Vegetarian Protein

Although most vegetarians consume a considerable amount of protein, they often do not absorb as much as they would on a non-vegetarian diet. This is because vegetarian proteins from plants are noticeably less digestible than animal proteins, containing amino acid chains that are similar or identical to human amino acid chains.

Vegetarian Protein Absorption

Ingesting animal proteins is estimated to yield around a 1:1 absorption ratio, whilst consuming vegetarian proteins from plants, such as wheat, might yield only 50% of the amino acids required to build a complete protein, or a protein that is easily absorbed into the human body.

To absorb the required amount of protein, vegetarians must consume a variety of vegetarian proteins from plants to form complete amino chains. By consuming legumes, vegetables, fruits, seeds, whole grains and nuts, they are able to increase the quantity of complete proteins they produce through the combination of a number of amino acid chains.

Vegetarian Protein Consumption

Vegetarians need to consume more foods that contain proteins, because vegetarian proteins from plants are generally harder to digest. Whilst a food label may indicate that pasta has 5 grams of protein per serving, it might be possible to digest only 2-3 grams. Therefore, the pasta must be complemented with protein from other sources. So, vegetarians should seek 'protein fortified' foods with protein additives. In this respect, some supermarkets offer various "protein-fortified" pastas and breads. Some pasta may contain as much as 12 grams of protein per serving.

Vegetarian Protein Options

Soy milk is also a good source of vegetarian proteins from plants. Research into isolated soy protein has revealed that it can be absorbed almost as well as animal proteins, and yield close to a 1:1 protein absorption ratio.

It can be seen that vegetarians have a number of options to boost their protein intakes, and they are advised to study them closely. They should diversify their choice of foods, drink more soy products, and consume recommended amounts of "protein-fortified" pastas and breads.