Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein?

The answer is yes!

I have a lifestyle coaching client who is a vegetarian, endurance athlete and nutritionist to boot! As a nutritionist employed by a food company (don't worry, it's a good one) my client has access to some amazing software that tracks the exact amount of nutrients you are getting from your food. My client has generously agreed to allow me to share some important information about protein with you.

Here is what she found:

"The RNI (recommended nutrient intake) for women 25-49 is 51 grams of protein per a day . This is for a 59 kg woman. I am 63.5 kg so my requirement would be 54.8 g. However, athletes do require more protein. The Manual of Clinical Dietetics recommends 1-1.7 g of protein per a kg of body weight for athletes consuming a plant based diet. For me, this works out to 63.5 - 107 g of protein per day. I tracked my protein intake for 2 seperate days. One day it was 80.87 g and the other day it was 74.02 g. So, I am exceeding my requirments as a "regular" person and within the range for athletes. I feel confident that I am getting the protein that I need. The main sources of protein in my diet were beans, grains (oatmeal was a surprisingly good source), nuts, seeds and dairy. The main difference between the 2 days was the museli. On the higher protein day - I ate the museli for breakfast, the other day regular cold cereal. So, thanks again for the museli recipe - it definitely helps contribute protein (as well as a lot of other nutrients!) to my diet."