A resident of North Carolina, Christopher Zebney is an executive chef at Morrison Healthcare. Passionate about cooking and living a healthy life, Christopher Michael Zebney of North Carolina follows a plant-based diet.

Plant-based diets are gaining popularity as Americans adopt healthier lifestyles. Following a plant-based diet, however, does not mean you cannot get enough proteins. Many plant foods are rich in protein. The most protein-rich plant-based foods include:

Soy: Products like tempeh, tofu, and edamame are the richest plant sources of protein. Tempeh has about 30 grams of protein in one cup, tofu has 20 grams, and edamame has 17 grams.

Quinoa: Classified as a seed, quinoa is similar to grain and is a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids. Cooked quinoa has approximately 8 grams of protein in a cup.

Lentils: Cooked green or red lentils contain 17 grams of protein in one cup. Additionally, lentils are an excellent source of fiber, iron, and potassium.

Chickpeas: Cooked chickpeas have about 14 grams of protein per cup.

Other excellent sources of plant protein are peanuts, almonds, spirulina, and seitan.