take some planning to get the right balance. This article shows you how to do so in a simple, practical way.

What are the benefits of eating more plant-based proteins?

Plant-based proteins offer a range of health and environmental benefits. While some sources contain less protein than animal products, they also provide other key nutrients.

Some of the main benefits include:

• Higher fibre intake - foods like beans, lentils, nuts and seeds are also high in fibre which supports gut health
• Lower saturated fat - most plant-based proteins contain less saturated fat than animal-based protein sources. This is beneficial for heart health.
• Rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals to support overall health
• Lower environmental impact - plant-based foods produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than animal products

Why should we ‘complement’ our protein sources?

Proteins are made up of amino acids, often called the building blocks of protein. Your body can make some of these, but others (called essential amino acids) must come from food.

Animal proteins such as meat, fish, and dairy contain all essential amino acids. These are known as complete proteins. Some plant foods are also complete proteins, including:

• Soya products such as tofu, tempeh, soya drinks and yoghurt
• Quinoa
• Hemp and chia seeds
• Nutritional yeast
• Quorn

Other plant foods such as beans, lentils, nuts, and grains may be lower in one or more essential amino acids. This is where complementing comes in.

Complementing proteins means eating different plant protein foods across the day so they work together to provide all essential amino acids. You do not need to combine them in the same meal, just aim for variety throughout the day.

Practical meal and snack ideas to meet your needs

Combining foods like legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds can help you meet your needs without making meals complicated. Here are some simple ideas:

Breakfast: 

• Soya yoghurt topped with mixed berries, 1 tbsp of chia seeds and 1 tbsp of chopped walnuts
• Porridge made with hemp ‘milk’ topped with 1 tsp nut butter and 1 tbsp mixed seeds

Lunch:

• Asian style salad with soya (edamame) beans, shredded carrot, cucumber and red cabbage served with roasted tofu and sesame seeds
• Falafel, houmous and roasted vegetable wholemeal wrap with salad

Dinner:

• Lentil, chickpea and vegetable curry with wholegrain rice
• Quorn, vegetable and lentil bolognese with wholewheat pasta

Snacks:

• 1 tbsp of peanut butter spread on two oatcakes
• 3 tbsp roasted chickpeas and walnuts seasoned with mixed spices

Summary

Meeting your protein needs on a plant-based diet is possible with some planning. Including a range of plant protein sources throughout the day is key. By combining one or two different plant proteins with each meal, this will make obtaining all essential amino acids you need much easier.