In order to find protein alternatives, people have recently turned to soy or various vegetables. However, what you might not have seen it coming is that algae is becoming the next super food.
These are the reasons for it:
Rising demand for protein alternatives
Recently, people have started to turn to other plants for protein such as: beans, peas, rice and potatoes. However, while there are various vegetables that contain healthy sources of protein, microalgae are between 50-60% proteins. Moreover, algae is also rich in vitamins A, B, C, and E, fiber and other minerals.
Macro-algae and micro-algae
There are two different categories of algae, macro-algae (larger, include varieties such as kelp and other seaweeds) and micro-algae (includes thousands of different species, can be used in other ways as well, potentially as a biofuel). Namely, Spirulina and Chlorella are micro-algae that are used in health food products like green smoothies.
Micro-algae powder
“ Solazyme” is a US company which has recently began working on a micro-algae powder that will be used in cooking, baking and making smoothies.
Other surprising protein sources
There is a possibility that you may need to wait for some time until algae is available, so meanwhile, you could use some other protein alternatives. Try to include some of the following foods in your daily diet, and thus, you can begin to eliminate your dependence on meat and concentrate on healthier options and protein alternatives.
These are other protein sources you can use:
Pumpkin seeds – one ounce of pumpkin seeds contains 9 grams of protein.
Sun-dried tomatoes – one cup of sun-dried tomatoes contains 8 grams of protein.
Avocados – a cup of avocado contains more than 4 grams of protein.
Hemp seeds – contains 6 grams of protein per ounce.
Chickpeas – half a cup of chickpeas contains over 7 grams of protein.
Green peas – contains 8 grams of protein per ounce.
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