Combining Foods For A Vegetarian & Vegan Diet

Amino acids are he building blocks of protein. Although some amino acids can be synthesized in your body, others, amino acids must be ingested from food.

These essential amino acids are - Histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

Essential amino acids can be found in both animal sources and plant sources of protein.

Animal sources of protein (such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs) are considered complete proteins since they contain sufficient levels of all nine essential amino acids.

Other sources of protein (such as beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy) tend to be high in certain essential amino acids but lacking in others.

The PHBP advises that every diet is varied and colourful which means you should get all the macro nutrients and micronutrients you need, however those following a vegetarian/ vegan diet should consider combining food choices to ensure they get all there essential amino acids.

Some ideas for combining foods are shown below.

• Salads made with beans and nuts or seeds
• Nut butter and wholegrain bread
• Hummus with whole-wheat pita bread
• Tofu or tempeh with brown rice or quinoa
• Tofu stir-fry with whole-grain noodles and peanuts, beans, and brown rice/ potato
• Yogurt with almonds

For Pregnant women you might struggle to get enough Iron and Vitamin B12, You can of course use a supplement for this but we would advise in speaking to your midwife about this first. 

If you feel like you are having issues with getting your essential amino acids required please contact us HERE