Alternative sources of protein

Hi there!

I drink protein shakes after any weight lifting sessions to help muscle repair and recovery. However, not everyone wants to do this or can (they aren’t great for people with sensitive stomachs, my stomach doesn’t always agree). So I thought to look for different sources of protein! I got these from Health online, which has recipes for each of these vegan/vegetarian alternatives.

• Green peas; 7.9 grams of protein per cup.
• Quinoa; 8 grams of protein per cup.
• Nuts and nut butters; watch here, 1 ounce of almonds, cashews and pistachios (examples) have 160 calories BUT do contain 5-6 grams of protein.
• Beans; these pack a fair protein punch, for example, there’s about 13 grams of protein per cup of kidney beans.
• Chickpeas; 14.6 grams of protein per cup.
• Tofu; 40 grams of protein per cup (you don’t need that much, go for half a cup).
• Edamame; 16.8 grams of protein per cup.
• Leafy greens; spinach, brocoli etc. 1 cup brocoli has 8.1 grams of protein per cup.
• Chia seeds; these pack 4.7 gram of protein per ounce (about 2 tablespoons).
• Sesame, sunflower and poppy seeds; sunflower seeds have 29.2 grams of protein per cup, sesame and poppy seeds have 21.6 grams of protein per cup.
• Non-dairy milk; soy milk has most at 8 grams of protein per cup, almond, rice and hemp milk have around 1 gram of protein per cup.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 gram of protein per tablespoon.

And there we have it! Some great alternatives to protein shakes for those who don’t like them, want them or can take them! A typical 25g scoop of protein with water yields about 100 calories and 25g of protein (some have more, I use MyProtein, GoNutrition or TheProteinWorks).

Do you have any great alternatives?

Gym Bug