Addressing The Myth
When it comes to protein centric meals, vegan and vegetarian diets are mired and bogged down by widespread misconceptions citing their infeasibility due to lack of protein. You might even ask yourself: how to stay healthy as a vegan? We’re here to prove that wrong and champion our cause for the vegan society. A plant-based diet, which consists of foods derived from plants and excludes animal products, has gained popularity in recent years for its myriad health benefits. The primary argument against plant based diets is that they cannot provide sufficient protein which is an essential nutrient for various functions in the body; including growth and repair of tissues, enzyme production, and hormone regulation.
Whilst it is true that from a purely protein centric viewpoint animal-based sources of protein such as meat, dairy, and eggs tend to rank higher in protein compared to plant-based sources, they come with a cornucopia of caveats that we’ll dive into shortly. On the other hand, many organic vegan sources of protein are rich in essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein that the body cannot produce on its own and must obtain from an enhanced diet.
Sources Of Vegan Protein
Some examples of high-protein plant-based sources include legumes, nuts and seeds, grains, and soy-based products. For instance, a cup of cooked lentils contains 18 grams of protein, while a quarter cup of almonds contains 8 grams of protein. Quinoa, a grain that is often used as a protein-rich alternative to rice, contains 8 grams of protein per cup. Tofu, which is made from soybeans, contains around 10 grams of protein per half cup.
In addition to these individual sources of protein, it is also possible to combine different plant-based sources to create a complete protein, which is a protein that contains all nine essential amino acids. For example:
Rice and beans
Peanut butter on whole wheat bread.
Furthermore, vegan plant based diets can often be higher in protein compared to animal-derived diets when considering the protein to fat ratio and protein per calorie. Many plant-based sources of protein are low in fat and calories, making them more nutrient-dense compared to animal-based sources that are often high in saturated fat and calories. Vegan and Vegetarian diets give you the biggest bang for your buck nutrition-wise.
Why Choose Vegan Protein?
Circling back to those caveats we left hanging a while ago, let's consider how an animal derived diet may be bad for you whilst also scoring a point for vegan and vegetarian options. A 3-ounce serving of beef contains about 22 grams of protein, but it also contains about 9 grams of saturated fat and about 200 calories. On the other hand, a cup of cooked lentils contains 18 grams of protein, only 1 gram of saturated fat, and 230 calories. This means that a serving of lentils has a higher protein to fat ratio and protein per calorie compared to beef. Who’d’ve thought about it? Some more food for thought: Eating a hot dog takes away 36 minutes of healthy life (good-quality and disease-free life) according to a study that evaluated more than 5,800 foods and ranked them by their nutritional disease burden.
It is also worth noting for posterity’s sake that plant-based diets may provide other health benefits beyond protein intake. Lean protein vegan diets have been associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. They also tend to be more environmentally sustainable compared to animal-based diets, as they require fewer resources and produce less greenhouse gas emissions.
In conclusion, the misnomer that a plant-based diet cannot provide sufficient protein is completely baseless and thoroughly unfounded. Plant-based diets provide all the essential amino acids and are high in protein when considering the protein to fat ratio and protein per calorie.
This perfect argument aside, there will always be those who will crop up and wallow in denial. Which is where we come in. At Pranaa, we love good food and we love people even more. So why not invite the nay-sayers to a meal? You can order online from our website or even visit our vegan restaurant! We’re pioneers in vegan food delivery in Bangkok. It takes two hands to clap and we’re waving from pure vegan heaven.
Make Use Of Pranaa’s Credit System
On our website, you can go to our Buy Credits page and purchase one of three options ranging from ฿5,000, ฿10,000 or ฿15,000 worth of credits. The higher the number of credits you buy, the larger bonus credits you get! To elaborate: ฿5,000/- gives you 5% extra, totalling 5,250 credits. ฿10,000/- gives you 10% extra, totalling 11,000 credits. ฿15,000/- gives you 15% extra, totalling 17,250 credits. These credits never expire and are linked directly to your account. What’s more is that they streamline the payment process for you too! We’ve got your back so you don’t need to approve every payment through another portal. This system is ideal for regular customers or even anyone who is planning to spend around ฿5,000 over the course of any period of time with Pranaa as in the long run, you save money. And there’s more! Customers who’ve purchased credits from the Pranaa Store are eligible for our Reusable Box Program, where the majority of the main courses we sell as well as some of the side dishes have the option of being served in a reusable Tupperware box, that a customer can then return on any subsequent delivery. Upon receiving them back, we wash them and then reuse them. This is an initiative we’ve taken for our customers who are environmentally conscious about their carbon footprint. You know what they say, every single drop adds up to the ocean.