Going Vegan? Keep These 5 Protein Rich Foods in the Kitchen

Going vegan is tough. I've gone for stretches as a vegan (okay, so I never broke any records, but still), and I found that the hardest part of my diet to satisfy was getting an adequate source of protein. Now, there are plenty of ways to get your protein sans meat or eggs—but I will say that it takes some adjusting too. Instead of steak and eggs, you've got tofu and beans. To the un-vegan, that just doesn't seem like a fair trade.

There are plenty of other options as well of course—and if I had the following foods stocked up in my kitchen when I attempted to go vegan, perhaps I would've lasted longer than a week. Here are 5 protein rich, vegan—friendly foods you should stock your kitchen with.

Lentils

High in iron and dietary fiber too, lentils are easy to prepare. They're great for curries, soup (obviously), or braised with wine. And, a cup of cooked lentils will give you 35% of your daily protein.

Chick Peas

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are delicious?mash 'em up and fry them for falafel, throw them into a salad, or eat them straight out of the tin. Eating a cup of chickpeas gets you 30% of your daily protein needs.

Tofu

I never could get used to tofu; it was one of my great failures as a vegan. But 4 ounces of tofu nabs you around 20% of your protein intake—and there are a slew of potentially delicious dishes you can make with tofu. Seitan and tempeh are high protein foods worth keeping around, too.

Nuts

Eat plenty of nuts. Just about any kind will do—avoid salted nuts, at least at first, because you might find yourself eating more than you did in your non-vegan days. Walnuts, almonds, and cashews are some personal favorites.