Vegan - need protein help!

Liz4J

Hi!
When I say 'vegan' I don't eat meat but I do eat eggs and cheese. I'm not really a milk drinker either.
I'm new to weight loss and trying to get my groove. Anyone have ideas on how I can get more protein? I get tired of eating eggs, cheese and nuts all the time. I have just started putting protein powder in my smoothies.
Thanks for any tips you can share!

corgicake

Processed things are your friend. There's wheat and soy not-meats... they're called seitan, tofu, tempeh, and tvp. Tofu is notoriously difficult to make tasty and I've got zero experience with tempeh, but the other two can be subbed right in for meat in recipes. PB2 and knockoffs are from peanuts and I don't know what they're good for yet, but I've got a jar to use up. I get my protein from a health food mail order outfit based in the next town over and their free delivery shows up in three to four days.

Mind your essential amino acids because being short on one will limit how much protein your body actually has to work with. Lysine is so predictable for vegans to be short on that I've seen it sold in one pound tubs. I usually go to peacounter.com for if I need the amino acid breakdown for something.

Yeah, that was probably a chunk to read but veggie protein is a bit messier to work with than it looks.

awesomejdad

Ummm.....Your a vegetarian. You are not a Vegan.

Laurend224

awesomejdad wrote: »

Ummm.....Your a vegetarian. You are not a Vegan.

Yes. You should have no problem getting in protein. But some of my go to forms (I am vegan) are beans, lentils, tofu, seitan, split peas, tvp, spirulina, chia seeds, and more recently gardein products. There are many many veggie burgers in the freezer section that are vegetarian, with added cheese and or egg. Those should meet your needs too.
I am still trying to work out my protein with limited calories. It was much easier to meet my protein when I was eating as much as I wanted. I have to be really conscious of what I am eating. Seeing the macro breakdown has been really helpful.



Good luck!

jamieish1984

Fish! Nut butters-almond butter is better than most others, a good protein powder added to nearly everything...I use Complete Nutrition's V-Core vanilla (can't remember if it's vegan or not) but I've mixed it with everything from non-fat plain greek yogurt, to smoothies, to oatmeal and on top of cereal. Beans/legumes, tuna, cottage cheese, almond milk, tofu, TVP, veggie burgers (although usually higher in sodium if they're store bought)....there's lots of options, just have to get creative. I'm in the same boat as you, working towards building lean muscle and I'm vegetarian...it's a challenge! good luck.

alrajhi

I've found the best thing - Isopure drinks. They taste like gator aid. 160 calories and 40 grams of protein. Bariactric patients use these. I eat normal, a bit of everything and have one of these a day. Or I have a protein shake as a snack. Just adding this little bit each day gets me the protein numbers that I need. Liza

MakePeasNotWar

A tofu hint: freeze and then thaw it before you cook it. It improves the texture 1000% and gives it a bit of nutty flavour.

I am currently trying to cut down my processed proteins and use more beans and legumes, but I still use protein powder at breakfast, and I am a big fan of pb2 because I tend to have a high fat diet already (nuts and avocado are staples for me) and I love peanut butter in everything. Also the Gardein Frozen crispy strips with orange glaze are about the best spinach salad topper imaginable.

I eat a lot of whole soybeans as well. Steamed and lightly salted they make a nice snack, and they are good in soups.

esjones12

Vegetarian protein options = eggs, nuts, cheese, quinoa, beans, nut butters, yogurt, and there are quite a few plant based protein powders out there.

ksolksol

If you can do gluten, seitan is extremely high protein, low-cal and reasonably easy to make yourself. It has a very meaty texture. I used the recipe off the Bob's Red Mill gluten flour bag, but there are a lot of recipes out there on the internet. My sister grinds it up and makes seitan chili that to me is nearly indistinguishable from regular chili.

Do you eat cottage cheese, too, or just cheese-cheese? I feel like I get a little more bang for my buck with 2% cottage cheese.

