Vegan nutrition is based on plant foods. Many people get stuck with it because they are afraid of not receiving enough proteins for the body to be healthy and strong. Today's post reveals how vegan people eat proteins, of many colors, textures and tastes. Learn how to embrace veganism and remain at peace knowing that your body will create all necessary proteins.

Proteins are molecules that give structure to the cells and are in charge of other very important bodily functions. Many specialist prefer to talk about aminoacids, which are the components that create the protein chains. There are twenty aminoacids, of which 8 are essential for the human body and many research papers affirm that a plant based diet can give you as many complete proteins as any animal flesh. The human body is incredibly complex and it is not as simple as thinking that you eat a steak and the proteins are going straight away to the muscle. It is your own cells who create proteins from the foods you eat and what they need in order to do that are aminoacids. We should consider that by eating green leafy vegetables, all veggies, fruit, whole grains, legumes and seeds daily, all cells will be nourished.The ancient combination of a legume with a whole grain gives us those eight necessary aminoacids. Humans have been eating it for thousands of years and it is present in all cultures around the planet. To name a few: kitchari in India, rice and beans in Latin America or bulgur with chickpeas in the Middle East. Lentils and rice are a staple in Spanish homes.

If you prefer to think in terms of grams of proteins, you might want to have a look at the following list. The general recommendations for a healthy body is 0.8 gr. of proteins per kilo, so if you weigh 50 kg. you should be eating 40 grams of proteins daily. How can we measure that?

In 100 gr of:

• beef, 26 gr of protein 
• tempeh, 18 gr
• quinoa, 14 gr
• oats, 13 gr
• beans, 8 gr 
• lentils,7 gr
• hemp seeds, 31 gr
• almonds, 21 gr

Taking some of the foods in the list every day and abundant vegetables and fruits, which also contain grams of proteins and aminoacids, it is sure that your cells will be working correctly. Cruciferous, asparagus and avocado are just a few examples. And last, I forgot to mention that when those foods are sprouted, their nutritional value increases and, therefore, their power and the amount of aminoacids as well. If you still want to make sure that your body doesn't feel negatively the absence of animal foods, you can also take a vitamin B-12 supplement.

Have fun with the plants!

aham prema

Photo by Vegan Liftz on Unsplash

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