Veganuary: How a vegan diet can support your fitness routine
One of the first questions people tend to ask when considering transitioning towards a more plant-based diet is, what about protein?
While many people associate protein with meat, there are plenty of other plant-based sources of protein that are accessible, tasty, and nutritious!
Vegan meals with high levels of protein
We’ve put together some breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipe ideas for eight healthy sources of vegan protein, so you can mix and match to create a full week’s meal plan to help you get started on your vegan journey. Alternatively, you can simply incorporate a few meals into each week to make a start on lowering your meat consumption.
Incorporating a variety of different protein sources into a vegan diet is the best way to ensure you’re getting a well-rounded health kick. There are many variations for each of these recipes, so you can adapt them all to work for you and play around with the flavours that you like best. It’s important to make sure that no matter how you chose to eat, you continue to give your mind and body the nutrients it needs to function most effectively.
Note: Meat substitutes can be a good alternative, but many are highly processed and full of other ingredients, so it’s important not to rely on these to make up the majority of your meals. That’s why we’re focusing on how you can incorporate more natural ingredients into the types of recipes that you may already be familiar with making from scratch!
Remember, life is all about balance. Even if you’re not looking to go vegan, you can still incorporate some of these alternative, healthy sources of protein into your life. So, why not give some of these suggestions a try?
Tofu
Breakfast: Tofu scramble
Lunch: Tofu fajitas/wrap
Dinner: Tofu curry
Recipes can be found here.
Lentils
Breakfast: Red lentil omelette wrap
Lunch: Green lentil salad
Dinner: Lentil Bolognese
Recipes can be found here.
Chickpeas
Breakfast: Chickpea fritters
Lunch: Coronation chickpea pitta
Dinner: Chickpea stew
Recipes can be found here.
Beans
Breakfast: Smokey cannellini beans on toast
Lunch: Black bean burrito
Dinner: Kidney bean chilli sin carne
Recipes can be found here.
Quinoa
Breakfast: Quinoa porridge
Lunch: Quinoa vegetable salad, with veggies of choice (i.e. tomatoes, cucumber, peppers)
Dinner: Quinoa black bean chilli
Recipes can be found here.
Nuts
Breakfast: Almond and oat breakfast cookies
Lunch: Apple and walnut salad
Dinner: Vegetable cashew stir-fry
Recipes can be found here.
Oats
Breakfast: Overnight oats
Lunch: Oat pancakes
Dinner: Veggie bites/burgers
Recipes can be found here.
Vegetables
Many vegetables can also contribute to your protein intake themselves. It’s best to try to incorporate plenty of veggies into every meal for a full range of health benefits. If you wish to focus on protein, opt for those that contain naturally higher amounts, such as green peas, spinach, kale, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. Again, play around! Switch between eating your veggies raw, roasted, steamed, or stir fried for different textures and flavours.
Find loads of great vegetable recipes here.
Tip: Swap your sides to make each dish different every time! Most of these dishes can be served with a range of veggies, and work on wholemeal toast, in a wrap, with potatoes or brown rice, so you can switch it up to create meals suited to different times of day!
Tag us!
We’d love to see what you create! Tag us on Instagram or use the hashtag #BeYoYoga to share your journey with the rest of the YoYoga community.