Note: This is an excerpt from 'Where Do You Get Your Protein?', which you get for free when you join the 7 day healthy eating challenge.

Your daily requirement for protein is easy to figure out. Although before we talk about that, we should talk about the most important thing to think about regarding protein. Many people think it's quantity - the more, the better. In fact, what's more important is quality.

Your body does need the macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat), but micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are just as important, along with phytonutrients, bioflavonoids, water content and above all the ratio of all these components to each other.

Before worrying about your daily requirement for protein or any nutrient category, think about the food's quality first. How close to its natural, whole state is it? How was it grown, and how does that affect its nutrient levels? How does the cooking method I use affect those nutrients? How does my body utilize this food?

The quantitative side with calorie counts and grams of protein is impossible to be exact with and gets relied on too heavily, but it's useful as a guideline and for comparison. There are 2 ways to look at the amount of protein needed in your diet:

Note: This is an excerpt from 'Where Do You Get Your Protein?', which you get for free when you join the 7 day healthy eating challenge.

Vegan athletes are typically the group that is most concerned with getting enough protein, especially strength athletes. That's also the group most typically skeptical of a vegan diet, who think that it will make them skinny and weak.

In fact, there are plenty of ripped male and female vegan athletes out there, so there's no need to worry. Let's take a look at the facts to understand why this myth is unfounded.

Note: This is an excerpt from 'Where Do You Get Your Protein?', which you get for free when you join the 7 day healthy eating challenge.

Grains are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates for energy, have a healthy proportion of protein, and also bring lots of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and fiber to your diet.

They are a good source of the B complex of vitamins, aside from B12, that are often lacking in a vegan diet. You need to eat them in a whole grain form to get all these benefits though - if you eat white rice, you only get the starch and miss out on all the fun.