Here are some tips to convert to a plant-based diet.
So this article is going to be coming to you from a personal perspective, as I have been plant based for over 5 years now and prior to that was practicing keto on and off.
Now my biggest concern prior to considering plant based was, ‘so what do I eat?’ and ‘what is my protein source going to be?’Â
As If It doesn’t come from meat, eggs, poultry and dairy then where will it come from?
Well I would essentially be getting the protein from the same place the animals get theirs from, plants. (among other things)
So today I am going to be giving you a breakdown to alternative plant based options which are readily available, and making sure you don’t die of protein deficiency …Â
Protein Comparison
Tofu Scramble Instead Of Scrambled Eggs
Per 100g
So let’s begin by breaking it down with eggs.
One of the alternatives to eggs is tofu, as it’s a great source of protein and low in carbs too and can be scrambled.
Scrambled Tofu | Scrambled Eggs | |
Calories | 102.7 | 113.4 |
Fat | 7.7g | 7.5g |
Carbs | 2.7g | 0.6g |
Protein | 7.5g | 10g |
Eggs snatches the win on the protein front but tofu is not far behind and actually has less calories.
Steak v Ground Beef v Seitan v Tempeh v Impossible Burger Beyond Ground BeefÂ
Per 100g
Let’s get to the meat of the matter, red meat! Take a look at the comparisons below:
Steak | Ground Beef | Seitan | Tempeh | Impossible | Beyond ground beef | |
AP | AP | PB | PB | PB | PB | |
Calories | 218 | 274.1 | 153.8 | 196.4 | 213.6 | 218.8 |
Fat | 10.8g | 17.8g | 3.5g | 11.4g | 12.5g | 15.8g |
Carbs | 0.5g | 0g | 7.1g | 7.9g | 8g | 2.6g |
Protein | 28.1g | 27.6g | 26g | 20g | 16.g | 17.5g |
AP – Animal Product
PB – Plant Based
*
As you can see seitan comes lowest for calories, and lowest for fat content. Ground beef takes the lowest carb content and by not much steak takes the highest protein content. But as you can see the plant based options for seitan and tempeh boast a very high protein content per 100g.
Now let’s turn our attention to dairy.
Milk v Oat Milk v Cashew Milk v Soy Milk v Hemp Milk v Almond Milk v Coconut Milk
Per 1 Cup (244g)
Cow’s MIlkÂ
(full fat) |
Cow’s Milk (1%) | Oat Milk | Cashew
Milk |
Soy Milk | Almond Milk | Hemp Milk | PeaÂ
Milk |
|
AP | AP | PB | PB | PB | PB | PB | PB | |
Calories | 122 | 102 | 140 | 25 | 100 | 30 | 50 | 100 |
Fat | 4.8g | 2.4g | 7g | 2g | 4.5g | 2.5g | 5g | 4.5g |
Carbs | 12g | 12g | 11g | 1g | 9g | 1g | 1g | 6g |
Protein | 8.1g | 8.2g | 8g | 0.5 | 8g | 1g | 2g | 8g |
Plant-Based Milk With Additional Protein
So if protein is what you really desire then there are plant based options available with additional protein. That can include non-dairy protein sources for lean muscle.Â
Orgain Milk Almond Organic Unsweetened | Silk Unsweet Almond & Cashew Protein | Silk Unsweet Ultra Plant-Based Protein Drink | EdenSoy Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk | |
Calories | 80 | 110 | 180 | 120 |
Fat | 3.5g | 7g | 9g | 6g |
Carbs | 4g | 2g | 5g | 4g |
Protein | 10g | 10g | 20g | 12g |
Cheese v Nutritional Yeast
28g
I know cheese is addictive for many people out there and is very difficult to give up but a great protein filled alternative is Nutritional YeastÂ
The reason I didn’t select a plant based cheese alternative is that many plant based cheeses lack the protein content required so nutritional yeast is a great option.
Cheese | Nutritional Yeast | |
Calories | 115 | 92.4 |
Fat | 9,4g | 2g |
Carbs | 0.9g | 10.4g |
Protein | 6.5g | 12.5g |
As you can see Nutritional Yeast, other than having more carbs has less calories, fat and also has more protein per 28g (approx 3.3 tbsp).
Chicken v TempehÂ
100g
Now let’s look at chicken, I am going to compare it to tempeh which we also looked at earlier. I could compare to a faux chicken but I wanted to compare to a purer food sourceÂ
Chicken | Tempeh | |
Calories | 221.9 | 196.4 |
Fat | 13.1g | 11.4g |
Carbs | 0g | 7.9g |
Protein | 23.7g | 20g |
So tempeh is lower in calories and in fat, but chicken has less carbs and just a tad more protein. But Tempeh has a considerable amount of protein per 100g alsoÂ
So as you can see we have covered quite a bit but this is merely scratching the surface.
If you are considering going plant based use this as a guide but also experiment and do your research, go to the store and look at labels, it may surprise you as to which items are also accidentally plant based
Eggs and Tofu
Beefs and Plant-Based MeatsÂ
- Non-Dairy Beef Protein
- Vegan Protein For Muscle Gain
- Power of Eggs to Beef Up
- Arnold Schwarzenegger Approved Plant Based DietÂ