If you are a vegan or vegetarian with a secret stash of candy, jelly beans or dark chocolate, join the club. A constant craving for carbs with occasional headaches, muscle or joint pain may be due to a slight deficiency of protein.
The symptoms of a severe protein deficiency include:
- Edema (swelling)
- Thinning brittle hair and/or hair loss
- Ridges in finger and toe nails
- Skin rashes; dry skin
- Weakness
- Constant Fatigue
- Muscle soreness and cramps
- Slow healing
- Skin ulcers
- Sleep issues
- Frequent headache
- Nausea
- Fainting
- Depression/anxiety
Sooo, what can we do to reverse this condition? Carnivores and omnivores simply chow down on anything that moves. Vegans and vegetarians have a slightly more complicated problem, but one that’s nonetheless manageable. Here’s a list of protein sources found in Kingdom Plantae:
- Seeds, sprouted
- Nuts
- Beans
- Lentils
- Whole grains (in order from highest to lowest protein content): Wheat, amaranth, oats, rye, triticale, teff, spelt, wild rice, barley, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, sorghum, corn, rice.
- Soy
- Peas
- Peanuts
- Spinach
- Potato
- Sweet potato
- Algae
- Seaweed
