Lysine rich foods for a vegan diet
Adjusting to a vegan lifestyle is much easier now thanks to the popularity and accessibility of vegan food. However, there’s more to it than simply giving up meat.
For vegans, the biggest challenge is to meet the nutritional requirements. Meat and dairy is the source of many vital nutrients and when people switch to a plant-based diet, it’s necessary to make sure that there’s regular intake of such nutrients. One such nutrient is Lysine.
What Is Lysine?
Lysine is a building block for protein. Lysine is an amino acid that is not produced in the body and needs to be consumed through food. The recommended amount of Lysine intake should be around 12 mg per kilogram of bodyweight.
Why Is Lysine Important?
Lysine is an important amino acid that’s responsible for muscle turnover and normal growth. Lysine is also responsible for transporting fat cells in your body to be used as energy. There are some key benefits of including Lysine in a diet
1. Helps With Healing
Lysine is responsible for the creation of collagen, a type of protein that helps provide structure to bones and skin. Lysine is also essential for the process of wound healing as without adequate lysine the process would be left incomplete.
2. Helps Absorb Calcium
Lysine helps the body retain and absorb calcium. Calcium is essential for healthy bones and teeth, with the help of Lysine, the gut can absorb more calcium and the kidney can hold onto more calcium than normal.
Best Vegan Lysine Food Sources
There are plenty of vegan food sources that are rich in lysine. Here are some of the best vegan lysine food sources:
1. Quinoa
Quinoa is more than just fad-food. It is perhaps the only grain that’s also a complete plant-protein. One cup of Quinoa will provide 8 grams of protein and 442 mg lysine.
2. Lentils
Lentils are a great source of protein and lysine. ½ cup serving of lentils contains about 8 grams of protein and 624 mg of lysine.
3. Beans
Including kidney beans, navy beans and black beans. Black beans consist of about 7 grams of proteins per ½ cup serving and 523 mg of lysine. Thanks to its versatility (and taste), beans are a popular element in many dishes. For a vegan diet, black beans are a great way of introducing tons of flavour in various dishes like tacos, nachos, salads or some piping hot chilli.
4. Tempeh
Tempeh is a cultured soy product that is quite popular with Asian cuisines. Tempeh works great in curries, stews, soups and even by itself if toasted and flavoured the right way. Tempeh has 15 grams of protein per ½ cup serving, and 754 mg of lysine.
5. Soy Milk
Most people who follow a vegan diet opt for nut milk or are on the lookout for alternative sources of milk. Soy milk is an excellent alternative for anyone following the vegan lifestyle. One cup of soy milk is packed with 9 grams of protein and 439 mg of lysine. Try to choose organic soy milk where possible.
6. Pistachios
Pistachios are an ideal snacking option for anybody, not just vegans. A handful of pistachios on a daily basis can do wonders for the body. Pistachios contain 6 grams of protein per ½ cup and around 367 mg of lysine.
7. Pumpkin Seeds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds provide 8 grams of protein and 360 mg of lysine. Sprinkle some on the morning avocado toast or simply use it as a salad topping, the opportunities and benefits of pumpkin seeds are almost endless.
Conclusion
Without enough of the essential amino acids, the body is unable to perform important functions that keep us healthy. It's important to not only be optimising for protein intake but to also be conscious of the types of protein you're consuming, to make sure you're covering all the amino acid bases.
This includes plants that are sources of lysine.
We include organic ingredients high in Lysine in all of our plant-based patties to ensure they provide the essential amino acids. The specific lysine-rich ingredients vary based on the patties flavour, to provide a balanced diet and variety in taste. For example, we use organic black quinoa, organic black lentils and organic black turtle beans in our Black Truffle & Thyme Plant Patties, and organic red quinoa and organic mung beans in our Sundried Tomato & Basil Plant Patties.
All our ingredients are specifically selected for their vegan nutrition so they provide the necessary essential amino acids for people on a plant based diet. This is the Amino Mantra way.
