But where do you get your protein?!?!

When you begin your vegan lifestyle and a lot of the times when you decide to become a vegetarian the most famous question you will hear is, "So if you don't eat meat how are you going to get your protein?!?!" It's a question that can be easily answered and the options are endless. A lot of folks just don't understand that you can get protein, and LOTS of it, from sources other than our dear little animal friends. There are so many different ways vegans pack in the protein, and the upside is with this protein you get to skip the cholesterol and extra unnecessary fats! And sometimes it's nice to reassure those who are pretty persistent that you're incorrect, that if it really were a problem to get protein(and all other nutrients as well) elsewhere we'd have a bunch of dead emaciated vegan and vegetarian hippies all over the place! Ok so maybe that was too graphic and harsh, but it gets the point across.

This cartoon pretty much sums it up. Think of all the giant mammals that eat only a plant based diet! Elephants and gorillas being the main two who thrive and live long lives eating only the natural vegetation of their surroundings!! 

Remember if you are a vegan or vegetarian that you too were probably brought up learning that you NEED animal products to thrive. Our school systems teach children in health class to eat their little chicken nuggets and drink their white milk in order to grow big and strong, have healthy bones, and to get a milk moustache of course duh(Got Milk?)! I remember my school putting up all of those glossy posters with cute celebs sporting the milk moustache, and one day we all had to take pictures with our dairy "facial hair". So you know that those Got Milk campaigns gave money schools to do this. And that the government supplies food to cafeterias(stay on topic Amanda!!! Do a rant post later!) Anyway, back to the subject at hand. From the time we began a general health class in elementary school we've been taught these principals. We must learn as adults that indeed there are many other options for obtaining the protein you need.

I had a lady ringing up my groceries at good ol' K.Roger, who noted that I didn't have any milk, cheese, or eggs. I told her we are vegan and that meant we do not consume any animal products. She told me she just didn't understand how a human could survive without milk. She wasn't saying it in a "I'm addicted to dairy, haha" type voice, more like "No really lady, how are you alive and breathing right in front of me" kinda way. I didn't get upset at all, I just replied with some sort of comment about how great we felt and that I love my almond milk. Of course I wanted to stand there for hours and catch her up on all the reasons why we don't need it and how it can be detrimental to our health, but I had veggies that needed put away and hummus that needed eating!

Now that we know there are different ways to consume your protein, let's get into a little bit more detail. How much protein you need(or want if you are trying to gain weight), varies by age, weight and other life factors; so once you determine how many grams you need the possibilities are endless. We'll begin with tofu. Ahh tofu, you are beautiful to me. Most people make a weird face when you even mention the word tofu. They think of this white blob of tasteless stuff. Tofu is essentially just fermented soy beans, so don't be too afraid of the little guy ok?! Being tasteless (at least in tofu's situation haha!) is a good thing, because you can adapt it to taste like whatever the heck you want! From a tofu scramble to a peanut butter pie, this little square of jiggle will pack in the protein and the taste. Just one serving of tofu gives you almost 20 percent of your daily protein needs. Another amazing quality of tofu is the price! A lot of people assume that being a vegan will break the bank, but in all reality it is so much more affordable! I can get a block of organic tofu from the Nature's Market section, once again, at K.Roger for 2 bucks! You can't even get a package of ground up remaining animal guts for that price, hot dog anyone?

There you go, $1.99 organic tofu in all of it's glory! 

Along with tofu, just one cup of plain organic unsweetened Silk Soy milk has 7 grams of soy protein. Personally, I prefer to drink almond milk but I cook with soy because of the protein content! Amanda's delicious blueberry pancakes are made with soy milk sometimes, stop on by on a Sunday morning to try some and believe it for yourself!

NUTS!! No really, NUTS!!! I never used to be a "nut person", but within the last few years I've really come around. Both nuts and seeds are a great form of raw protein. Opt for the raw options as you should already know salted and honey coated are not the absolutely best choices. Spread some raw sunflower nuts over your salad instead of those crappy store bought croutons, throw some raw hemp seeds on your wrap or pita, toss a cup or two of slivered almonds in your granola, hell just grab a handful of some cashews and dig in! Now I love my sweet treats so I do get about 1/4 lb of those sweet coated almonds from the bulk bin every now and again to satisfy my sweet cravings (and of course my lovely hubby's sweet tooth too!) I also love almonds roasted in tamari, oh my do I love those little roasted suckers!

With those marvelous little nuts and seeds come the butters! Love almond butter I do bo. Ok so I failed at trying to speak like the great Yoda, please forgive me! On a serious note, my family gets down with the almond butter. Our local health food store has this marvelous apparatus in which you grind your own fresh almond butter, basically crack for a vegan! Sunflower butter is really tasty as well. Some people love the butter of peanuts, I say love what ever nut butter you want!

And to end my little spiel on protein with the magnificent, beautiful, leafy green spinach! Not only does spinach provide protein but any other dark leafy greens as well. A lot of people choose to juice or make smoothies with kale, spinach and such so I encourage you to try this as well! Of course, if you just desire some extra protein buy a vegan protein powder and do whatever the hell you want with it! Get it where you can people and get it good!!!