Discover the top six expert-backed tips for adding more plant protein to your diet. Learn how to meet your protein needs on a plant-based diet with easy, nutritious strategies.
If you’re shifting toward a plant-based lifestyle—or just looking to eat less meat—getting enough protein might be one of your biggest concerns. The good news? Plant proteins are not only abundant, but also packed with fiber, antioxidants, and essential nutrients that support long-term health. I’m sharing my top six practical tips to boost your plant protein intake, including smart food swaps, balanced protein combinations, and easy meal ideas. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian, these strategies will help you meet your daily protein needs with confidence.
More and more people are interested in shifting their plates to include more plant proteins, including beans, soy foods, nuts, and seeds. In fact, a recent survey found that 61% of people are willing to eat less meat, and 24% reported reducing their meat consumption in the past year.
Benefits for Eating More Plant Proteins
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in their new position statement on plant-based diets, you can gain many benefits from eating a more plant-based diet, including lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and obesity. In addition, you can lighten your footstep on Mother Earth by eating fewer animal foods, which require far more inputs than plant foods, such as fossil fuels, land space, and water. Even switching to a semi-vegetarian diet can produce a 20 percent reduction in carbon footprint compared to a non-vegetarian diet, according to data from the Adventist Health Study 2.
Fabulous Plant Protein Package
One of the main advantages of choosing more plant-based proteins is their rich package of nutrients that come along for the ride in every bite, including healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals—plant compounds that provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, and may help protect from chronic diseases. These particular benefits may be one of the main reasons why plant-based diets are linked with lower disease risks.
Meat-heavy diets—especially red and processed meat (i.e., ham, sausage, and bacon)—were linked with increased mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer in a long-term Harvard study. The data showed that replacing one three-ounce serving a day with more healthful protein options, such as nuts and beans, reduced mortality in the study period by 7-19 percent.
Focus on Plant Protein Quality
With so much interest in switching the plate from animals to plants, more focus is swirling around how to healthfully balance protein in the diet. But you likely don’t need to worry about this issue. “Most people in Western countries get more protein than they need and animal protein is not necessary to meet needs,” says Jack Norris, RD, a plant-based nutrition expert and co-author of Vegan for Life.
Animal proteins, such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs, have been considered high quality, because they contain ample amounts of all nine essential amino acids—the building blocks of protein. Plant proteins may fall short in one or two amino acids, but if you eat a mixed diet with a variety of plant foods throughout the day you balance out those shortfalls, says health and nutrition researcher, Arianna Carughi, PhD. Learn more about plant protein quality here.
Plant Protein List
Here are some common protein-packed plant foods to highlight in your meal plan.
| Food | Serving | Protein |
| Almonds | 1 oz | 6 g |
| Black beans, cooked | ½ c | 8 g |
| Black-eyed peas, cooked | ½ c | 7 g |
| Chickpeas, cooked | ½ c | 8 g |
| Flaxseeds | 1 oz | 5 g |
| Hemp seeds | 1 oz | 9 g |
| Kidney beans, cooked | ½ c | 8 g |
| Lentils, cooked | ½ c | 9 g |
| Peanut butter | 2 Tbsp | 8 g |
| Pinto beans, cooked | ½ c | 8 g |
| Pistachios | 1 oz | 6 g |
| Pumpkin seeds | 1 oz | 7 g |
| Tofu, regular | ½ c | 10 g |
Source: USDA; Note: g=gram, oz=ounce, c=cup, Tbsp=tablespoon
Top 6 Tips for Getting More Plant Proteins on Your Plate
Even if you don’t want to become a vegetarian or vegan, you can reduce your animal protein intake in favor of more plant proteins as part of a wholesome plant-based diet pattern. Here are my top six tips for powering up on plant proteins every day!
1. Swap Breakfast Meats for Plants
Who needs meat at breakfast? Trade that bacon and sausage for an English-style breakfast of beans and all of the fixings, a tofu scramble with vegetables, homemade tempeh bacon, or an oatmeal peanut butter and banana bowl.
2. Bean Up Your Lunch
Beans offer an easy, delicious, affordable lunch option. Just swap chicken on your entrée salad for kidney or cannellini beans, fill your pita with hummus (made of garbanzos) instead of deli meat, skip the tuna salad in favor of a chickpea salad in your sammy, or choose a bean burrito instead of beef tacos.
3. Snack on Protein-Rich Plants
Plant proteins are superstars at snack time. Just turn to classic snack-worthy plant proteins, such as edamame in the shell, soy milk smoothies, home-made hummus with crackers, and a handful of nuts for a satiating source of protein, fiber and slow-digesting carbs.
4. Love You Some Lentils
Did you know that lentils can be cooked up in about 20 minutes? That’s right! These little shelf-stable pulses do not require soaking, which means you can include them in a world of easy, affordable meals. Simmer lentils in stews or soups, sprinkle them in salads, and stir them in loaves and patties as the star of the plate.
5. Get Nutty!
Include an ounce of protein-rich nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, and peanuts (technically a legume) each day as a protein source in salads, snacks, breads, main dishes, and side dishes. These heart-healthy nuts are a good source of healthy fat, as well as protein. The same goes for seeds, such as hemp, chia, flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds.
6. Turn to Soy
Plan meals around the protein-packed soybean, which has one of the best sources of high quality protein in plant-based diets. Try all forms of soy foods: cooked soybeans, edamame, soy nuts, soymilk, tofu, and tempeh every day. Dice tofu or tempeh (Indonesian fermented soy and grains) into stir-fries, casseroles, pasta dishes, curries, sheet pan meals, or bowls. Add soy beans to soup, chili, or stew. Slice baked tofu into sandwiches. Serve edamame as a side, in grain bowls, or in a rich veggie burger. Mixed soy nuts in granola, cookie dough, or trail mix. And add soymilk to smoothies, baked goods, and porridge.
Learn More About Plant Proteins
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