The biggest problem with a plant-based / vegan diet

A massive issue with plant-based / vegan protein sources like nuts, seeds and grains (e.g. rice, and oats) is that the amount of protein in a serving is quite low compared to its calorie content.

For example, a standard chicken breast contains approximately 150 calories and has 30g of protein. In contrast, the same number of calories from almonds only has 5g of protein.

This means that plant-based / vegan dieters have a much harder time than meat-eaters when it comes to getting enough dietary protein whilst controlling their overall calorie intake. 

Here are my top tips for putting together a high-protein plant-based / vegan meal plan:

Some plant-based diets allow eggs and/or dairy. If this is the case, eggs, Greek yoghurt and protein powders should all be staples in your diet. 

If dairy and therefore whey protein isn’t an option, you can get plant-based protein powder. Make sure that you read the reviews before buying because some of them aren’t the greatest. I personally would recommend a blended protein which is a mixture of different types of plant-based proteins. 

Tofu, tempeh and certain legumes (e.g. soya beans, black beans and kidney beans) are some of the lowest-calorie plant-based protein sources per serving. 

Think of nuts/seeds as fat sources and grains as carbohydrate sources rather than having them as go-to protein sources as that is their primary nutrient source.

Log your meal plan into MyFitnessPal to see how much protein and calories it adds up to and adjust accordingly.

If you search ‘vegan’ and other plant-based diet keywords in a supermarket’s online store, e.g. Tesco or Waitrose, it will flag up all their products for you to either buy online or hunt out in-store.