A user on Twitter recently asked me if I could tell him how to eat vegan without eating soy or flax and what is a good source of protein in this case.
In general many people think that as a vegan you have to eat soy. In fact, I've seen many people say "I can't be vegan, because I can't eat soy!". To shorten it up: You don't have to eat soy as a vegan.
1. Seitan
Seitan is a common vegan alternative to meat. It's without soy because it's made from wheat gluten (be careful if you're allergic against gluten). Seitan closely replicates the texture of meat. It's often used to make burger patties, sausages, steak and more! But how about nutrition of Seitan?
Well, 28g of Seitan (one ounce) has [1]:
8% of the daily value of iron
7% of the daily value for phosphorus
16% of the daily value for selenium
42% of the daily value for protein
This amount of Seitan has about 104 calories which is just about 5% of the daily value, so it's a good addition to a healthy meal as an alternative for the meat part of the meal.
2. Beans
If you want to replace the protein, that soy delivers you can use the different beans as an alternative. There's nothing better than a very tasty black bean burrito!
Media Source: Pixabay by artverau
100g of black beans contain 8.9g of protein, which is about 18% of the daily value. [2] There are many types of beans, and they fit to many meals. Nearly all of them are a very great protein source!
3. Nuts and seeds
Because tofu is a great source of iron and protein the soy-free vegans need to get this from elsewhere.
Media Source: Unsplash by Jenn Kosar (foodwithaview)
There are many foods that contain both, but one of the most known sources are nuts and seeds. Walnuts are a great source for protein and also offer good amounts of omega-3-fatty acids, pumpkin seeds are great as a snack and so on. There are so many nuts and seeds that are healthy and tasty. Many of them are also a great addition to salads or to other meals. You can find something for everyone.
So many vegan alternatives that are soy free exist, it's awesome! I can't list everything here, because this would break everyone's confidence while reading but I listed the most known. On the market you can find pre-made alternatives for meat that are soy free, too. I think the most known example for this is Beyond Meat. On YouTube there are many videos regarding this topic, too, so you can find even more alternatives and get an even more indepth-view into the topic. - It's such a huge topic no article could be enough to get to know every alternative and probably no human lives long enough to try out everything that's vegan, tasty and soy free!
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Sources
[1]: https://www.livestrong.com/article/294810-the-nutritional-value-of-seitan/
[2]: https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/beans-legumes-highest-protein.php