Vegetarian help

imaproudmomma

Hey guys I was in the best shape of my life last year but then I switched to plant based everything and I fluctuated my weight.. and struggle to sometimes get enough protein. Any meals, tips or tricks from other vegetarians? I do use a protein and raw greens supplement powder by garden of eden I only like to use that when I need to.

RadishEater

Greek yogurt has quite a bit of protein in it. I eat a giant bowlful with berries and granola on top and the greek yogurt alone is 36g of protein for only 180 calories.

Cottage cheese, goat and feat cheese, eggs, and lentils are pretty high in protein.

teeheedundee

I eat protein bars a lot - I like the mars ones as these are a good when you're craving something sweet.

estherdragonbat

I don't use supplements or protein powders, but I find I'm buying more protein-rich snacks than I used to. (String cheese, veggie dogs, roasted chickpeas, Simply Protein 'chips'). Mostly, I just try to get some in at every meal and snack to make up the shortfall.

Find some good cookbooks and/or recipe sites and use the recipe builder in the tracker to confirm the nutrition ahead of time.

P.S. My diary is open if you'd like more info on some of my recipes.

acpgee

Are you familiar with the lesser known (in the US) vegetarian protein sources? Google if you are not familiar with any of the following:

Tempeh (refrigerator section of asian supermarket)
Quorn (supermarkets in the UK, amazon in the US)
Seitan (try the tinned mock meats in an asian supermarket)

Just a way of adding variety in terms of protein sources if you get tired of beans and dairy.

imaproudmomma

Thank you guys! I will look into all of these ☺️

teacher_lady

I like this list. My favorites would be the beans, lentils, and quinoa.

https://www.eatthis.com/lose-weight-build-muscle-with-complete-proteins/

Zinka61

I've been chopping tempeh and seitan (sometimes both) into a big, mixed greens salad at lunchtime, and that really gives me a lot of protein for the day. Sweet Earth makes a lovely curry seitan, but I use Westsoy (frozen) plain seitan in salads. I can get seitan and tempeh in most grocery stores and all natural- and health-food stores. I also make nicecream with a frozen banana, lots of powdered peanut butter, cocoa powder, oats and a little unsweetened soy milk, and that has pretty good protein, too. Amaranth cooked into porridge is a good protein source, too, in the same way that quinoa is (but I'm not a big fan of the taste of quinoa).

Morgeese

I'm only 19 and I've been vegetarian for over 7 years now, but I have never really struggled with my diet as I eat lots of protein from different sources. This seems to be the main issue for most vegetarians, at least that is the impression I've gotten so far.

I personally find lentils to be extremely underrated - they can be used as replacement for just about anything to turn a dish into a vegetarian one. They're relatively cheap and high in protein. Most kinds (by colours) aren't very different from each other but the red ones contain slightly more protein.

Another very important part of my diet is quinoa, as it contains the double amount of protein as rice and pasta as well as lots of fiber. One more big plus: it's gluten free and thus very gentle for your stomach.

Peas aren't a great source of protein by itself, contrary to many people's beliefs, but they're a great addition to any meal as they are not only higher in protein than most vegetables (like broccoli), but also high in fiber.

Finally, I strongly recommend chia, flax, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Not only are they a delicious snack, but they're all great for your body as they contain essential vitamins and minerals you need. Some are high in omega 3, magnesium, calcium, fiber and iron. They can also help your body drive away many diseases and improve your immune system.

I'm sorry I ended up typing out an essay - it perked my interest and just kind of happened, haha... Anyway, I hope you found this somewhat helpful!

peggysharp4

I am finding it hard to reduce the amount of carbs I am eating . It seems that now without meat I want the carbs more. How do you reduce the carbs ??? I eat a lot of beans and lentils, barley and quinoa(even though not a huge fan of the latter)

AJ_G

Meat tends to be a pretty good source of protein

estherdragonbat

peggysharp4 wrote: »

I am finding it hard to reduce the amount of carbs I am eating . It seems that now without meat I want the carbs more. How do you reduce the carbs ??? I eat a lot of beans and lentils, barley and quinoa(even though not a huge fan of the latter)

I don't. They're delicious.