Have you tried plain Greek kefir? I'm not a big milk drinker, either, and I'm not big on yogurt, but I like a glass of kefir. The Greek kefir is particularly high in protein, although the regular's not bad on that front. Greek yogurt, too, is quite high in protein and you can strain it to make it like a cream cheese. I stay away from the flavored yogurts, myself -- too sweet for my tastes.

ksolksol

Fair warning if you make seitan using the simmering method -- it tends to expand/EXPLODE in the pot! Use a bigger pot to simmer it in than you think you'll need.

EmoJew

jamieish1984 wrote: »

Fish! Nut butters-almond butter is better than most others, a good protein powder added to nearly everything...I use Complete Nutrition's V-Core vanilla (can't remember if it's vegan or not) but I've mixed it with everything from non-fat plain greek yogurt, to smoothies, to oatmeal and on top of cereal. Beans/legumes, tuna, cottage cheese, almond milk, tofu, TVP, veggie burgers (although usually higher in sodium if they're store bought)....there's lots of options, just have to get creative. I'm in the same boat as you, working towards building lean muscle and I'm vegetarian...it's a challenge! good luck.

Fish isn't vegetarian...

mallory_2014

You would be vegetarian, not vegan. Vegan is consumption of no animal products (meat, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, yogurts, ice cream, jello, marshmallows, some sugar, etc).

I am vegan and eat a lot of seitan, tofu, lentils, beans, nutritional yeast, and some of the vegan meat options (tofurkey has an amazing line and so does Quorn if you are in the US).

Huppdiwupp

Unfortunately, Quorn contains chicken's eggs. Seitan is actually very easy to make at home, all you need is gluten (which you can cheaply buy online) and a bit of soy sauce and salt to taste. You'll find plenty of instructions online. It keeps well in the fridge, I usually make enough so that it will last me about a week. It's nearly 100% protein (that's what gluten is), although of course, if you fry it you will add some fat.

Otherwise, I really wouldn't obsess about proteins... but Seitan also tastes good

mallory_2014

Huppdiwupp wrote: »

Unfortunately, Quorn contains chicken's eggs. Seitan is actually very easy to make at home, all you need is gluten (which you can cheaply buy online) and a bit of soy sauce and salt to taste. You'll find plenty of instructions online. It keeps well in the fridge, I usually make enough so that it will last me about a week. It's nearly 100% protein (that's what gluten is), although of course, if you fry it you will add some fat.

Otherwise, I really wouldn't obsess about proteins... but Seitan also tastes good

Some Quorn products don't contain eggs. Just gotta read the ingredients list! But, even the ones that do would be great options for the OP since they consume eggs and dairy.

jfp420

Beans are so versatile. Check out Pinterest for recipes- I find a lot there. They can be used in salads, burritos or soups. For snacks you can snack on roasted chickpeas or veggies dipped in hummus.

melimomTARDIS

I am a vegetarian, not a vegan, and my diary is totally open. Feel free to check it out.

I dont personally stress about protien too much, because I dont lift weights or anything, but I do include protien into all my meals. A goal for me is 20 grams per meal.

Today-
Breakfast I had 2 vegetarian sausage patties, fruit and oatmeal.

Lunch- Big *kitten* salad- with 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 cup beans mixed in as a dressing.

Dinner-
Egg,kale, and cheese bake, with rice as a side dish.

melimomTARDIS

Proteins I use at breakfast- Hard boiled egg, vegetarian sausage, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, 1 oz almonds.

At lunch/dinner- beans in all different ways, cottage cheese, soy burgers (we like Boca originals), tofu (I like mine cooked under the broiler), eggs baked or scrambled, occasional plant based meat (gardein meatballs recently)

Docbanana2002

Um... someone who eats eggs and cheese all the time is NOT a vegan. Please use the terms correctly, it is insulting to people who actually are vegans when people use the label to sound trendy or something, but don't actually seem to know what it means or want to live the way a vegan lives. A vegan does not eat ANY products that come from animals (or wear them, or use them in any other way). Eggs and cheese are most definitely animal products.

MaryinColorado

Hi, I'm a vegetarian also. I love Clif Builder's protein bars. Each one has 20 grams of protein.

