. Vegetarians are always looking for ways to get enough protein. That's reasonable since vegetables on average has less protein than meat. One of the best ways to get protein into your meal plan is to add nuts. But a lot of people have called me up or texted me and asked if nuts are really a good source of protein. The answer is a yes and no type of answer. First, yes, nuts have protein. They are an easy way to get protein. There are some healthy bars that feature nuts as their primary source of protein. Peanut butter is a big staple in the bodybuilding world because it's a fast and tasty source of protein. But some people don't like to eat peanuts because they aren't the healthiest. One problem is that peanuts are not even nuts. Also, peanuts can sometimes have a fungus or mold that is really unhealthy. So, be careful with peanuts. My suggestion to people I train is that they eat whole nuts or make their own nut butter. Nuts that are healthy include walnuts, pecans, almonds, and other nuts. But the main caution I also mention to people is to be careful about calories. Nuts are very calorie dense. This means that you will really overshoot your daily calorie allotment if you aren't careful. Here is a good visual of what 100 calories in nuts looks like. It will totally surprise you. I suggest that if you are using nuts as a main protein source, then what you will want to do is locate a good calorie counting app. These can be a game changer when it comes to keeping track of how many calories you eat in a day. In the old days you might have had to deal with an Excel spreadsheet or pad and pen, but now you can just use an app. Most people like the apps made by companies such as MyFittnessPal. This is an UnderArmour product, and has captured the market. Most trainers and athletes who are aware of their diet and want to track their macros use it. It's free, so you can try it out and see if you like it. But you can still create a simply daily menu using a free calorie counting calculator that is available online. Just figure out your daily calorie need, then create a menu. If you use these apps, you will start to see that nuts are really loaded with calories. What I suggest for everyone is to add a few nuts to salads. This does two things. First, when you are eating a salad without a salad dressing, you can add nuts because the salad is so low in calories. So, the nuts are balanced out by the low calorie salad. Secondly, the other main reason that nuts are so good is that they have healthy fats. Especially when you choose nuts like Almonds, Walnuts, and Macadamia nuts. The first thing people ask me when they hear I'm a vegetarian trainer is if Vegan protein powder is any good. First, I tell them that as a vegetarian I can take any protein powder. Protein powder is not made from meat. Unless you are getting a protein powder that has added things like collagen, which is not vegetarian. Protein powder comes in a few different sources. There is Whey protein Powder. This is made from Milk. This type of protein powder is fine for people who are vegetarians. Not vegans though. This sort of protein comes from dairy cows. It's popular because it is easy to mix with water and it's easy to absorb. There is Soy Protein. This is fine for vegans. It is made from the same thing that tofu is made from, soybeans. Some people do not like soy, so they might want to avoid taking too much soy protein. The other type of protein that is vegan is simply called Vegan protein. It can be made from Hemp seed protein, or more often, it is made from pea protein. It's great for anyone who is looking to stay away from dairy based proteins. It can be grainy, but it provides all of the protein that you need. My recommendation for vegetarians is to use Whey protein because it's more affordable and easier to blend or mix. But I do say to make sure you get a good brand. Some of the off brands might have junk fillers or even some banned substances. Read up on the brands on a forum such as Bodybuilding. com Chocolate is probably the most popular flavor in the world. And it's one that vegans and vegetarians can enjoy as well! That's what makes it great for protein shakes. My ideal protein shake will be cold, protein packed, and delicious. You can add chocolate to your regular protein shake by buying a good brand of cacao powder or just sticking with the chocolate flavoured protein powders that are sold by most of the major brands. Here's a link to a really good homemade chocolate protein powder. If you read their recipe, you notice the addition of peanut butter. That's what gives the shake it's creamy texture. If you use a regular plant based protein powder and just regular almond milk, it might have a bit of a dry taste and texture. That's why I always tell people I train to add peanut butter or almond butter to their protein shakes. Another way to add creaminess to a shake if you're vegan and can't add yogurt, is to add a thicker nut milk. For instance cashew milk is creamier than almond milk, so i recommend that to people who want a creamy shake. One thing that I always tell people I train is to watch out for the calories. When you are eating nut butters such as peanut butter or almond butter, they have the tendency to add a lot of calories to your diet. If you don't watch out, you can end up adding several hundred calories to your protein shake. So be careful unless you are bulking and looking to add weight. In that case, nut butters are great! |