Here are the top 10 veggies high in protein! Eat these high-protein vegetables if you want to get a lot of muscles, abs, biceps, loss weight, have good skin, hair, nails and well, maintain life.
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In fact, l’ve heard you’re more likely to dig out a diamond in the local park than to find protein in those old fashioned foods some people still eat these days.
Well, new research has shown, There is, actually, enough protein in our food, and we don’t need to get paranoid about it. I did this research using this database and here we’ll see the results.
I focused specifically on high-protein vegetables and surprise: some of them actually have more protein than meat. Which ones. i didn’t know,but i learned something new and you will too when you scroll down.
But before we start with the list of vegetables high in protein, let’s ask a question nobody seems to ask these days, because we feel protein in super scarce.
WHY TF DO WE EVEN NEED PROTEIN
You might have heard you need to eat a ton of protein to gain muscles, to loss weight and to be super fit. That’s probably true, but there’s more to protein than making you look like Arnold ( from hey, arnold obviously!).
Proteins are pretty much like transformers because they can do so many things inside the body. Here are some functions of protein in the body we don’t seem to acknowledge anymore;
- As enzymes: Proteins are needed as an “assistant” to make different reactions and processes happen in the body. Without those enzymes, we won’t be able to digest food, produce energy or use the muscles we’ve built.
- As hormones: Proteins and peptides can act as hormones. Which means, they help different cells in yhe body communicate. Some axamples are insulin, human growth hormone, and antidiuretic hormone.
- Tissue building: and of course, we need protein for growth and for the ongoing maintenance of our tissues-skin, hair, nails, muscles-everything needs to be built and rebuilt consistently. We need protein for that.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND PROTEIN
I know, I also see a chicken breast in my mind when this question comes up. But here are some other sources.
- Fish, eggs, beef, and even cheese
- Chickpeas, beans, lentils and even quinoa
- Nuts and seeds, especially chia and hemp seeds
- Tempeh or tofu
- High-protein vegetables like those listed below
And these are many other dietary sources of protein. But remember that food should be about more than one nutrient. So yes, you can get a ton of protein in your diet.
HOW MUCH DO WE NEED
L’ve heard many stories. From we don’t need much protein to we need 1 g of protein per pound. Here’s what we absolutely need according to NIH:
- Infants: 1.5 g/kg/day
- Toddler: (1/3 y) 1.1 g/kg/day
- Ages between 4 and 13; 0.95 g/kg/day
- Teenagers between 14-18: 0.85 g/kg/day
- Adults: 0.8 g/kg/day for adults
- Pregnant or lactating women: 1.1 g/kg/day
As always these numbers are very individual and also depend on your lifestyle but if you’re struggling, no need to eat protein powder with a spoon-do something better for your body and simply add these high-protein vegetables to your meals.
TOP 10 HIGH-PROTEIN VEGETABLES
Well, finally, here are the best vegetables high in protein to add to your diet:
- Broccoli: 1 cup of chopped broccoli contains 2.57 g protein, 2.4 g fiber and 31 kcal.
- Green peas: 1/2 cup of green peas has 3.93 g protein, 4.1 g fiber and 59 kcal.
- mushrooms: (more protein than meat). one cup whole white mushrooms contain 2.97 g protein, 1.0 g fiber and 21 kcal. That’s 14.24 g of protein per 100 kcal, which beats ground beef.
- Asparagus ( more protein than meat ). cup asparagus contains 2.95 g protein, 2.8 g fiber and 27 kcal, that’s 10.91 g per 100 kcal. Which again beats ground beef.
- Artichokes: 1 artichoke contains 4.19 g protein, 6.9g fiber and 60 kcal.
- Brussels sprouts: 1 cup brussels sprouts contain 2.97 g protein, 3.3 g fiber and 38 kcal.
- Cauliflower: 1 cup chopped cauliflower contains 2.05 g protein, 2.1 g fiber and 27 kcal.
- Edamame ( more protein than meat ). 1 cup frozen edamame contains 13.24 g protein, 129 kcal and 5.7 g fiber.
- Spinach ( more protein than meat ). 100 g of spinach have 2.86 g protein, 20 kcal, and 2.2 g fiber. That’s 12.30 g protein per 100 kcal.
- Arugula ( more protein than meat ). 100 g of arugula have 2.58 g protein, 25 kcal, and 1.6 g fiber. Seriously, this green has 10.32 g protein per 100 kcal.
About This List Of Vegetables High In Protein
Okey, you saw the list of high-protein vegetables. Now let me clarify two things:
- One. So , I decided to do something fun. I decided to compare the protein per 100 kcal of the X vegetable, to the 9.71g of protein found in 100 kcal ground beef. Fun right, yes it was. And it was totally not a waste of my time. I also do realize that nobody eats 5 cups of mushrooms for lunch every day… But a little bit here, a little bit over there-it will add up. Use these veggies, it’s in your best interest.
- Two. I also included the amount of fiber, because fiber in combination with protein is essential to keep you full and satiated ( super important if your goal is to lose weight).
Well. I hope you found this list helpful, in case you want to up your protein intake and don’t like powders or bars-eating these protein-packed vegetables can be an easy way to do it.
MORE VEGETABLES HIGH IN PROTEIN
- 10 High Protein Vegetables For Bodybuilding
- 8 High in Protein Vegetables
- Top 10 Vegetables High In Protein.