Trying Veganuary this month? Or are you a long-time vegan looking for ways to stay fit and healthy? Nutrition and fitness expert Dr Ali Novitsky shares how to get enough plant-based protein to optimise your lean muscle mass
There can be many obstacles when trying to meet your nutrition goals, no matter what type of nutrition plan you follow. For vegans, or someone considering a vegan lifestyle, a particular concern is that it’s difficult to consume adequate protein. They say the challenge comes with finding enough variety, as well as discovering options that aren’t too heavy on carbs and fat. However, the truth is there are plenty of ways to consume enough high-quality, plant-based protein, making it readily achievable for vegans to maintain and gain lean muscle mass.
IMPORTA NCE OF PROTEIN
By the time you hit the age of 30, you start to lose lean muscle mass at a rate of one-to-three per cent per year. There are two key strategies to preserve and increase lean muscle mass as you age: strength training and consuming adequate protein. These strategies can also increase your metabolism and your ability to lose body fat, if necessary.
For most adult women, the amount of protein required to preserve muscle mass is around three servings per day (around 90g). If this seems high, remember that if a woman were to consume 90g of protein in a 1,500 calorie per day diet, she would only be eating 24 per cent of her total calories from protein. For many women, this would be enough to maintain muscle but not be enough to gain muscle. Many individuals will need to increase their protein beyond this amount to achieve specific goals, such as muscle tone and strength.
A WIDE VARIETY
There are plenty of different vegan protein sources available. Rather than worrying about what you should avoid, it is typically more empowering to focus on all the things you can eat.
It is important to note that plant-based proteins often contain mixed macronutrients, meaning very few contain only protein. More often than not, you’ll be consuming protein-carbohydrate sources and protein-fat sources.
● Protein-carbohydrate sources come mostly from legumes. Most legumes contain about 7-9g of protein per 100g serving. Legumes include lentils, chickpeas, green peas, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, soya beans, mung beans and lima beans. While peanuts are considered legumes, we list them under protein-fat sources because they contain a good amount of healthy fats.
● Protein-fat sources include seeds and nuts. The specific amount of protein varies from type to type. For instance, hemp seeds offer about 10g of protein per 3 tbsp. Chia seeds hold approximately 4g of protei
