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 plant proteins are
considerably less digestible than animal proteins, which contain
amino acid chains that are closer or identical to human amino
acid chains.
Consuming animal proteins might yield close to a 1:1 absorption
ratio, while consuming plant proteins, such as wheat, might only
yield 50% of the amino acids needed to build a "complete
protein" or a protein that can readily be assimilated into the
human body.
In order for vegetarians to absorb a healthy amount of protein,
they must consume a variety of plant proteins to form complete
amino chains. By eating vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts,
fruits, and whole grains, vegetarians can increase the amount of
complete proteins they create by combining a number of varieties
of amino acid chains.
Vegetarians must also consume more foods that contain proteins
because plant proteins are generally harder to digest. While a
nutritional label may suggest that pasta has 5 grams of protein
per serving; you may only be able to digest 2-3 grams of that
protein, which means you must complement the pasta with other
sources of protein.
In addition to natural sources of protein, vegetarians should
also seek foods that are "protein-fortified"-- or
artificially-infused with protein.
For example, many supermarkets offer a variety
"protein-fortified" pasta and bread. I have seen pasta that
contains as much as 12 grams of protein per serving.
Soy milk is also a good source of protein for vegetarians.
Studies on isolated soy protein show that it can be absorbed
nearly as well as animal proteins, yielding close to a 1:1
protein absorption ratio.
For non-vegan vegetarians, yogurt, milk, and eggs (which contain
complete proteins) are all excellent sources of protein.
As a vegetarian you have a number of options to boost your
protein intake - and you should consider taking advantage of all
of them. You should diversify your food selections, drink more
soy products, and eat "protein-fortified" breads and pasta.
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