What is Protein? Can Vegetarians get enough of it? Great questions! Protein is what gives us energy to do all of the things we want to do. It’s what provides structure to our tissues and cells, supports immunity and even growth. It also keeps our bellies full and satiated. Protein is made of long-chain amino acids, the building blocks of our cells. Our awesome bodies produce 11 of these amino acids, but the other nine, aka essential amino acids, have to come from food sources. Despite what popular lore may have led you to believe, us plant-based eaters are just as good at meeting our protein requirements as carnivores.