Struggling with protein intake as a vegetarian? Here are three of my favorite vegetarian-friendly, protein rich foods
Since coming to college, I have met more and more people who are vegetarian like I am. However, something common that all of us seem to struggle with is getting enough protein in our day-to-day lives. While I did not take this very seriously when I was younger, I have more recently started to better understand the health complications that can come with not consuming enough protein each day. Since this struggle tends to happen to many of us vegetarians, I thought that sharing some of the protein-rich foods that I tend to consume on a day-to-day basis could potentially help those of us that know we need protein, but may be struggling with finding the right foods.
1. Cottage Cheese
As someone who grew up in Wisconsin, dairy related foods, more specifically cottage cheese, has become a consistent part of what I ate growing up. However, since coming to college and having to learn to cook for myself more often, I did not think to eat it as much, as I was more excited to cook foods like mac and cheese, gnocchi, spaghetti and other non-protein related foods. Despite this, since I have been taking my protein intake into consideration more than I did before, I have begun to incorporate cottage cheese back into a regular part of my diet. By doing this, I am feeling much more confident, and less guilty, about my protein intake each day. If you are someone who is able to consume dairy and want to ensure you are intaking enough protein, I highly recommend eating cottage cheese.
2. Eggs
Despite having the egg-ick from time to time, I consistently try my best to eat eggs at least twice a week, as they are another protein-rich source. Eggs are another food source that I consistently ate at home prior to coming to university, but have moved away from, as I have been more into wanting grain-rich foods such as gnocchi. Although my cravings for gnocchi, spaghetti and foods like these have not ceased, I have been better recently at incorporating eating at least two eggs at a time when making eggs. Although they are not my favorite food, I do recommend them to my fellow vegetarians, as they do provide the protein source that we all need more of.
3. Hummus
My final, and one of my favorite, protein-rich food recommendations is hummus. Hummus is not only great for protein intake, but also just for a delicious snack in general. My personal favorite is garlic hummus and I love pairing it with carrot sticks or naan. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to rely on hummus alone to fuel one’s protein intake, however, it is one great source to help incorporate protein into a small snack or as an add-on to a meal.
After being vegetarian for over five years, and struggling with day-to-day protein intake, I would like to think that my protein sources are versatile and can work for many of us with this struggle. Therefore, I hope that these protein recommendations will help those of you who are hoping for more protein intake, or are just looking for different sources of protein to diversify your diet. Either way, from one vegetarian to another, I hope the best for you on your journey as a vegetarian trying to find enough protein sources!