Vegetables, legumes and fruits are good sources of protein. Generally, legumes have higher content of protein than vegetables and fruits.
The advantage of plant protein sources over animal protein is that plant protein sources are low in fat content and high in dietary fiber. However, protein in plants (except soybean) is incomplete, meaning all the essenatial and non-essential amino acids are not present in a single plant.
In the following table is protein content of foods. High protein foods are at the top and those with low protein content at the bottom.
| Protein sources | Protein content (% of dry matter) |
|---|---|
| Asparagus, frozen | 36.10 |
| Broccoli, frozen | 33.60 |
| Peanuts | 29.57 |
| Cauliflower, cooked | 27.34 |
| Peas, black eyed, frozen | 27.00 |
| Noodles, egg, cooked | 19.45 |
| Bean, green, frozen | 18.10 |
| Bread, whole wheat | 17.13 |
| Walnuts | 16.72 |
| Spagheti, whole wheat | 15.87 |
| Macaroni | 15.54 |
| Bread, white | 14.33 |
| Potato, with skin, baked | 11.74 |
| Canteloupe | 11.33 |
| Celery | 11.24 |
| Avocado | 10.65 |
| Strawberry, fresh | 7.53 |
| Rice, boiled | 7.32 |
| Navel orange | 7.21 |
| Carrots, cooked | 6.46 |
| Watermelon | 6.40 |
| Banana | 5.14 |
| Raisin, seedless | 3.88 |
| Peaches, canned | 3.68 |
| Blueberry | 3.25 |
| Pineapple, canned | 2.93 |
| Apple, juice | 0.50 |
| Apple, Red Delicious, peeled | 0.32 |
More lists of protein sources:
Foods high in protein
Low protein diet
Protein content of foods was obtained from CRC Handbook of Dietary Fiber in Human Nutrition (3rd eds) (2001). Ed: Gene A Spiller. CRC Press, New York.