Hit your protein goal and stay at a caloric deficit by eating this one plant-based food.
Episode 10: The Best Plant-Based Food For Weight Loss
While going plant-based has many benefits, it can be hard to keep up your protein intake as you maintain a caloric deficit for weight loss. Here’s a few things you can add into your diet to keep calories down and still satisfy your protein needs.
“While going plant-based has a lot of benefits, such has more fiber intake and having higher nutritional value for the amount of food; it does become difficult to have a high protein intake, especially while being at a caloric deficit to lose weight.” — David Minishian
Soybeans:
Soybeans are the only plant-based food with a complete protein profile and a high digestibility score. This means that you’ll absorb the full spectrum of amino acids from soybeans rather than needing to combine different plant-based foods together to get the full spectrum of amino acids. While you can get all the protein you need using complementary proteins, it will be more difficult to stay at a caloric deficit and hit your protein goals without soybeans.
Edamame:
Edamame is an immature soybean that can commonly be bought in their pod or already deshelled. Each half cup has 9 grams of protein and 95 calories, which is fantastic.
Tofu & Tempeh
Tofu is soybeans that have bean processed and can be bought in different varieties and textures that can easily be added to dishes you already enjoy. Tempeh is a similar soybean food that is less processed and has both a higher caloric and protein content per serving. The change in nutritional value is due to the combination of different nuts and seeds that are commonly added in for flavor.
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David Minishian, MPH
Fitness and Nutrition Coach
David is the owner and head coach at Sculpt Fitness in Long Beach, CA. He leads the mission at Sculpt to educate, equip, and empower the local community to make the best decisions for their health. For over 10 years he has coached exercise and nutrition, helping clients create sustainable lifestyle to build the body they want. When he's not training, coaching or cooking, David is on an adventure with his wife and kids or teeing up his next shot on a golf course.