It seems that I have soy allergies. When I started drinking soymilk and eating soy products (tofu and TVP), I started getting horrible itchy hives. When I stopped eating soy, the hives disappeared.

So what are some other easy protein sources? I eat some legumes, but not copious amounts. I also eat nuts and seeds and some grains (usually a serving or 2 per day). I eat LOTS of fruits and veggies (at least 10, usually closer to 15 per day).

I've read that quinoa is a complete protein. Is this true? Are there any other other complete proteins that I can add to my diet?

Yes, quinoa is a complete protein, but you don't have to worry about eating a complete protein at every meal as long as you are getting all of the essential amino acids in your diet. Another complete protein is sunflower sprouts. All sprouts are a great source of protein. It sounds to me like you are getting plenty of protein in your diet. Keep up the good work.

Question: If sunflower sprouts are a complete protein, would eating plain sunflower seeds be the same thing? Or do they have to be sprouted? I don't know very much about sprouts, except that I like them a lot and am looking into doing some sprouting myself. But I was wondering if sprouting changes the nutrients in some way.

I like to get my protein mainly from pulses. I especially love red kidney beans and chick peas.

:vebo:

Seitan is a great source of protein.

Question: If sunflower sprouts are a complete protein, would eating plain sunflower seeds be the same thing? Or do they have to be sprouted? I don't know very much about sprouts, except that I like them a lot and am looking into doing some sprouting myself. But I was wondering if sprouting changes the nutrients in some way.
Sprouting does change the nutrients in seeds. I'm not sure if sunflower seeds have complete protein, but I know sprouting increases the levels of some minerals. They have shown this by testing seeds for minerals, then soaking them and sprouting them with water that we know the mineral content of and then retesting them after the sprouting process. They are much more nutritious in the sprouted state.

Cool. Thanks.

PEANUT BUTTER and CHICKPEAS are my absolute favorite ways to get lots of protien!!

Chocolate is my favorite source of protein.

<<seconds the vote for seitan. I think I'd eat it every day if I could. heh

There is a seemingly endless world of beans out there...chuck some in with some rice and you've got a good protein punch.

if you let it sprout it'll get more minerals perhaps, but the protein content wouldn't change. it would need to get the protein from somewhere, and all you get from water is minerals and electrolytes :)

seitan is AMAZING - i adore it. other protein sources are
-nuts and nut butters (almond, cashew, peanut, hazelnut, etc)
-seeds and seed butters (sunflower, pumpkin, etc)
-beans/pulses (black, kidney, chick peas, lentils, black eyed peas)
-quinoa
-whole grains have some protein (whole wheat, brown rice, bulgur, oats, etc)

just make sure you are eating adequate calories and VARIETY each day with seitan or beans and whole grains as well as the veggies and fruits, and you'll be fine protein wise..

Thanks for the responses, everyone!

After typing my question, I felt a little bit bad about asking The Protein Question. I know that this sort of question gets asked all the time, but I was kind of at a loss when I realized that I couldn't eat soy.

Thanks again for the help!