Making Healthy Choices

According to The American Dietetic Association, "Vegetarian diets that are low in animal products are typically lower than non vegetarian diets in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol..." These factors are associated with increased risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

You don't need to eat animal products to have enough protein in your diet. Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs.

Vegetarian Protein Sources	Grams of Protein based on a 100g serving size	Mg of Cholestrol based on a 100g serving size
Soybeans	36.490	0.000
Winged beans	29.650	0.000
Lentils	28.060	0.000
Peanuts, raw	26.150	0.000
Beans, kidney	25.330	0.000
Seeds, pumpkin, squash	24.540	0.000
Nuts, walnuts, black	24.350	0.000

Animal Protein Sources	Grams of Protein based on a 100g serving size	Mg of Cholestrol based on a 100g serving size
Pork, rump, cooked	30.940	96.000
Chicken, light, cooked	30.910	85.000
Chicken, breast, cooked	29.800	84.000
Turkey, all, roasted	28.710	74.000
Finfish, halibut, cooked	26.690	41.000
Finfish, salmon, cooked	25.720	85.000
Beef, ground, cooked	24.070	90.000

Sources:

http://www.americanheart.org/Heart_and_Stroke_A_Z_Guide/vegdiet.html