I'm a vegetarian but need more protein. HELP!

Chanellie

So... I'm trying to gain beautiful lean muscle, and in order to do that, I have to consume a good deal of protein. Problem. I don't eat meat. I eat plain greek yogurt and cottage cheese to help with some of the protein. I also have protein in my shakes, and I'm going to start a hemp protein next. However, according to MFP, and my personal goals, I am not consuming enough protein. I eat beans, nuts, seeds, and tofu as well. Any other tips out there?

kitty0889

No problem there, we veggies have tons of options when it comes to protein! You're right on track eating tofu, so try mattar tofu if you like Indian, toss some tofu in pad thai, make a smoothie with silken tofu and hemp/nut milk...the list goes on! Tempeh is also a great source, and spinach and broccoli have some protein. If carbs aren't a concern, beans, beans, beans! Homemade refried beans are cheap, simple, and so much tastier than the stuff in a can. Pinterest is a great source of visual inspiration for protein-packed vegetarian recipes. Have you tried veggie burgers? Morningstar Farms and Boca make some excellent meat-substitutes; not just veggie burgers but chickenless nuggets, buffalo wings, fake steak strips, fake bacon and sausage, fake ground beef, and more (their hot dogs are gross though. Try Loma Linda Big Franks if you want a good fake hot dog). So, for example, you could have a tofu smoothie and fake sausage patty for breakfast, a spinach and broccoli salad with black beans, nuts, and seeds for lunch, lasagna with cottage cheese and fake ground beef for dinner, and snack on nuts through the day. Bam, you've eaten...I don't know how many grams of protein, but a lot!

NewEffie

I second the Boca products suggestion. I love their Original Vegan Meatless Patties, at 13g of protein each. Oatmeal and some cereals provide decent single servings of protein. Humus and beans are favorites of mine, as well. I'll eat a homemade chilled bean salad several times a week (with wax, green and kidney beans, onion, red bell pepper, oil, and vinegar) that's easy to prepare and 12g of protein per serving. Also, I'm not sure if you eat eggs, but liquid egg whites are awesome. 6 tablespoons has 10g.

CrazyAnimalLady

You could always add in a vegan protein shake like Nutrition 53's Vegan One....I haven't tried it but their other protein shakes taste great and they are low calorie.

T_X_L

I see by your examples you eat dairy, so why not some whey protein? I mix some in with the Greek yogurt, makes a nice snack.

ewrob

How much protein are you getting now?
How much do you think you need?

Why?

lithezebra

Tofu is about as good as it gets for vegetarian protein, other than powders, with the lowest carbs. Seitan is also high in protein, but has a lower ratio of protein to carbs than tofu does. I recall reading recently that if you focus on getting enough lysine, you can be pretty sure you've gotten enough of the rest of your essential amino acids. Here's a good link on sources of protein and lysine.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/protein

echelonokie

Have you tried Muscle Milk? There's technically no milk in it, but there is milk proteins and it comes in amazing flavors. There's also about 28grams of protein per bottle Soy is good, but too much can be bad.

jenabee333

I want to suggest quinoa, but it seems like you may be watching our carb intake and quinoa does have a lot. However, it is a great source of complete protein.

StArBeLLa87

Ensure high protein has 25 grams and 210 calories the vanilla is yummy

jennadelane

I'm vegetarian and try to get at least 100g of protein per day. I normally eat Greek yogurt twice a day, once in my breakfast overnight oats and again as a side for my lunch. I do a lot of dairy, including egg whites and hard boiled eggs. Cottage cheese has A LOT of protein too. Also I eat peanut butter every day. And the fake meats occasionally to, like for dinner tonight I had stuffed peppers made with Boca crumbles that had 26g of protein for 320 calories. A good resource for high protein meals is this link: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnutrition/tp/high-protein-recipes.htm. I've made several of the recipes and enjoyed them all!

redraidergirl2009

There is plenty of protein in all the things you listed. What do you consider "enough" protein? Likely you're getting plenty, you might need to re-examine your workouts if you aren't seeing results. Skip on the nuts, honestly I do they are high calorie and low protein for the calories in them. Have a boca thing instead, same cals, more protein.

RachaelPeachyKeen

Morning Star Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers are soooo good! 120 Calories and 11 g. protein.

veg_runner

Go lift heavy things if you want to put on real muscle. More protein really does diddly squat except inflame them because it spikes insulin levels. It won't give you real functional muscle, just the appearance of it. And it's not particularly healthy either (nor is dairy or eggs). I guess if you don't care about your health and are just in it for aesthetics, eat more protein at least from plant sources like sunwarrior protein in a shake or something. Wouldn't recommend that though.

Cait_Sidhe

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

^OP has done her reasearch and is a vegetarian. Definitely read that. I personally am a pescetarian, but eat mostly vegetarian and have no problem meeting my protein goal. Feel free to check out my diary if you wish.

ThinHealthySexy

There are some good suggestions on here! Personally, I use the Lifematrix Raw Vegan Protein Powder. I find the protein content to be pretty high, it's easy to blend into smoothies and of course it's vegan, so it's good for us veggies :flowerforyou:

Sarauk2sf

Go lift heavy things if you want to put on real muscle. More protein really does diddly squat except inflame them because it spikes insulin levels. It won't give you real functional muscle, just the appearance of it. And it's not particularly healthy either (nor is dairy or eggs). I guess if you don't care about your health and are just in it for aesthetics, eat more protein at least from plant sources like sunwarrior protein in a shake or something. Wouldn't recommend that though.

You do realize that carbs spike insulin more, right?

Protein will not even give the appearance of muscle unless you strength train.

Why is protein not healthy? There is nothing wrong with eggs or dairy unless you have an intolerance. (context dependent as always).

astartig

egg whites?

SadFaerie

http://www.ufc.com/news/Mac-Danzig-Diet-The-Truth-About-Vegan

SkimFlatWhite68

OP, there are some terrific suggestions here, I've even picked up a few myself and I'm not a vegetarian. Enjoy eating them all!!

frizbeemom

I second Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers! Love them! Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are also good sources. Since I don't eat red meat and very little other meat, I do usually finish out the day with a whey protein shake, though. You've gotten a good list here. You don't have to eat meat to get your protein although you do have to be a bit more creative.