"Other" Proteins

Hey everyone!  It's Erica posting today.  I wanted to talk about all the ways you can make sure you get enough protein into your diet.
When most of us think about getting protein into our day, we immediately think of things like meat, chicken, turkey, eggs, and dairy products.  But there are so many other sources of protein out there that so many of us tend to ignore.
Did you know that you can actually get all your protein without even using any of the previously mentioned sources?  And that you should actually be trying to eat more of these other foods?   Well, now you'll know!  Ha ha!
You can actually get a lot of protein from vegetables, beans, nuts and even whole grains.

Here's a few that I know:
Food                                                     Protein (g)
banana                                                         1.2
corn on the cob                                           4.2
brown rice (1 cup cooked)                        4.8
frozen peas (1 cup)                                    9.0
lentils (1 cup cooked)                              16.0
tofu (1cup)                                                 18.0
frozen broccoli (1 cup)                               5.8
spinach (1 cup cooked)                            5.4

But for a more complete chart, I found this one at: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

FOOD	AMOUNT	PROTEIN(gm)	PROTEIN(gm/100 cal)
Tempeh	1 cup	41	9.3
Seitan	3 ounces	31	22.1
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	29	9.6
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	18	7.8
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	15	6.7
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	13	6.4
Veggie burger	1 patty	13	13.0
Chickpeas, cooked	1 cup	12	4.2
Veggie baked beans	1 cup	12	5.0
Pinto beans, cooked	1 cup	12	5.7
Black-eyed peas, cooked	1 cup	11	6.2
Tofu, firm	4 ounces	11	11.7
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	10	5.7
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	9	3.5
Tofu, regular	4 ounces	9	10.6
Bagel	1 med. (3 oz)	9	3.9
Peas, cooked	1 cup	9	6.4
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), cooked	1/2 cup	8	8.4
Peanut butter	2 Tbsp	8	4.3
Veggie dog	1 link	8	13.3
Spaghetti, cooked	1 cup	8	3.7
Almonds	1/4 cup	8	3.7
Soy milk, commercial, plain	1 cup	7	7.0
Soy yogurt, plain	6 ounces	6	4.0
Bulgur, cooked	1 cup	6	3.7
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	6	3.3
Whole wheat bread	2 slices	5	3.9
Cashews	1/4 cup	5	2.7
Almond butter	2 Tbsp	5	2.4
Brown rice, cooked	1 cup	5	2.1
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	5	13.0
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4	6.8
Potato	1 med. (6 oz)	4	2.7

So the next time you go to the store, stock up on some of these to make sure you are getting enough protein.  It's actually good for you to get it from different sources when you can.  And you just might get the benefit of giving your metabolism a little extra boost too!