"Where do you get your protein?"

Ah yes. The dreaded question that every vegan fears. "Where do you get your protein?!" the meat eaters shout, in unison, eternally... The vegans try to close their ears, but alas, the screeching of the omnivores cannot be drowned out:

"Where do you get your protein?"
"Where do you get your protein?"
"Where do you get your protein?"


No, but seriously. This is a really irritating question - one that every vegan has answered before, more than likely, with varying levels of success. If you're here looking for tips on becoming vegan, take this as a warning - you will hear this repeatedly. If you're already vegan, you know my pain. And if you are an omnivore who has said this...well, I'll forgive you. Just don't do it again. Now, to answer the question... We vegans get our protein from a variety of sources. These include:

• Soy & soy-based products, like tofu, tempeh, and even miso paste
• Lentils, beans, and other legumes
• Peanuts & peanut-butter
• Wheat germ & wheat bran
• Rolled Oats & Quinoa
• Pumpkin & Sunflower Seeds
• And many, many more!

The fact of the matter is, everything we eat has some form of protein. Proteins - as everyone who's ever taken a middle school life science class knows - are the building blocks of life. Even 1 stalk of celery, the least nutritious vegetable, has roughly 0.3 grams of protein. So, essentially, if you're a living human, who is not a breatharian, you can easily get enough protein. Now, what you should be a little concerned with is vitamin B12. There is no natural source of B12 for vegans (no, not even nutritional yeast). However, virtually anything that has been fortified is fortified with B12 - this includes cereal, store bought plant-based milks, and even some tofu is now being fortified with B12.

If you're really concerned about it, there are vegan B12 supplements out there, and although they are a bit on the pricier side as far as supplements go, they're a nice way to ease your brain when it comes to these things. But, even if you don't take supplements, you can easily buy fortified foods, and that will take care of the issue, as well. Anyway though, if you're concerned about your protein intake...

Go make some falafel. Have some curried lentils. Eat some stir-fried tofu and veggies. Heck, just sprinkle some pumpkin & sunflower seeds on whatever you're eating tonight. You'll be fine. Trust me. Vegan is the way.