Beans and Legumes

These two plant-based sources are said to be the foundation of healthy and nutrition-packed vegan diets.

This plant-based group includes all kinds of lentils, chickpeas, and beans. They are super-rich in protein, fiber and serve as great substitutes for meat in dishes like stews and soups.

Venus Williams, a famous American professional tennis player, also shifted to veganism, and she once said that adding a large amount of legumes to her daily diet, lentils in particular, significantly helped her boost a rigorous and intense training routine.

Whole Grains

Although whole grains still aren’t considered to be high-protein foods by a lot of people, that’s primarily because all their protein-rich elements are stripped away during the milling process, turning them into refined grains.

Quinoa is an example of one of the most beneficial whole grains, and it is also one of the only whole or complete plant proteins other than soy. It contains all nine essential amino acids and is also extremely delicious when paired with other plant proteins. Many athletes eat generous servings of quinoa as part of their daily food intake as it also boosts performance and increases muscle mass.

Oats

No surprises here because oats, other than being a highly nutritious plant-based food, are also one of the world’s best performance breakfast options.

Oatmeal is a popular plant protein among numerous endurance athletes where one single cup provides them with more than 20 grams of protein.

A famous NFL vegan player called Andre Patton once said that he absolutely swears by oatmeal for breakfast, given the large amounts of protein and other essential nutrients present it.

Final Word

There are numerous other protein-rich plant sources for vegan athletes, of which the most popular and beneficial are the ones mentioned above. This answers the commonly-asked question that you can be a vegan athlete and also fulfill your protein requirements at the same time!