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Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
High-Protein Vegetarian Foods
How to Meal-Prep Your Week
Day 1
Day 2
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If you’re currently following a vegetarian diet or are considering eating more plant-based proteins, you may wonder if you’ll be able to get enough protein. It’s a valid concern—protein is made up of amino acids, often dubbed the building blocks of protein, and plays a vital role in all areas of the body, including muscle strength, bone density and digestion. Fortunately, there are plenty of plant-based and vegetarian protein options out there, which makes getting adequate protein both feasible and delicious.

When protein-rich meat is off the table, it becomes more important to focus on eating a variety of healthy vegetarian protein sources, such as beans, lentils, nuts, dairy, eggs, soy and whole grains.

In this high-protein meal plan, we focus on vegetarian sources of this vital nutrient by including a variety of protein-rich foods. Each day provides at least 75 grams of protein plus 28 grams of fiber for satisfying meals. We opted to skip added sugars and instead focus on nutrient-rich foods, including foods with natural sugars such as fruit, vegetables and unsweetened dairy. Added sugars are those added during food processing and go by several names on the ingredient list, such as high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup and granulated sugar.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average American consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugars each day. Though added sugars and sweets can certainly have their place in a healthy diet pattern, most people eat more added sugars than they realize. It’s worth looking at some of the foods in your pantry and seeing where added sugars are making their way into your daily routine. Because they don’t offer much, if any, nutritional benefit, they can add excess calories and displace more nutritious options.

Because people often follow meal plans to lose weight, we set this plan at 1,500 calories a day, a level where many people will experience healthy, gradual weight loss. We also included modifications for 1,200 and 2,000 calories a day for those with other calorie needs. As with all meal plans, this is meant to serve as a framework for a healthy eating plan. Check out our vegetarian recipes, and feel free to swap snacks or meals as it works best for your routine. Aiming to eat more plant-based proteins but still want to include meat in your routine? The flexitarian diet can be a great option.

Flexitarian Meal Plan for Beginners
Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
Whether you plan to cut out meat entirely or are simply aiming to reduce your meat intake, there are several benefits to eating more plant-based and vegetarian protein options. People who eat more vegetarian proteins tend to get more fiber than those who eat only meat proteins, thanks largely to the high fiber content of foods like beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Likely related to the higher fiber intake, people who eat more plant-based proteins may also have improved heart health and a decreased risk of developing diabetes. Plus, research shows that eating more fiber, independent of other diet changes, can aid weight-loss efforts.