To carry out a healthy and balanced diet in all the senses is a very feasible reality for the vegan people. This balance comes together with the combination of nutrients, especially three macronutrients, one of them being Protein. Believe it or not, Vegans and Vegetarians are still under fire from the protein hype, due to the common misconception that protein is only obtainable from animals. Thankfully, this view is becoming increasingly outdated, but people still have questions about plant-based protein sources.

What’s protein?

Protein needs little to no introduction. You likely already know it as one of the three major macronutrients that make up your diet (the other two being fat and carbohydrates).

Pro·tein /ˈprōˌtēn/

noun

1. any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that consist of large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, collagen, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies.

So basically, protein is considered the building block of life and is found in every cell of the body. Proteins play a role in:

• Transporting molecules throughout the body
• Helping repair cells and make new ones
• Protecting the body from viruses and bacteria
• Promoting proper growth and development in children, teenagers, and pregnant women

Information from: Everyday Health

How much protein do I need?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend a daily protein intake of 0.8 grams of protein per kilo of body weight. About 60 grams of protein for a person who weighs 165 pounds. People aiming to build muscle, pregnant or nursing women, and older adults may need more protein consumption; consult with your health specialist.

Plant-based protein vs. Animal protein

Plant-based protein has been shown to be much more beneficial to the body than animal protein. This is because it also contains healthy combinations with carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it the “package deal” of foods.

Animal protein, on the other hand, lacks of fiber, is high in fat and cholesterol, which leads to poor digestive health, weight gain, and cardiovascular disease. Animal protein also comes with an increased cancer risk due to their higher proportions of essential amino acids which causes our bodies to produce higher levels of the hormone insulin-like growth factor, leading to cancer growth. One of the proteins found in dairy, casein, is also strongly linked to several types of cancer.

So as you can see, animals are not the best sources of protein. On the other hand, there are so many plant-based meats, milks and other foods derived from plants that are high in protein, incredibly delicious and so healthy that you will not even want to eat animals, eggs or milk.

“Where can I get my protein?”

There is protein in almost everything. For example, a boring bagel has 10 grams of protein, seriously, google it! Vegans and Vegetarians don’t need to worry about where they’re getting their protein or whether they’re getting enough because it can be found in every single whole plant food. Yep, that’s right; even those fruits and veggies you’re eating contain some grams of protein.

Grains and legumes are good sources of proteins of vegetable origin. Seitan, made with wheat gluten contains more protein per gram than beef and pork. The same happens with other foods rich in plant proteins such as tempeh and tofu.

Retrieved from: https://www.arespectfullife.com/2017/08/11/vegan-fit/

Types of plant-based protein:

1. Soy (in its different forms): Whole soy products are among the richest sources of protein in a plant-based diet. These are products also contain good levels of calcium and iron, which makes them healthful substitutes for dairy products. The protein content varies with how the soy is prepared:
   • Edamame beans (immature soybeans) can contain 8g of protein per ½ cup
   • Firm tofu (soybean curds) can contain about 10g of protein per ½ cup
   • Tempeh can contain about 15g of protein per ½ cup
2. Seitan: A complete protein made from mixing wheat gluten with various spices. The high gluten content means that it should be avoided by people with gluten intolerance.
3. Grains & Legumes:
   • Legumes: They can contain plenty of protein, fiber, and key nutrients, including iron and potassium, when cooked, they can contain 8g of protein per ½ cup.
   • Grains: are super versatile, some may contain around 7g per ½ cup.
   • Quinoa: Surprisingly enough, quinoa is a grain with high protein content, when cooked, it can contain 8g of protein per cup.
4. Nuts & Seeds:
   • Peanuts: They’re protein-rich, full of healthful fats, and may improve heart health. They contain around 20g of protein per ½ cup.
   • Almonds: They offer 16g of protein per ½ cup, and a good amount of vitamin E, which is great for the skin and eyes.
   • Walnuts: These offer about 15g of protein per ½ cup, and full of healthy fats & fiber.
   • Cashews: You’ll get roughly 18g of protein per ½ cup of cashews, as well as magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc.

