One common, yet tiresome question that many vegetarians and vegans are asked is “Where do you get your protein?”

If an omnivore was asked the same thing, some would quickly say that they get their protein from meat, eggs, or dairy.

Contrary to popular belief, meat, eggs, and dairy aren’t the only sources of protein.

In fact, in order to be protein deficient, you’d have to be calorie deficient since protein is practically in everything! Vegetarians and vegans naturally obtain their protein from various sources: vegetables, especially green vegetables: spinach, French green beans, peas, and kale; milk alternatives: almonds, cashews, flaxseed, hemp, coconut, or soy milk; hemp, tofu, seitan, chia seeds, flax seeds, brown rice, tempeh, lentils, beans: kidney, garbanzo, pinto, or black beans; sprouted-grain bread, quinoa, and nut butter.

With all of that being said, how do you think herbivorous animals, such as the buffalo, panda, gorilla, hippopotamus, or elephant get their protein? From the earth! They’re not suffering from a protein deficiency, nor or they lack in stature, build, or strength. 🙂

Olympians join forces to counter misleading messaging prominently featured in the Milk Life Olympic advertising with the launch of the #Switch4Good campaign – an initiative that uses athlete testimonials to educate consumers on the health and wellness benefits associated with switching to a non-dairy, plant-based lifestyle. The #Switch4Good campaign is an initiative led by Olympian Dotsie Bausch, with the help of fellow plant-based Olympic athletes like Malachi Davis and Kendrick Farris. Each person has an inspiring story about making the switch for good, from dairy to a plant-based lifestyle.

A signature component of this initiative is a 30-second commercial that spotlights the stories of six Olympians who reached peak performance – even Olympic gold and world records! In addition, each person has experienced transformative health benefits by ditching dairy. Led by Oscar-winning director, Louis Psihoyos (The Cove), the commercial counteracts the misleading messaging prominently featured in the Milk Life advertising and hopes to educate viewers so that they can make better choices to improve their health, wellness, and performance.

The spot will air on NBC during the closing ceremonies of the Olympic games in six markets and during late night news and Prime Encore on February 25th in nine markets across the country. You can learn more how these Olympians improved their overall health and wellness by visiting Switch4Good. Do you have a story of your own? Share it with the hashtag #Switch4Good across social media!

I’ve been a vegetarian for years, but my body can’t tolerate certain foods like it was able to when I was younger. This is why I started leaning towards more of a vegan-friendly diet last year. I never felt better! The vegan-friendly diet temporarily came to a halt when I joined a 3-month weight loss program the early part of fall. I felt like the plan held me back from having a true weight loss due to some food sensitivities. All of the meals were portion friendly, but most of the time I’d feel like a stuffed piñata after a meal. While it did help me lose some weight and helped me get a better grasp of portion control, I couldn’t wait to return to more of a plant-based diet! Transitioning back to a plant-based diet has significantly reduced the symptoms that I was experiencing with the foods that my body was unable to tolerate.

Wanting to transition to a plant-based diet? Whether your motivation for making the switch is achieving your weight loss goal, improving your digestion, or increasing your energy, transitioning to a plant-based diet is easier than ever. Especially, since there are so many dairy-free and meatless alternatives widely available! I’ll admit it comes with its challenges, especially if your family is anything like mine and prefers meat. I usually rely on standby recipes that my family and I can agree on since our tastes in food vary. Sometimes, the meat eaters in my family are hardly able to detect the difference!

I highly recommend plant-based cookbooks like Oh, She Glows Every Day by Angela Liddon, Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Betty Goes Vegan by Annie & Dan Shannon, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean by Lindsay S. Nixon, and But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan!: 125 Recipes to Win Everyone Over by Kristy Turner.