As others have mentioned soy burgers can be a good option. My favorite is Boca's breaded "chicken" patty.

Also, Naked Juice has a protein smoothie with pineapple, coconut & banana that is yummy.

Amy's makes some frozen entrees that are high in protein. I like the veggie pot pie which has tofu in it.

And Tofurkey! The hickory smoked "turkey" deli slices are delicious! Often I just eat them right out of the package without even putting them on bread

Laurend224

Docbanana2002 wrote: »

Um... someone who eats eggs and cheese all the time is NOT a vegan. Please use the terms correctly, it is insulting to people who actually are vegans when people use the label to sound trendy or something, but don't actually seem to know what it means or want to live the way a vegan lives. A vegan does not eat ANY products that come from animals (or wear them, or use them in any other way). Eggs and cheese are most definitely animal products.

I'm probably gonna get a flag for this but, untwist your panties. She may not know the correct word, English may not be the OPs first language. I'm vegan and wasn't offended in the least. This kind of attitude is what makes people think vegans are rigid know it alls.

indyamyk

Beans, eggs, Greek yogurt, nuts, fish, tofu, cottage cheese

iwantmydenimback

i know you said you're not a milk drinker, but do you do ok with yogurt? greek yogurt is really, really versatile and the plain version has 18g protein/cup give or take depending on brand.

mariaoutlook

According to authoritynutrition.com the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound (1). This amounts to (2, 3): 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.

1. Seitan – 75g per 100g
2. Lentils – 26g per 100g
3. Peanut Butter – 25g per 100g
4. Hemp Seed – 23g per 100g
5. Black Beans – 21g per 100g
6. Almonds – 21g per 100g
7. Sunflower Seeds – 21g per 100g
8. Tempeh – 19g per 100g
9. Quinoa – 14g per 100g
10. Eggs – 13g per 100g
11. Cottage Cheese – 11g per 100g
12. Edamame – 11g per 100g
13. Greek Yogurt – 10g per 100g
14. Tofu – 8g per 100g
15. Hummus – 8g per 100g
16. Kale – 4.3g per 100g
17. Milk and Soy Milk – 3.3g per 100g
18. Spinach – 2.9g per 100g
19. Broccoli – 2.8g per 100g
20. 20. Avocado – 2g per 100g

Hope it helps!

mariaoutlook

I would recommend to Google "smoothing high in protein recipes".

One of my favourites:

Roasted Strawberry Protein Smoothie
(From Skinnytaste.com)

Servings: 1 • Size: 1 smoothie • Old Points: 4 • Weight Watcher Points+: 5 pt
Calories: 213 • Fat: 3.4 g • Carb: 33 g • Fiber: 7.5 g • Protein: 16 g • Sugar: 27 g
Sodium: 360 mg • Cholest: 5.5 mg

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
1/2 tablespoon raw sugar
1/3 cup reduced fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 cup crushed ice
1 tsp chia seeds6 to 8 drops liquid stevia (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, combine strawberries and sugar. Pour the strawberries on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 12 to 15 minutes until the strawberries start to release their juices but are still firm.

Liz4J

Laurend224 wrote: »

Docbanana2002 wrote: »

Um... someone who eats eggs and cheese all the time is NOT a vegan. Please use the terms correctly, it is insulting to people who actually are vegans when people use the label to sound trendy or something, but don't actually seem to know what it means or want to live the way a vegan lives. A vegan does not eat ANY products that come from animals (or wear them, or use them in any other way). Eggs and cheese are most definitely animal products.

I'm probably gonna get a flag for this but, untwist your panties. She may not know the correct word, English may not be the OPs first language. I'm vegan and wasn't offended in the least. This kind of attitude is what makes people think vegans are rigid know it alls.

Liz4J

Thank you everyone!! The feedback has been amazing!! I love all the recipe ideas. Tonight I bought some meat-less sausages and meat-less veggie ground. Looking at the nutrition listing this should help me consume more protein.

I love how everyone is so supportive! I even got a lesson on being a vegetarian vs. a Vegan! Haha!

