Prospre: Meal Planner
Meal plans based on macros
Prospre: Meal Planner
Meal plans based on macros
Prospre: Meal Planner
Meal plans based on macros, macro tracking, and more
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September 21, 2023
Whether you're trying to gain muscle or simply maintain a healthy diet, protein is an essential nutrient. To get the most benefits from your protein consumption, it can help to get it from a variety of sources. While vegetables may not be the first food that comes to mind when you are trying to eat more protein-rich food, many of them do actually contain useful amounts. While you won't be getting as much protein as you would in a steak dinner, we all know that a diet rich in vegetables provides a long list of additional benefits. Adding more of them to your plate is almost always beneficial. Here are some of the most protein rich vegetables to add to your next meal:
Peas are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and other beneficial nutrients. Additionally, they have some of the highest protein levels of any vegetable. Depending on the variety you choose you can calculate your protein intake based on the following:
While green peas hold the title as the highest protein vegetable on this list, snow and snap peas are still beneficial and can be a good addition to a meal.
A tasty and versatile option that is used in many recipes, corn also belongs on your list of protein rich vegetables. It contains 3.4 grams of protein per 100-gram serving. Eating it may help to prevent a variety of diseases, including diverticular disease and macular degeneration. When planning for meals, keep in mind that corn is also technically a cereal grain, and is high in carbohydrates.
Spinach is well-loved by health enthusiasts for being full of nutrients. With all the other good things it contains, including multiple vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants, it should hardly be a surprise that it also qualifies as one of the best high protein plants. Every 100-gram serving contains 3-grams of protein and can help you maintain your eye health and blood pressure. It may even help prevent certain cancers.
While not the most common vegetable to accompany a meal, artichokes are fun to eat and are a good way to mix things up with something new at dinner. Additionally, they contain 2.9 grams of protein per 100-gram serving. You can find lots of easy recipes for preparing them and serving them as a side dish for almost any meal.
Brussels sprouts have a bad reputation for being squishy, bitter and unappetizing; however, this simply shouldn't be the case. As long as you avoid boiling them, these healthy, protein rich vegetables can be prepared in a wide variety of ways for delicious results. Being cruciferous vegetables like kale and broccoli, these little veggies are packed with nutrients. This includes 2.6 grams of protein per 100-gram serving. For an easy way to prepare them, simply slice them up, lightly coat them in oil and seasoning of your choice and roast them in the oven.
We mentioned that broccoli is in the same family as brussels sprouts. Many types of cruciferous vegetables contain protein, and broccoli is no exception with 2.4 grams per 100-gram serving. Since it is delicious raw as well as cooked, this is one of the easiest vegetables to quickly incorporate into your diet. Eat it with a healthy dipping sauce as a snack or use it as a side dish for your next meal.
Green beans contain a respectable 1.9 grams of protein per 100-gram serving. They also contain iron, vitamin K, calcium and many more nutrients. Interestingly, green beans are also among the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Like brussels sprouts, they are a food that many people have bad memories of, but when properly prepared they can be quite delicious. If you haven't eaten them in a while, look up some recipes and give them a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Easy to prepare and a great side dish for other protein-rich foods such as chicken, fish, or beef, asparagus packs 2.4 grams of protein per serving. Additionally, it can help you maintain great digestive health. If you're pregnant, this may also be a great vegetable to choose, as it helps provide your body with vitamin B9 among other helpful nutrients.
When you're trying to increase your protein intake, it can seem like your options are limited to mainly meat products, but this is not the case. Protein rich vegetables are a great way to add some extra protein while also benefiting from many other healthy nutrients.
You can easily plan ahead for healthy meals using the Prospre meal planning app. Download the app today for help meeting your dietary goals.
