Protein. The all-important macronutrient. Each of us have our own protein requirement, we've written about how you can calculate your protein requirement in this article.
Contrary to popular belief vegans aren't succumbing to protein deficiency any time soon but, if you work out regularly, you may wish to increase your protein intake by adding protein powders to your diet. Not sure which protein powder works for you? Check out this collection of the best vegan protein powders reviewed on abillion.
While adding protein powder to your post-workout smoothie is an excellent option (since it helps repair and refuels your body), one can get bored after a while. These are some other ways you can include more protein powder in your diet:
1. Oatmeal
@david-'s review of Hanfsamen from enerBio
A healthy way to start your day is with a nice hearty bowl of oatmeal. You can add about 1 scoop of protein powder per 1 cup of oats, that way your oatmeal won't become grainy.
2. Coffee
Too swamped with work to take time out for breakfast? Try adding a touch of protein powder to your coffee. If you opt for vanilla flavored protein powder, like this one from Weider, your morning coffee will taste like it's made at a fancy café!
2. Pancakes & waffles
Your Sunday brunch can now have more protein, just add unflavored protein powder to your dry pancake or waffle mix. Myprotein has an excellent vegan protein powder that you can try, check it out here. Depending on the protein powder you're using, you may need to adjust the amount of mylk you add since the addition of protein powder would make your pancakes and waffles a bit denser. The healthiest way to eat pancakes and waffles is to make them from scratch, but if you're strapped for time and need a store-bought option, here's the abillion collection for ready-made protein powdered pancake mixes that you can consider adding to your pantry.
Pro tip: Look for the pumpkin-flavored protein powder to give your pancakes a fall-like taste.
3. Protein balls & bars
Add protein powder to your energy balls or bar recipe, so you can have them handy and enjoy them in lieu of snacks. Since these bars are high in protein but lack other essential macro and micronutrients, do not skip meals and eat them instead. They may be filling, but won't help you stay healthy in the long run.
4. Baked goods
Feel a little better about your cheat desserts, just substitute 1 cup of flour with about 1/3rd cup of protein powder when making baked goodies. To make the goodies even healthier, you can look at substituting any refined white flours with unrefined flours like whole wheat or buckwheat.
5. Burgers
Add protein to your protein. When making your veggie burger patty at home, add some protein powder to the mix. You can also increase the protein content by adding beans, legumes, or oats to your patty.
6. Sprinkle over your food
Consider sprinkling savory protein powder (like pea proteins) over your pasta or soup. You can even add a dash of protein powder over your salads and fruit bowls, just ensure you don't add too much as it would ruin the taste.
7. Add to your dips
Get yourself some unflavored protein powder and add it to your servings of dips like hummus, guacamole, or any other sauce of your choosing. If you're thinking of making hummus add about 1 scoop of protein powder per 1 can of chickpeas. Be creative with this and make your own recipes, like mix 1 tbsp of your favorite nut or seed butter with 1 scoop of MRM's Chocolate Mocha Smooth Veggie Elite Performance Protein Powder, like and some water and viola…you have a protein-rich sauce for slices of apples.
9. Pizzas
Power up your pizza by either sprinkling unflavored protein powder over it, or add it to the base. Use the same proportions as mentioned earlier, i.e. substitute 1 cup of flour with about 1/3rd cup of protein powder.
10. Add to your mashed potatoes
Mashed potatoes are carb-heavy, but you can mix in some flavorless protein powder to increase its nutritional content.
11. Ice creams