Thank you all for the replies. I'm going to copy some of this stuff and incorporate it into my daily habits!

Docbanana2002

Laurend224 wrote: »

Docbanana2002 wrote: »

Um... someone who eats eggs and cheese all the time is NOT a vegan. Please use the terms correctly, it is insulting to people who actually are vegans when people use the label to sound trendy or something, but don't actually seem to know what it means or want to live the way a vegan lives. A vegan does not eat ANY products that come from animals (or wear them, or use them in any other way). Eggs and cheese are most definitely animal products.

I'm probably gonna get a flag for this but, untwist your panties. She may not know the correct word, English may not be the OPs first language. I'm vegan and wasn't offended in the least. This kind of attitude is what makes people think vegans are rigid know it alls.

Okay, okay I'll untwist. Sorry if I'm being a jerk, OP. And FWIW, I'm not a vegan, but I'm transitioning to vegan after being a vegetarian for about a year. So I'm practicing my "rigid know it all" act. And maybe a little irritable about someone getting to claim the label I'm working toward while still eating cheese. Giving up cheese has been a bit of a challenge....

ChloeCakes2015

Love this thread, thanks for the ideas! Someone already mentioned PB2 and I use it in everything, from PB&J on a 100 calorie sandwich round to adding 1T to my kung pao to thicken the sauce.

Liz4J

Ha! It's okay! Your act came across great, I was very impressed! Haha!

I'm just beginning my weight loss journey and have never liked meat. Part quirk, partly because of where it comes from. I don't have the proper education about protein and how to incorporate it...so up until now my protein has come from eggs (which I can't think too much about or I won't eat them), cheese and yogourt.
I am learning so much from just changing my ways in a few days. Today I incorporated more protein and felt amazing!

In a nutshell I'm trying to lose weight without having to eat meat. But I'm struggling with how to get the proper nutrition.

You have to be one strong person to give up cheese!! I do appreciate you setting the term straight for me. Maybe you know of a good recipe book I could use to be a proper vegetarian (see what I did there haha! ) while getting proper nutrition?

Good luck in your journey!!

melimomTARDIS

Before I attempted a vegetarian diet,I borrowed a book on nutrition from my local library, written by the American dietetic association. I also learned a bit from the vegetarian tips on myplate.gov

I do take a daily vitamin with iron, and a b complex, as recommended by my doctor.

As for recipes, I do not like complicated recipes, that call for ingredients that are not available to me. So we do a lot of homemade crockpot bean and veggie soups, pasta with veggies, stir frys (without oil), breakfast for dinner type dishes...

With an emphasis on cost and time savings.

Tomorrow I'm making a dinner of broiled tofu served on pasta, cooked cabbage, carrots,onions,canned baby corn with soy sauce and sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Served in a big ol' bowl.

ksolksol

Liz4J wrote: »

...so up until now my protein has come from eggs (which I can't think too much about or I won't eat them)

If you have a concern, you might check around to make a connection with someone locally who sells farm-raised eggs. I'm blessed to have a co-worker who has chickens that are basically her pets, so I feel pretty good about eating the eggs. There are others in town I've bought from, too -- they often show up at the farmers' markets.

Liz4J wrote: »

Maybe you know of a good recipe book I could use to be a proper vegetarian (see what I did there haha! ) while getting proper nutrition?

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison is my bible. Not only does she have a lot of good recipes, but she also gives overviews of the different veggies. Her baked goods are heavenly but can be a bit of a splurge. I've told my husband that when he retires, I'll be a happy camper if he simply cooks his way through that one. Molly Katzen's Vegetable Heaven is another one of my favorites. Some of the Moosewood cookbooks are quite good.

I never liked meat as a kid, so went vegetarian at various times in my life, but somehow turned pretty carnivorous in the past decade. I still love many vegetarian foods and don't feel deprived in the slightest if offered something vegetarian or vegan. There are so many delicious recipes that don't require meat. I found my vegetarian phases really forced me to become more creative with my cooking. Have fun with it!