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It may come as a surprise to you that vegetables contain protein. I got a question recently
asked me about if vegetables contain protein and if so, which were the best ones? So the
good news is, all vegetables contain protein, some more than others. We typically don’t
think of vegetables as a protein source like fish, and meat, and eggs, and dairy, but they
do contain protein.
And vegetables not only contain protein, but they’re rich in vitamins and minerals and
antioxidants and fiber and they’re those fill-you-up foods. If there’s one food that
everybody should be eating more of, it’s vegetables because as a nation, we don’t
get as many as we should be eating. Two and a half cups is what the recommended servings
are per day and very few people get that.
So eat more vegetables! But back to the question. Most vegetables have about one to two grams
of protein per serving but there’s a whole group of vegetables that are much higher.
The beans.
Soy beans have 28 grams of protein in one cup. That’s just an amazing amount considering
that an egg has seven grams of protein. An ounce of meat has seven grams of protein,
a cup of milk has 8 grams of protein so 28 is pretty stellar in one cup.
Lentils have 18 grams in a cup and these are cooked. Most beans, black beans, red beans
have about 13 grams and they’re a vegetable so eat more beans, they’re high in protein,
they’re high in fiber, they’re inexpensive, they’re great for you.
Peas, green peals are high they have about 9, black eyed peas have about 11 and on the
higher end of the rest of the vegetable world, asparagus, and cauliflower, and broccoli and
brussel sprouts are a little bit higher, but they all contain some amount of protein. But
if you’re looking to, if you’re on a vegetarian diet, or a vegan diet and you’re looking
to get enough protein in your diet, look toward the beans, that’s where you’ll really
get a great source. And, eat your vegetables!