Transitioning to a plant based diet means eating no animal products, and that can be really beneficial to your health!
What is protein?
Protein has many roles in your body. It’s a macronutrient that is essential to build muscle mass and repairs muscle tissue.
It’s indispensable for digestion, metabolic function and the immune system.
Protein is composed of amino acids, some of them are naturally produced by our body but some needs to be sourced by food.
Why do we need protein?
Eating adequate amounts of protein helps you maintain your muscle mass. People who wants to gain muscle mass should increase their protein intake, specifically when doing strength training. It promotes muscle growth.
What happens if you don't get enough protein?
Weakness and fatigue are the main signs of lacking protein. In fact, your body loses muscle mass, which lower your strength, and slows your metabolism.
[Tips] As I wrote in another article, for an easier transitioning to a plant based diet, know your food! Learn the nutritional intake of your aliment and it will get easier to create recipes, mixing ingredients and found your basics rotation meals.
Get your complete protein from these grains and plants;
Chia seed
Quinoa
Soy
Buckwheat
Hemp
Tempeh
Spirulina
Amaranth
A lot of vegetables and grains have protein, but not as complete as the list of plants and grains above. The other option is then to combine protein sources to get all the essential amino acids; it’s called complementary proteins.

If you don’t where to start, you can look at my Instagram page for plant-based recipes ideas with complete protein. For example, mixing Edamame with chickpeas or
brown rice with chickpeas (beans or lentils) will give you all the protein that you need for the day.

[Tips] You don’t have to eat complete proteins within the same meal, just make sure you consume it over your meals of the day.
For example, you can have an oatmeal with pumpkin seeds or peanut butter for breakfast and then a spinach salad with seeds and nuts for dinner.
[Healthy snacks] Whole grain bread or carrots and hummus, An apple with peanut butter, and roasted chickpeas (oil, turmeric and paprika toppings).
Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”― Albert Einstein
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