How do vegans/vegetarians get adequate protein?

nehaad88

I am not vegan but a vegetarian. I never seem to hit my protein goal.

Any ideas how to reach the impossible?

estherdragonbat

I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian. I'm usually a bit under my protein, but not too far. (My base goal is 76 grams. After exercising today, it went up to 110. I ate 86.) Here's a screenshot and it's probably typical for me, including my being wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy over sodium. I'm not on a salt-restricted diet and I'm losing weight, so I'm not really concerned about it...

1nprgr3s

livingleanlivingclean

1nprgr3s wrote: »

How often do you eat hundreds of calories of broccoli?

OP, eggs, dairy (low fat would probably be better to get protein up without heaps of fat), beans/legumes, sprouted grain products, quinoa

Soy products, faux meat etc....

Add a protein powder if you're desperate!

subcounter

1nprgr3s wrote: »

while broccoli vs steak has been debunked many times, you would need to eat ridiculous amounts of broccoli to reach your daily protein goal, especially if you're a lifter. 100 calories of broccoli has roughly 8.4 grams of protein, which is around 300 grams of broccoli..

Anyways back to the main topic, here are some options. Tofu has the highest protein content you can get as a vegan per calories. Lentils are personal fav's.

Also I have to add pea protein powder is a good supplementary protein as well, if you find it difficult to reach your daily goals.

nutmegoreo

subcounter wrote: »

1nprgr3s wrote: »

while broccoli vs steak has been debunked many times, it is also ridiculous amounts to eat 100 calories of broccoli. 100 calories of broccoli has roughly 8.4 grams of protein, while its 300 grams of it. While if you eat a 95% lean beef, you can get it from only 40 grams of meat, @ 54 calories. I mean yeah if you get a 60% lean fatty steak, I am sure the numbers could change.

Anyways back to the main topic, here are some options. Tofu has the highest protein content you can get as a vegan per calories. Lentils are personal fav's.

I did the calculations once. I would have to eat 26 cups of broccoli to hit my protien. I'm pretty sure even the dogs wouldn't want to live with me after that, and they're pretty gross.

OP, if you consume fish, that's another great source of protien. I have also made three bean chili and a vegetarian lasagna using roasted veggies that has a decent protein count (I used beans and three types of cheese).

StealthHealth

1nprgr3s wrote: »

I don't think that is correct.

I picked MuscleFood' rump steak (because I know the entry is correct and MuscleFood have independent testing of their products rather that eyeballing the cuts and making a guess) and compared it to MFP's verified Broccoli entry:



From those entries the steak has twice the protein as the broc?

StealthHealth

Sorry.. better screenshot with headers...

geebusuk

If you eat egg - egg whites are very high in protein.

Some low fat cheeses aren't too bad.

Without going to protein powders, not too up on other stuff as generally I just eat meat .

flatlndr

Back to the OP's question, I'm not "meatless", but I do eat "less meat" than I used to.

As you are a vegetarian, cheese and eggs have good amounts of protein.

My typical breakfast includes 50g oats, 120 ml (1/2 cup) semi-skimmed milk, 30g peanut butter, 1 banana, totalling 19-20g protein.

My afternoon snack is often a mix of 170g fat-free greek yogurt, 30g almonds, 50 g blueberries, giving me another 24g protein.

Throw in some beans into your lunch and dinner, and I'm sure you could get to your targets. (Which are? Your diary is private, so I can't tell what you are aiming for, and how far off you are)

ETA: Note, my serving sizes may not be suitable for you. If you want more detailed assistance, I suggest you post you height, age, current weight and target weight, so we have more to work with.

jenilla1

All this talk about steak probably isn't helping the OP.

I try to get most of my protein from whole foods, but sometimes I'm a little low. I use a complete vegan protein blend (powder) to supplement on days when I'm a little low on protein. It gets the job done. I'm not vegan, but I can't eat whey protein. (My abdomen blows up like a beach ball, which is very uncomfortable.)

StealthHealth

jenilla1 wrote: »

All this talk about steak probably isn't helping the OP.

I try to get most of my protein from whole foods, but sometimes I'm a little low. I use a complete vegan protein blend (powder) to supplement on days when I'm a little low on protein. It gets the job done. I'm not vegan, but I can't eat whey protein. (My abdomen blows up like a beach ball, which is very uncomfortable.)

Sorry, that's true.

