David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Plant Sources of Protein
Berkeley Wellness
March 24, 2017
If you're moving toward a plant-based diet?for health reasons, environmental reasons, or both?you may be concerned about getting enough protein. You needn't worry: Many plant foods are good sources of protein, especially legumes, nuts, seeds, and many grains.
The protein in most plant foods is ?incomplete??that is, it has insufficient amounts of one or more of the nine essential amino acids. (Amino acids are protein?s building blocks; the essential ones are those the body can?t synthesize, so you have to get them from food.) But if your diet includes a wide variety of foods each day, you will absorb a full complement of amino acids. And contrary to common belief, you do not have to eat these complementary proteins at the same meal. You can eat them hours apart or even much later in the day.
The chart below lists a variety of plant sources of protein, in descending order of how much they contain per serving.
Berkeley Wellness
March 24, 2017
If you're moving toward a plant-based diet?for health reasons, environmental reasons, or both?you may be concerned about getting enough protein. You needn't worry: Many plant foods are good sources of protein, especially legumes, nuts, seeds, and many grains.
The protein in most plant foods is ?incomplete??that is, it has insufficient amounts of one or more of the nine essential amino acids. (Amino acids are protein?s building blocks; the essential ones are those the body can?t synthesize, so you have to get them from food.) But if your diet includes a wide variety of foods each day, you will absorb a full complement of amino acids. And contrary to common belief, you do not have to eat these complementary proteins at the same meal. You can eat them hours apart or even much later in the day.
The chart below lists a variety of plant sources of protein, in descending order of how much they contain per serving.
| Food | Protein (g) |
|---|---|
| Soy nuts, 2 ounces | 24 |
| Tempeh, 4 ounces | 24 |
| Soybeans, cooked, 1 cup | 22 |
| Tofu, baked, 4 ounces | 20 |
| Lentils, cooked, 1 cup | 18 |
| Edamame (green soybeans), 3/4 cup | 17 |
| Black beans, cooked, 1 cup | 15 |
| Chick-peas, cooked, 1 cup | 15 |
| Kidney beans, cooked, 1 cup | 15 |
| White beans, cooked, 1 cup | 15 |
| TVP (textured vegetable protein), dry, 1/2 cup | 15 |
| Pinto beans, cooked, 1 cup | 14 |
| Black-eyed peas, cooked, 1 cup | 13 |
| Baby lima beans, cooked, 1 cup | 12 |
| Tofu, firm, regular, 4 ounces | 9.2 |
| Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons | 8.1 |
| Wheatberries, cooked, 3/4 cup | 8.1 |
| Green peas, 1 cup | 7.5 |
| Pasta, whole-wheat, cooked, 1 cup | 7.5 |
| Barley, hulled, cooked, 1 cup | 7.4 |
| Quinoa, cooked, 1 1/3 cups | 7.4 |
| Oats, steel-cut, cooked, 1 cup | 7.3 |
| Amaranth, 3/4 cup uncooked | 7.0 |
| Pumpkin seeds, hulled, 1 ounce | 7.0 |
| Soy milk, 1 cup | 6.7 |
| Flaxseed, 1/4 cup | 6.7 |
| Peanuts, 1 ounce | 6.7 |
| Wild rice, cooked, 1 cup | 6.5 |
| Sunflower seeds, 1 ounce | 6.5 |
| Almonds, 1 ounce | 5.9 |
| Kasha (roasted buckwheat), cooked, 1 cup | 5.7 |
| Bulgur wheat, cooked, 1 cup | 5.6 |
| Tofu, soft silken, 4 ounces | 5.4 |
| Barley, pearl, cooked, 1 cup | 5.0 |
| Corn, 1 cup | 5.0 |
| Rice, brown, cooked, 1 cup | 5.0 |
| Almond butter, 2 tablespoons | 4.8 |
| Asparagus, cooked, 1 cup | 4.7 |
| Broccoli, cooked, 1 cup | 4.7 |
| Cashews, 1 ounce | 4.6 |
| Walnuts, 1 ounce | 4.3 |
| Rice, white enriched, cooked, 1 cup | 4.3 |
| Mushrooms, raw, 4 ounces | 4.1 |
| Pasta, cooked, 1 cup | 3.7 |
| Oatmeal, cooked, 2/3 cup | 3.6 |
| Bok choy, cooked, 1 cup | 2.7 |
| Whole-wheat bread, 1 slice | 2.7 |
| Kale, cooked, 1 cup | 2.5 |
| Pecans, 1 ounce | 2.2 |
| Green beans, cooked, 1 cup | 2.0 |
