Posted May 31st, 2008

By Rebecca Hanna (revised 2018)

After my second child was born (27 years ago) I developed a hiatal hernia and my digestion continued to get worse and worse. The traditional Western medicine prescribed to me was worthless and left me feeling hopeless. Finally, in 1995, I found a solution by researching alternative options. The first book I read that made a difference was Perfect Digestion by Deepak Chopra. I have since followed the guidelines of good “food combining” for years.

I digress~ back to the vegan protein thread. Sometimes people ask me, “Where do you get your protein?” I understand why they ask because most of us were raised in a society preprogrammed with the idea that protein comes only from meat, dairy, and eggs. With a little research (thanks to search engines and the Internet) anyone can see that there is plenty of protein in plants and our bodies produce protein.

If we are consuming a wide variety of vegetables, especially dark green leafy vegetables, and supplementing with grasses and sprouts, we are getting plenty of all the essential amino acids.

Vegetables contain all the amino acids (the building blocks of protein) our bodies need. Not every vegetable has every one (amino acids), so eating a variety is key.

Our bodies have a free amino acid pool, which contributes about seventy grams of protein daily. We all have these protein reserves. There are people out there in the world with protein deficiencies but if you are reading this article I’m guessing it’s not you.

% of Calories from Protein in Alkalizing foods

Vegetables

Alfalfa Sprouts 40%

Artichoke 29%

Asparagus 25%

Bamboo Shoots 26%

Beet greens 22%

Broccoli 49%

Brussels Sprouts 49%

Cabbage, Chinese 12%

Cabbage, red 2%

Cauliflower 27%

Celery 10%

Chard, Swiss 24%

Chives 18%

Collards, leaves 48%

Collards, stems 36%

Cress 26%

Cucumber 10%

Dandelion greens 27%

Eggplant 12%

Fennel 28%

Garlic 20%

Kale, leaves 60%

Leeks 22%

Lettuce, Boston 12%

Lettuce, green-leaf 42%

Lettuce, iceberg 27%

Lettuce, loose-leaf 13%

Mustard greens 22%

Okra 24%

Onion, green 15%

Parsley 36%

Peppers, green 12%

Peppers, red 14%

Peppers, red hot 13%

Radish 10%

Rhubarb 11%

Seaweed, dulse 25%

Spinach 49%

Turnip greens 30%

Watercress 22%

Wheat grass 25%

Squash,Zucchini 26%

Fruits

Avocado, Calif. 22%

Avocado, Florida 15%

Grapefruit, sour 5%

Lemon 13%

Lemon, juice 5%

Tomato, green 12%

Tomato, red 18%

Legumes

Chickpea 25%

Lentils 30%

Lima Beans, fresh 9%

Mung sprouts 38%

Navy Beans 26%

Pea, green fresh 6%

Red bean, dried 23%

Soybean, dried 34%

Soybean, fresh 11%

Soybean sprouts 6%

Tofu 43%

Raw Nuts and Seeds

Almond 19%

Brazil nut 14%

Filbert/Hazelnut 13%

Pumpkin seed 29%

Sesame seed 19%

Sunflower seed 24%

Sunflower seed sprouted 33%

Grains

Barley 10%

Millet 10%

Rice, brown 8%

Wheat 17%

Wheat bran 16%

From Dr Robert Young’s book “The pH Miracle”