HeliumIsNoble

Huh. I don't always bother recording broccoli. A serving is about 50g, so that's 2g of protein (according to mfp) that I'm not recording. I'm practically Popeye, hear me roar...

Anyway. Back to the OP's actual question. It depends on how high your protein goals are. /stating the obvious
I don't aim for the mfp figure, I just use the counter to see if I've hit my minimum threshold. Have you already calculated your own?

I also eat a lot of tofu, rice, peas, mung beans and soya milk...

The USA recommendation for protein most commonly quoted is 0.8 grams per kg of bodyweight. (I have seen mentions on forums that this is 0.8g/kg of healthy bodyweight, but I can't substantiate that.) This is a USA Dep of Agriculture calculator which works out how the US Dietary Reference Intake values apply to your stats: https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/

In the UK, the Reference Nutrient Intake is sometimes quoted as 0.75 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, presuming you are sedentary. If you are not, the British Dietetic Association says:

Strength athletes do have higher protein requirement (1.2-1.7g per kg body weight per day) than endurance athletes (1.2-1.4g per kg body weight per day), who have slightly higher requirements than the general sedentary population (0.8-1.0g per kg bodyweight per day).

In Australia, the Ministry of Health provides incredibly detailed Nutrient Reference Values, broken down by age, sex and life-stage, which I've provided here:

https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/protein

Meanwhile, the Australian Sports Commission says:

It is also important for athletes trying to gain muscle mass to meet their increased protein needs, but huge protein intakes are not required. In most cases, a high-energy diet that provides 1.2-2g of protein per kilogram of body mass will ensure that protein needs are met.

http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/fact_sheets/increasing_muscle_mass

EDIT: after all that, I forgot to finish my post off. With the information I linked in mind, I decided to aim for a range of 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per kg of my current bodyweight, and I generally find that manageable on a dairy-free, egg-free, meat-free diet. But as always, Your Mileage May Vary and what works for me may not work for you.

nehaad88

nutmegoreo wrote: »

subcounter wrote: »

1nprgr3s wrote: »

while broccoli vs steak has been debunked many times, it is also ridiculous amounts to eat 100 calories of broccoli. 100 calories of broccoli has roughly 8.4 grams of protein, while its 300 grams of it. While if you eat a 95% lean beef, you can get it from only 40 grams of meat, @ 54 calories. I mean yeah if you get a 60% lean fatty steak, I am sure the numbers could change.

Anyways back to the main topic, here are some options. Tofu has the highest protein content you can get as a vegan per calories. Lentils are personal fav's.

I did the calculations once. I would have to eat 26 cups of broccoli to hit my protien. I'm pretty sure even the dogs wouldn't want to live with me after that, and they're pretty gross.

OP, if you consume fish, that's another great source of protien. I have also made three bean chili and a vegetarian lasagna using roasted veggies that has a decent protein count (I used beans and three types of cheese).

the bean chilli lasagna sounds yum.. can you please share the recipe?

littlechiaseed

Being vegetarian isn't about just taking meat out of your diet or just replacing it with eggs and dairy. You should eat more beans, lentils and not be afraid of tofu, seitan and tempeh and whole grains. Then again it depends on your goal. If it's something ridiculous like 150g then reconsider if that is necessary

crzycatlady1

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

1nprgr3s wrote: »

How often do you eat hundreds of calories of broccoli?

OP, eggs, dairy (low fat would probably be better to get protein up without heaps of fat), beans/legumes, sprouted grain products, quinoa

Soy products, faux meat etc....

Add a protein powder if you're desperate!

I'm doing the 800g veggies and fruit challenge this week and yesterday eating over 600g of veggies and fruit, along with other foods like cheese, ground beef, sour cream etc, I only hit 48g of protein. And it felt like I ate a LOT of veggies and fruit. I can't imagine eating the amount of veggies you'd need to get higher protein amounts!

apullum

OP, I'm sorry your thread has gotten so hijacked. If you're still here--I've been vegetarian for about 12 years now. I don't think it's impossible, though I do agree that it's worth considering exactly how much protein it will take to meet your own nutritional goals. If you are not actively trying to build muscle mass, you likely don't need large amounts of protein. The RDA of protein for most people is 0.8 grams/kg of bodyweight. Some people who are actively trying to build muscle recommend eating more.

