Vegans may be wondering where they can get complete proteins from, if the most common varieties originate from eggs, milk or meat.

Quinoa is one of a few plant-based options that provide a complete protein, which contains all the essential amino acids to aid muscle repair and function.

One cup contains around 222 calories, with 3.6g of fat, 40g of carbohydrate and 8g of protein. You also get plenty of calcium and a lot of potassiumm from Quinoa, which also helps to build and maintain muscle as well as regulating blood pressure.

8 Ways to Use up that Bag of Quinoa in Your Cupboard

Admittedly, the carbohydrate content is higher than most others on the list, but these would often be teamed with bread or rice to restore glycogen after exercise, so unless you’re on a low carb diet, then that’s no problem.