How Does a Vegetarian Get Complete Proteins?
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Non-Meat but Animal-Based Proteins
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Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids. Animal proteins are complete proteins, so they contain all of these essential amino acids in one package. For vegetarians, however, meat and fish are off limits, so they cannot eat either to obtain complete proteins in their diet. Other source of animal protein, however, work just as well. Dairy products, such as eggs, butter, milk and cheese, also contain complete proteins so they are a good source of all the amino acids for vegetarians. If vegetarians choose to refrain from consuming any animal products, however, it's still no problem to get complete proteins every day. Getting complete proteins can be quite tasty.
Combining Grains and Legumes
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Other proteins contain some, but not all, of the essential amino acids. When two of these types of incomplete proteins are eaten together, or within a reasonable amount of time, the body gets all of the essential amino acids without needing to consume any animal products. One combination is grains, such as whole wheat, cornmeal, oats, pasta, or rice with legumes such as beans, lentils, peanuts or soy. A meal like a peanut butter sandwich (legume + grain) or rice and beans (grain + legume) would result in the body receiving all of the amino acids.
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Combining Grains and Nuts and Seeds
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Vegetarians can also combine grains with nuts or seeds to obtain complete proteins. Nuts or seeds include sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews and any other type of tree nut. A trail mix made of granola (which contains oats) and a mix of nuts would provide a complete protein. Also, a nut butter, such as almond butter, eaten on whole grain crackers would also provide complete proteins. Vegetarians can get complete proteins even in their snack foods.
Combining Legumes and Nuts and Seeds
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The last combination option for vegetarians is legumes with nuts and seeds. Humus, which is a combination of chickpeas (legumes) and sesame paste (also known as tahini, and made from sesame seeds) is a good example of this type of combination. A cup of soymilk and a couple of warm chocolate chip-walnut cookies would provide a great legume-nut combination as well.
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