Vegetarian & Lack of Protein Rigmarole

vivmom2014

I don't need ideas for sources of vegetarian (pescatarian) protein. What I desire is to see a daily menu of what getting enough vegetarian protein looks like realistically, while staying under 1800 calories.

I'm frustrated because people say, "Just add nuts, beans, legumes, yogurt..." etc. but to reach 116 grams of daily protein, what would I be eating?

I get the gag reflex with any kind of yogurt or cottage cheese. Eggs - I can eat maybe 1 scrambled at a time.

Am I supposed to eat cans of tuna every day? Tofu at every meal? Big bowls of buckwheat? Really?

I work out with resistance bands & dumbbells 4 to 5 times a week. I drink a protein shake every day, that gives me 17g protein. On average, I get about 50g of protein daily, and I consider that a GOOD protein day. Clearly I'm way off.

discretekim

I have vegetarian days where I reach 80+ grams in the day. I don't think you need 116 unless you have a very high current weight. I think you should meet with a dietitian for a daily meal plan and to come up with a realistic protein goal.

vivmom2014

Hey thanks for the reply. My weight is 145 (I'm about 3 lbs. from goal weight) so I multiplied that by .8, which I thought was the formula for figuring ideal daily protein.

dmmfox

Feel free to look at my diary, I've been training for a body building comp so there's lots of proteins in there. If you're not losing muscle with the amount of protein you're currently eating then you don't really need to change anything.

usmcmp

vivmom2014 wrote: »

Hey thanks for the reply. My weight is 145 (I'm about 3 lbs. from goal weight) so I multiplied that by .8, which I thought was the formula for figuring ideal daily protein.

Adequate protein intake is .8g per pound of LEAN body mass. 116 grams is still too high. Not knowing your body fat, but estimating it I'm guessing around 85g of protein is going to be a good number for you.

jgnatca

When I had trouble getting my protein in, I kept Costco Premier Protein shakes handy (30g protein each). If it was a bad day, I'd have one of those at the end of the day.

I work at getting protein in at every meal, every snack (diabetic training) so it's usually not hard. I didn't see hummus mentioned. You might try that, too.

Breakfast foods look like a trouble spot. You might be sensitive to textures. Try preparing eggs differently, like in a quiche, a frittata, or soufflé. Or start your morning with a shake, whey protein.

So a daily meal plan might look something like this:

Breakfast: Protein shake w/banana
Snack 1: Hummus and crackers
Lunch: Tuna on salad or noodles
Dinner: Tofu stir fry
Snack 2: Apple and peanut butter

or

Breakfast: Crustless quiche
Snack 1: Cheddar and celery
Lunch: Baked beans with Dinner Roll
Dinner: Spaghetti with mushroom based sauce
Snack 2: Edamame in hot dipping sauce

PeachyCarol

You can have a lower protein intake, as has been mentioned. Even if you don't like the texture of cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, putting them in a smoothie will hide that perfectly. Blending them up with some frozen fruit should help. You can add a grain like oatmeal for some more protein.

I second the suggestion for things like crustless quiches, I use this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-quiche-2/ . It also uses cottage cheese. I substitute feta for the cheddar and add more spinach. It's packed with protein.

I'm on far less calories than you and get at least 90 grams of vegetarian protein a day.

Also? Look for the Explore Asia line of bean pastas. They're packed with protein and fiber. If you happen to look them up on Amazon, don't trust the nutrition labels, the ones shown in the listings on there are wrong.

AliceDark

I average 120g of vegetarian protein per day at around 2000 calories. You can feel free to look at my diary if you'd like, but it may or may not help (I love cottage cheese and greek yogurt -- they're staples in my diet). I also use quiche, hard boiled eggs, protein powder/bars, whole milk and beans to meet my protein goal.

At a certain point, if you need/choose to restrict certain food groups, you have less flexibility in terms of how you meet your protein goal. I have to plan my protein first and then fit in other foods with whatever calories I have left; there are days when I have to eat 3-4 scrambled eggs for dinner because I'm low on protein and that's what I have to do in order to meet my goal. The trade-off is worth it to me because I don't want to eat meat, but I don't always get to eat what I want to eat.

