Following a plant-based diet sounds great in theory, but can you really get all the protein your body needs from plant sources alone?

Short answer: yes.

While theres no strict definition, plant-based is generally understood to mean that youre eating primarily fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes no meat, seafood, dairy or eggs. We spoke to three registered dietitians about why you shouldnt worry about getting enough protein from those foods, and they shared some of their favorite sources of plant protein to look for the next time you head to the supermarket.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Protein

Beef, poultry and, you know, meat are Americas go-to foods to give us our protein fix. Advertising money has surely influenced those choices, as industry groups have long promoted animal-derived protein (think The Other White Meat and Got Milk? ).

These days, the importance of getting enough protein is also stressed by food manufacturers of everything from ice cream to frozen pizza , many of which tout their products high protein content. And processed fake meat (Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat ) is having a moment.