Protein Sources for a Raw Foods Diet

If you have recently changed your diet to a raw foods diet, one of your primary concerns is how you can get enough protein in your diet. Protein is important to the human body because it repairs and build cells as well as build muscle tissue. It is especially vital for children and teens to eat protein because their bodies are still growing and developing. Thus every diet of some kind necessitates the intake of protein so that one does not lose muscle tissue. Conversely, if you were to consume more protein than the body needs, you could also develop kidney failure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and ketosis. If your raw foods diet is only 75% of your complete diet, you can integrate protein in the other 25% of your diet. Below are five tips for increasing protein in your diet if you are a raw foodist:

1. Tofu is a common source of protein among vegetarians and vegans and can also be used in a raw foods diet. Even though tofu is made from the soy plant, it is in itself a complete protein, comparable to eggs, white meat, red meat, and fish. Include some tofu with your lunch or supper.
2. Eggs are versatile as a source of protein and can be cooked many ways: fried, deviled, hard- and soft- boiled, coddled, in omelets, and more. Eggs naturally bind dry ingredients in baking recipes and many other recipes. Since it is inadvisable to eat eggs raw due to the risk of salmonella, you can have eggs as part of the few cooked foods in your diet, and can be eaten at every meal of the day.
3. Nuts, even though they are an incomplete protein, are still a protein that contains healthy cholesterol for the body. Many vegans and raw foodists eat nuts because they are healthy, readily available raw instead of roasted, and taste good. Peanuts, cashews, pine nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, and macadamia nuts are just a few nuts that can provide you with protein for your diet.
4. Fish is an excellent source of protein, and can be eaten raw, as is common in the typical Japanese diet, or cooked. Sushi has gained in popularity over the years in the United States. Fish has also been called “brain food” because it contains Omega-3 DHA which repairs brain cells and improves the thought process.
5. Lean meat, and chicken, does not have to be eaten every day, but you can include it in your diet three or four days a week. This meat can be part of your cooked foods, which can be served with raw foods in a salad or with the meat as your side dish. Chicken should never be consumed raw because, as with raw eggs, there is the risk of salmonella.

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