Whether you’re looking to bulk up for a competition or to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass, protein is an important part of pretty much everyone’s diet, so one of the biggest worries about dropping meat is keeping the protein intake up.

Despite their negative reputation, it’s quite possible to get significant amounts of protein from certain vegetables and legumes without having to serve portions that a panda would be proud of.

However, when it comes to protein, the quality is more important than the quantity. So, although not all of the foods listed contain huge amounts of protein, they’re all very healthy and a staple of any balanced diet.

UPDATE: All figures have been pulled from Nutrition Data thanks to Tammi.

Sunflower Seeds

One of the best advantages to eating sunflower seeds as a source of protein is that they’re like a smaller version of a protein bar, with all of the amino acids and none of that great cardboardy taste.

Unlike a few of the other sources I’ll be telling you about further down the page, finding sunflower seeds is as easy as shaking the flowers a few times with a bowl underneath to collect them. But, even if they’re not growable in the season you’re reading this post in, they should be available in any health store and most supermarkets where you live.

There aren’t too many recipes that I can think of that call for sunflower seeds, so if you have any that you use, please feel free to let me know. However, what I do have is a recipe for crunchy toasted seeds, similar to how they’d taste out of the packet from the shop.

21 grams of protein per 100 grams of sunflower seeds

Spinach

When I was younger, much like a lot of you, I’d see the hulking figure of Popeye mixed with how much spinach he ate and think that, that was the way to be “big and strong when I grow up”, too. Turns out he wasn’t too far off, and the protein content of spinach is definitely worth noting. (If only he’d done something with broccoli, too, that would make dinner times a lot easier!)

Thanks to the high quercetin content, spinach (like most leafy greens) has great anti-inflammatory properties. This is great for preventing swelling after a grueling work out and will save you from having to take weeks out for an injury.

Unlike sunflower seeds, there are quite a few things you can make with spinach, including lasagna soup with fresh spinach or some delicious spinach & yoghurt dip. The dip goes gloriously with some fresh pita bread and cucumber on a warm summer morning, so I’d definitely recommend that you try it very soon.

3 grams of protein per 100 grams of spinach

Almonds

Not unlike sunflower seeds, almonds are a great choice for high quality protein on the go and are high in monounsaturated fats, which can reduce cholesterol levels (great if you’re eating cleaner to lose weight).

To give you an idea of how good of a protein source almonds are, it’s definitely worth stating that they have the same amount of protein as chicken breasts. That’s right, you can get the same amount of protein from some grated nuts over your dessert as you can from the highly recommended chicken breast.

Not one to skimp on surprises, almonds are also pretty easy to grow. The trees will reach maturity in about 3 years and, as you can see from the picture, it’s worth growing for the flowers alone.

In terms of uses in recipes, I prefer them in sweet dishes like cranberry and almond scones, but they’re also an interesting addition to savoury dishes like asparagus with almonds, which (as stated in the comments) also goes great with green beans.

21 grams of protein per 100 grams of almonds

Tofu

One of the most versatile foodstuffs around is tofu, which is made from fermented soy milk. Tofu is a great meat substitute because of its unique culinary properties. Although is has very little taste, tofu has a knack for soaking up the flavours it’s cooked in.

Want scrambled eggs without changing your diet? Lightly dust your tofu with salt and pepper before adding in some bell pepper, onion, and tomato and frying it to perfection. Need some texture in that salad without detracting from the flavour or adding cheese? Dice up some firm tofu and toss it in to your salad for a unique feel that your guests can’t put their finger on.

Nutritionally, tofu is low in sodium, and high in iron and dietary fibre. This, combined with the high protein content, makes it an excellent addition to a variety of dishes. Mini tofu quiches taste as good as they sound and make an excellent starter, while an exciting take on my favourite chicken dish is a tasty main course.

16 grams of protein per 100 grams of tofu

Lentils

Supposedly, in writing it’s best to save the best until last, so here we are with lentils. Lentils are a part of the legume family and are harvested solely for the dry grain, which makes them a type of pulse. Similar to other pulses and legumes, approximately 26% of the calories in lentils come from protein, which certainly explains why they used to be referred to as “the poor man’s meat”.

Like tofu, lentils will absorb the flavour of herbs and spices that they are cooked with, making them an excellent choice for soups, stews, and even cold salads. As another bonus, lentils are an excellent choice for those who don’t have as much time to spend in the kitchen, since they cook more quickly than other dried legumes and don’t even need to be pre-soaked.

Numerous Indian cultures have used lentils as a common source of protein in their diet for quite some time, whether in the main dish (such as yogurt curry with lentil dumplings) or a side dish like daal, which is one of my favourite. You can find an assortment of daal recipes here, try some out and let me know which one(s) you like!

26 grams of protein per 100 grams of lentils