This question is a very popular question asked by lots of people who suddenly come face to face with someone eating a diet that doesn't consist of all the typical conventional protein rich foods like steak.
Still its a valid question! I know of lots of Gorillas who are seriously underweight because they have never eaten steak in order to give them big powerful muscles!
This Gorilla pictured to the left, as you can see, is suffering from serious protein deficiency and can only bench press about 400lb where as a human eating steak and other high "protein" rich foods can manage between 250 and 300 if he is Geof Capes!
Here are two conventional lists of TOP Protein Rich Foods. As you can see vegetarian and vegan foods appear in these top ten lists. These lists aren't written by raw fooders trying to sell raw food, they are written by ordinary nutritionists.
Protein-rich foods for vegetarian athletes:
1. Cowpeas and leafy tips that are cooked and drained (may be added with salt)
2. Raw and fresh egg whites
3. Cheeses such as cottage cheese, non-creamed cheese, dry cheese, and non-fat cheese
4. Dried seaweed and spirulina
5. Hemp seeds
6. Soy sauce from tamari
7. Low-fat, 1% milk-fat cottage cheese
8. Lite-Firm Mori-Nu Tofu
9. Raw pumpkin leaves
10. Nuts and seeds such as cashew nuts, walnuts, and almonds
The following are the top 10 animal-based and plant-based protein foods:
1. Red meat such as beef, pork, and liver
2. White meat such as chicken and fish
3. Eggs and dairy products such as:
a. Hard cheeses including Parmesan
b. Soft cheeses such as Mozzarella, Brie, and Camembert
c. Medium cheeses such as cheddar and Swiss
d. Yogurt
e. Cottage cheese
f. Milk
g. Eggs
4. Legumes - These are edible dried beans (seedpods) such as chickpeas, flagelot beans, kidney beans, split beans, haricot beans, and lentils. They are rich sources of protein.
5. Nuts and seeds - Over the years, nuts and seeds have been among the best sources of protein. Examples of nuts are almonds, cashew nuts, peanuts, and walnuts. These can be served chopped, raw, or roasted.
6. Cereals and food grains - Eating protein-rich cooked grains promotes muscle building.
7. Algae - A type of seaweed, spirulina is among the best protein-rich foods there are.
8.Fruits - With today's technology, fruits can be eaten canned, frozen, or dried. Regardless of how they are prepared, fruits are still nutritious and included in the list of protein-rich foods.
9. Vegetables - Laden with protein, vitamins, and minerals, vegetables are known to be among the best foods for staying healthy.
10. Seitan - Seitan is a meat substitute. It is prepared from whole-wheat flour mixed with sufficient amount of water, kneaded and rinsed in water, expelling starch and bran. The protein is simmered in a soya sauce to become seitan. Seitan broth can be added as flavoring
Of course if you don't eat enough of them, then you won't get enough protein. But much depends on your requirements and how efficiently your digestive system digests the foods you eat. Its not quite as simple as just geting it into your mouth. Food has to be digested and assimilated. If you are trying to get all your protein from meat, then this puts a greater stress on your digestion. Meat protein is not usuable by the body until it has been broken down into its single amino acids and then restructured into usuable proteins.
If however you are a vegan trying to get all your calories from raw vegan food, then you CAN be protein deficient if you do not eat enough food and your body doesn;t digest the food you eat adequately!
If you are gettting enough calories and still aren't gaining or experiencing enough energy then you may have something else going on like poor digestion, or some undiagnosed underlying problem that needs to be addressed first!
For more insights into your health check out Man With A Microscope