   • Chia seeds: These are a complete source of protein that contains 2g of protein per tablespoon, they’re also rich in fiber and heart-healthy with Omega-3 fatty acids.
   • Hemp seeds: Similarly to chia seeds, hemp seeds are a complete protein. They offer 5g of protein per tablespoon.
   • Nut butters are also rich in protein with 8g per tablespoon, depending on which nut butter.
5. Leafy greens: Many dark-colored, leafy greens. Eaten alone, these foods are not enough to meet daily protein requirements, but when combined with other protein-rich foods.
   • Broccoli: a single stalk of broccoli contains about 4g of protein
   • Spinach:
   • Kale offers 2g of protein per cup
6. Mushrooms: 5 medium mushrooms offer 3g of protein
7. Potatoes: A large potato offers 8g of protein per serving, they’re also high in other nutrients, such as potassium and vitamin C.
8. Spirulina: This is blue or green algae that contain about 8g of protein per 2 tablespoons. It is also rich in nutrients, such as iron, B vitamins like B12.
9. Bread: Ezekiel Bread is a nutrient-dense alternative to traditional bread that offers 4g of protein per slice. It is made from barley, wheat, lentils, millet, and spelt.

Information retrieved from Healthline

The post “Dude, Where Do You Get Your Protein?” appeared first on VeggieJeva.

Today officially marks the beginning of my birthday weekend! (HEY FELLOW LEO’S!!!) We don’t have a lot planned out, we’re just going to have a celebratory dinner at my favorite local plant-based restaurant, El Grifo. I have so much to celebrate, not just my birthday. A year ago, everything was so different: I graduated with a BA, I quit a job I hated & started a job I love, and I started Grad School. So many crazy changes happened this week last year, and even though it’s an ongoing challenge, I’m grateful for those changes.

Anyways, on to today’s recipe! Matcha Pancakes with Raspberry-Coconut Yogurt. Yes, they’re as heavenly as it sounds. If you know me, I don’t usually do pancakes, I’m more of fruit smoothies for breakfast kind of person; I’ve been for four years now. But special occasions call for pancakes!

I decided to go with matcha pancakes instead of the traditional route, as a challenge for myself. I’m trying to bring more unusual & creative recipes, for you, my readers. Plus, matcha is a great way to start incorporating more green foods into your diet.   

Why matcha? Matcha is actually in the green tea range, and it’s super powerful. It’s a great source of fiber, vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc, and magnesium and it fights against viruses and bacteria. It also works as an antioxidant, boosts your metabolism, helps with detoxifying the body, aids in concentration lowers cholesterol and blood sugar.

Give yourself a boost of antioxidants with these sweet, yet healthy pancakes!

Recipe: Matcha Pancakes with Raspberry-Coconut Yogurt

Makes 10-13 pancakes

Ingredients

For Pancakes:

• 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1  tbsp matcha green tea powder
• 1  tsp ground chia seeds
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp agave syrup (or as needed)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup plant milk
• Cooking spray

For Yogurt

• 5 oz coconut yogurt
• ½ cup raspberries

My toppings

• Coconut Chips
• Raspberries
• Goji Berries

Procedure

1. Mix all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, and mix thoroughly.
2. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Spray cooking spray on the hot pan or grease with a little bit of coconut oil.
3. Add about ⅓ cup of batter onto pan per pancake. Depending upon the size of the pan, you can cook more than one pancake at a time.
4. While the bottom side of the pancakes cooks, I added goji berries & coconut flakes.
5. Flip each pancake after bubbles form and turn golden brown on the underside. Cook the other side until golden brown.
6. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Top with sliced banana and coconut chips. Serve with maple syrup.
7. While the pancakes are cooking, add to a blender the coconut yogurt & raspberries. Blend until completely smooth.
8. Serve, add your desired toppings, and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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Going Vegan is a whole lot more than learning to make bolognese without meat & dairy-free ice cream. Most people eat and wear animal products and rely on a multitude of products that are tested on animals. I have to admit to being guilty of this. Living in Island has a lot of cons, one of them being having limited access to other vegan products that are not food; like beauty, skincare, and clothes. Even when I want to buy some of those products online, I can’t, all because “We currently don’t ship to Puerto Rico”, it gets tiresome and frustrating. But hey, I’ve always said “There’s no such thing as a perfect vegan!”, even though I strive to be.

So what other ways can we support veganism when we don’t have complete access? Education. Comparing to other social movements, we’re pretty limited and truly in uncharted territory. But we can educate ourselves as much as we can.

I’ve put up a list of my favorite resources for vegan education:

Books

• The Mindful Vegan by Lani Muelrath
• How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger
• Millennial Vegan: Tips for Navigating Relationships, Wellness, and Everyday Life as a Young Animal Advocate by Casey Taft

Magazines

• Chickpea
• Vegan Food & Living
• VegNews: Vegan. Think. Eat Thrive. 