Here are some major vegetarian protein sources:

- tofu, tempeh, and seitan
- prepackaged vegetarian protein (Gardein, Boca, etc.)
- soymilk
- beans, soybeans, and lentils
- nuts and seeds
- protein bars and shakes
- eggs and dairy, if you eat those things
- some green vegetables, like peas
- some grains/pseudograins, like quinoa

Just having a list like that has never helped me, though. So here are some specific ideas of things I might eat at each meal:

Breakfast: Greek yogurt, tofu scramble with veggies, a protein bar or shake, fruit with peanut butter

Lunch: usually dinner leftovers

DInner: curry with veggies and your choice of protein, black bean or lentil soup, chili. I also make many "meat" recipes by just substituting vegetarian protein instead.

Snacks: hummus and veggies, homemade trail mix, roasted edamame, protein powder brownie

nehaad88

Thanks for all your inputs people.

I include a cup of cooked lentils every night and I am thinking of adding a couple of boiled egg whites to the breakfast.

I am not trying to build muscle or anything, just that I don't want to lose what I have while I lose weight.

I am strangely scared of soya products (i read somewhere that they mess up with the hormones).

I drink butter milk with lunch everyday so probably I will replace it with some yogurt.

cwolfman13

eggs, egg whites, tofu, seitan, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, beans, lentils

kimkimcoleman

Vegetarian for 9 years here. My latest discoveries to up my protein to fuel my workouts are: greek yogurt cup in my fruit smoothie adds 15 grams right there. Beyond meat frozen crumbles are so good, they are made from pea protein (no soy) and a half cup is 13 grams of protein. I eat that a couple times a week in tacos or salads. When I want almond milk for my Kashi cereal (9 grams of protein) I get the one with added protein (another 10 grams). Then I always eat tons of veggies/fruit and beans, some cheese and eggs on the weekends.

rawroy

It's very easy to get enough protein as a Vegan Bodybuilder now that there are so many meat substitutes out there. Just search and find Seitan, Gardein, TVP, and Soy products. I don't use any supplements and I have no problem hitting my 100g of Protein Per Day which is plenty for my size! I like my old fashioned oats with peanut butter powder, fruit and almond milk in the morning, a huge vegetable salad with meat substitutes for lunch, starches in the evening with another substitute. I also throw Nutritional Yeast on everything which has B12 and Protein. Eating Vegan or mostly Plant Based is still very adequate for most peoples protein needs without any substitutes. I'm bodybuilding but I don't do more than .8 grams per lbs of body weight.

apullum

The soy/hormone question is a common myth, and there are a LOT of random websites that parrot it. There isn't clear scientific evidence to support the claim; in fact, we have a lot of conflicting research results, in part because it's tough to control for other possible causal factors in humans. The research we do have indicates that phytoestrogens do not necessarily mimic estrogen in the body. Source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/02/12/straight-talk-about-soy/

nutmegoreo

nehaad88 wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

subcounter wrote: »

1nprgr3s wrote: »

while broccoli vs steak has been debunked many times, it is also ridiculous amounts to eat 100 calories of broccoli. 100 calories of broccoli has roughly 8.4 grams of protein, while its 300 grams of it. While if you eat a 95% lean beef, you can get it from only 40 grams of meat, @ 54 calories. I mean yeah if you get a 60% lean fatty steak, I am sure the numbers could change.

Anyways back to the main topic, here are some options. Tofu has the highest protein content you can get as a vegan per calories. Lentils are personal fav's.

I did the calculations once. I would have to eat 26 cups of broccoli to hit my protien. I'm pretty sure even the dogs wouldn't want to live with me after that, and they're pretty gross.

OP, if you consume fish, that's another great source of protien. I have also made three bean chili and a vegetarian lasagna using roasted veggies that has a decent protein count (I used beans and three types of cheese).

the bean chilli lasagna sounds yum.. can you please share the recipe?

I will post it for you a bit later. It's really tasty, and I make it into individual containers, so I end up with 12 grab and go lunches for around 350 calories.

littlechiaseed

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

1nprgr3s wrote: »

How often do you eat hundreds of calories of broccoli?

OP, eggs, dairy (low fat would probably be better to get protein up without heaps of fat), beans/legumes, sprouted grain products, quinoa

Soy products, faux meat etc....

Add a protein powder if you're desperate!

On several occasions I watched my cousin eat a whole bag of broccoli. It was scary. lol

brichards_

It is key to remember that calorie restricting (what this app does) also means less protein consumption