NAPSTV's video: Healthful Eating

Getting enough protein on a vegan or vegetarian diet isn’t impossible but it does take some planning. Many vegetarians do include things like milk or dairy products or eggs and these are all excellent sources of protein. But vegans, on the other hand, don’t include these foods and so their choices are more limited. The best sources of plant-based protein include beans, peas and lentils—and that includes peanuts by the way, which are actually a bean not a nut—because these foods when combined with whole grains give your body all the essential amino acids that it needs. Another way that you can get all of your essential amino acids is to consume soy or soy products, so this includes soy beans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, soy cheese, soy yogurt, even soy protein powder. All of these foods would give you all your essential amino acids. And speaking of plant-based protein powders, these are a great way to add protein to a vegetarian or vegan diet because they’re so convenient to add to soups, stews, smoothies or oatmeal to boost your protein intake.