Edit to say: homemade fried rice or pad thai might be good options for you, especially if you like tofu. If you scramble the eggs well and "break" them into small pieces, you can hide an egg or two in the rice/noodles and the texture might not bother you as much. If you add a lot of veggies and take it easy on the oil, you can get a large portion without a lot of calories.

vivmom2014

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I see some MFP "royalty" has replied to me - I feel honored.

But really - all the replies are great & I will use them all.

lei82

I make a quiche like the lady above, cottage cheese, eggs, spinach, carrots, brocolli and I have it with baked beans, its high protein and low calorie, I know it sounds yukky but its a better texture and taste when cooked. You could also have a glass of skimmed milk with meals to up protein.

vivmom2014

The quiche ideas are great. I can't drink milk - I know, I know - picky picky picky. But, hey, it is what it is. Certain dairy is very challenging for me. Texture, taste & smell.

lei82

I understand I have problems with some textures too, dont know how you feel about cereals and stuff but you can get protein porridge, protein weetabix, protein granola and protein bread, you can also mix protein powder in lots of different recipes, ive seen some people mix it in cakes!

vivmom2014

Oatmeal = love it. I get discouraged when I eat a portion of something and think, "OK. 5g protein, 100 more to go." But I have learned from this thread that my protein intake doesn't need to be as high as I thought (yay!!).

And, yes, I've put protein powder into muffin & cookie recipes!

I will have to look for protein bread. Good idea.

Mr_Knight

vivmom2014 wrote: »

Hey thanks for the reply. My weight is 145 (I'm about 3 lbs. from goal weight) so I multiplied that by .8, which I thought was the formula for figuring ideal daily protein.

.8 * lean body weight.

So more like 145 * .75 * .8 -> 87g

mbaker566

kasha golean and cascade have some high protein foods

also vegetarian, no meat-fish is meat

vivmom2014

Hooray - I'm out of double-digits protein! (No, really: I'm happy.) Thanks.

I mean, triple digits. Triple.

vivmom2014

Yes @moyer566 I am actually pescatarian.

scg17

I thought the equation involved converting body weight to kg (divide by 2.2), then multiply by .8 if sedentary, 1.3 if active, and 1.5 if very active (pro athlete, body builder, etc). I am active and in the low 130's, so my goal is just shy of 80 g per day. I'm a vegetarian too, and for me I find I have to supplement with protein bars and powders to get close. As far as general protein intake, you are beating most American women, but higher levels of lean protein help you conserve lean tissues when dieting.

mbaker566

vivmom2014 wrote: »

Yes @moyer566 I am actually pescatarian.

then you are not vegetarian, just sayin. nothing wrong with it at all

softblondechick

I routinely eat salmon for breakfast, and salmon for lunch. No problems with not having enough protein. Eating fish is not just "cans of tuna". I often grill fish for dinner.

rainbowbow

Why are you trying to hit that high protein goal? I was trying to do the same for a while (as you can see above) and the only way i could do it was by chugging 2 scoops of protein powder as my breakfast shake. That way i could eat what i wanted during the day.

I then set my goal to 90 grams (which is .8g per pound LBM) and i found that THIS works for me perfectly. I get enough protein without having to try REALLY hard.

I eat the same things all the time because they are foods i enjoy. You have an extra 300 or so calories a day that i dont have in my diary, AND you eat fish so i imagine it will be easier for you.

vivmom2014

Yes to all of the above. Didn't mean to sound petulant about eating "cans of tuna" - of course fresh fish is a great option for a pescatarian (predominantly vegetarian, not fully, my bad). Thanks for the look at your diary @rainbowbow . I feel much more confident about my protein goal now that it's a bit lower.

Thanks everyone for the great replies!

megalos881

I never pay attention to my protein supply. The theories about minimum needs are complete *kitten*. You can love healthy with 20 grams protein a day an also with 400 grams. The only important thing is the vitality of anything out eat! Raw food is the best!