Documentaries/ Movies

• What the Health 
• Okja 
• Food, Inc.
• Forks Over Knives

Blogs

• Hot for Food
• Cocinina
• Cashew Kitchen
• Bianca Zapatka

Youtube Channels

• Avant-Garde Vegan
• Tess Begg
• Liv B
• Supreme Banana
• The Happy Pear

Some of the blogs and youtube channels that I mention here, I’ve been following for years and have served as learning outlets. Take some time to check these out; learning new things every day sometimes turns out to be life-changing.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

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Food is the first thing that comes to mind when traveling; especially when cruising. There’s so much (SOOOOO MUCH)  food that’s already included in the price, making it hard to resist all of the goodness that are processed carbs, fats & sugars. But don’t’ worry, eating healthy & maintaining your lifestyle while cruising, isn’t impossible. For me, cruises are the least stressful form of travel when it comes to food; but that is if you plan ahead. Most Cruise Ship Agencies will be happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions, this is more likely on international cruise lines; they receive people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds & eating habits.

Here’s  what I did & how I did it, on Royal Caribbean International:

• Alert the cruise line as early as possible. I did this two weeks in advance & also made sure that I was listed as one of the plant-based travelers at check-in.
• Bring some pre-packed snacks on board. Snack bars, pre-packed soups, chips, ect.
• The buffet is your best friend for lunch (& sometimes breakfast). Huge salad bar, roasted potatoes, sautéed vegetables, sandwich station, veggie burgers & huge assortments of fresh fruits.
• Bring water with you on the first day & avoid paying $2 a bottle on board.
• If you can’t live without coffee, soy milk is available upon request in the buffet.
• Don’t get scared with the dining room’s main menu. On the first day ask for their special menu; they made me: tofu, fried rice, baked potatoes, sweet & sour soy chicken, different styles of pasta, mushroom soup, veggie onion soup, vegan pancakes(at breakfast, & bowls of strawberries too. I didn’t eat the same thing twice.
• Alcohol. You may want to skip the cocktails with bright colors, since they tend to be very sugary. Good news is, most beer is vegan!
• Not food related: If you’re into exercising, take advantage of the free gym & jogging track; especially on those “at sea” days.
• The sucky part is the lack of plant-based desserts; they only have a platter of fruits & fruit sorbet.

Here are some bad quality pictures (the lighting was terrible, sorry in advance) of my favorite meals on cruise:

buffet: Salad, mushrooms, chickpeas, almonds, raspberry dressing | steamed carrots & broccoli | toasts & roasted potatoes

dining room: pasta with pomodoro

 buffet: veggie burger (upon request) with everything from the burger section | ketchup, mustard & sriracha

dining room: vegetable & tofu fried rice

dining room (breakfast): eggless pancakes with peanut butter, banana & berries

johnny rockets: veggie burger with sauteed onions & mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes & mustard | fries & onion rings

dining room: veggie minestrone soup | pitta bread & hummus

dining room: baked potato with butter | sauteed mushrooms | soy meatballs with tortilla chips

dining room: chocolate covered strawberries

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One of my  favorite (non-drinkable) breakfast is pancakes, so naturally when I turned to the plant based lifestyle I started looking into healthier ways to make them. I came up with this recipe experimenting with different ingredients that I already had in my home, until finding the perfect combination. This is a pancake recipe made from completely scratch, therefore no store-bought mixture is used. By using “the made-from-scratch” method, you get control of every ingredient that goes into your food; you decide what’s going to be healthy & what’s not.

This recipe is perfect for vegans as no dairy, refined sugar or eggs are used. The key ingredient to this recipe is banana; known as a substitute for eggs in baking, bananas  have a great consistency for pancakes & also gives a good amount of sweetness.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana

2 tablespoons flour of choice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

1teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1tablespoon chia seeds

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

3/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice

2 teaspoons agave nectar (optional)

Toppings: berries & nuts for garnish

Instructions:

Place all the ingredients, in order listed, in a blender & blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick you can add more non-dairy milk.

Heat a large frying pan to medium-low heat, with non-stick spray or with a teaspoon of coconut oil.

Once the pan is warm, pour in the batter into whichever size of pancake you like. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove & serve.

Top with berries, almonds, chia seeds, and more coconut flakes.

Use maple syrup, agave nectar or softened peanut butter(my favorite) as syrup.

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