Where Do You Get Protein On A Raw Diet?

by Suzy McKinley
(High Springs, Florida)

I read your reply to George and saw what you ate in one day.

Where is the protein?

Thank you for everything.

Suzy McKinley

Andrew's Answer:

Hi Suzy.

A better question would be, "where isn't the protein?"

Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation on protein out there, particularly when it comes to vegan or healthy raw food diets.

Every plant food, with the exception of heavily processed junk like table sugar contain calories from three sources: Protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

There isn't really any fruit or vegetable that doesn't contain protein.

Often we'll hear meat or beans listed as "a protein", but these foods are not entirely made of protein. They just happen to have more protein than the average.

Here's the percentage of calories derived from protein from a few foods:

Watermelon: 6.7%
Spinach: 30%
Black Beans: 23%
Ground Beef Patties: 33%

If you prefer to think of protein in terms of grams, then 60 grams is a level I hit regularly while eating my raw food diet. At this level of intake, I've had no problems putting on a lot of muscle and getting stronger.

For a general overview of why plant protein is healthier than animal protein, check out this article.

If you're interested in the nutritional aspect of what the medical and government health organizations tell us about how much protein we need to thrive, and for an overview of the grams of protein coming from a sample raw food menu, then check out this article.

But the best thing you can probably do is familiarize yourself with a healthy raw food diet and why it works.

My book, Raw Food Weight Loss And Vitality, is an awesome source of information that's changed the lives of a lot of people.

I highly suggest you check it out.