Vegan protein

newsue123

I am aiming for 30 grams of protein per meal and find it really hard to attain without exceeding my carb allowance - any tips?

socajam

I think it's going to be hard.
I am having the same problem - I eat fish - but having problems with legumes as they give me too much gas, I gave them up
Right now I am feeling the effects of low protein and have had to increased it by eating more yogurt, wild salmon, vegan sausages (25 grams of protein per sausage - 4 sausages for $5.00+ at Wholefoods), veggie burgers and adding protein powder to my smoothies.

charmmeth

socajam wrote: »

I think it's going to be hard.
I am having the same problem - I eat fish - but having problems with legumes as they give me too much gas, I gave them up
Right now I am feeling the effects of low protein and have had to increased it by eating more yogurt, wild salmon, vegan sausages (25 grams of protein per sausage - 4 sausages for $5.00+ at Wholefoods), veggie burgers and adding protein powder to my smoothies.

Yoghurt and wild salmon are not part of a vegan diet (no animal products at all), which makes finding appropriate levels of protein even harder.

OP, you probably have found these pages for yourself, but I thought them useful:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/vegan
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/vegan#vegan-protein.
(I am not vegan but I have had a vegan partner in the past and have vegan family members, so this is a challenge that interests me.)
However, I did just wonder if you might be making your diet more of a challenge than it needs to be by limiting carbs? You may have your reasons for doing this.

AnnPT77

It's fine to exceed the default carb allowance, as long as you don't let that drive fats too low, or calories too high. Carbs are (IMO) the least important macro, unless a particular individual has a relevant health condition (such as diabetes) or finds they have energy deficits when they get too few carbs, or appetite-control issues if they get too many.

Some options to consider for calorie-efficient plant-based protein (besides things like vegan protein powders/bars) are seitan, the whole range of tofu products (blocks, noodles, etc.), tempeh, legume-based pastas. Probably you're already eating those. Peanut butter powder or almond butter powder, and nutritional yeast, have enough protein per calorie to be useful as flavoring add-ins.

I'm ovo-lacto veg, with a 100g protein minimum in maintenance, which I think I could hit without eggs/dairy, but yes, it would be somewhat difficult, while staying at desired calorie and fat levels.

If you're trying to lose weight, how aggressive is your deficit? It might be possible to consider losing weight a little more slowly, in order to get the nutrition you want.

A good resource for identifying calorie-efficient protein sources is in the spreadsheet linked to this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

It's a general source, so most of the things near the top of the list are meaty/fishy, but keep scrolling and you'll find plant-based calorie-efficient sources . . . and "more calorie efficient protein" inherently means more protein per carb/fat amount, too.

kimny72

newsue123 wrote: »

I am aiming for 30 grams of protein per meal and find it really hard to attain without exceeding my carb allowance - any tips?

How did you determine your carb allowance? There's no specific general carb level that's necessary for everyone, so feel free to increase your carb goal a little and after a few weeks see how you feel.

domeofstars

I'm vegetarian, though I have never specifically focused on eating low-carb I have found that I need to use vegan protein powder to get my protein intake up. I'm in Australia and I use White Wolf vegan protein (vanilla flavour): 90 calories, 2.5 grams of carbs and 23.4 grams of carbs a scoop when made with water.

janejellyroll

How many carbohydrates are you trying to get and what is your overall calorie goal?

Generally I'm able to get sufficient protein through including beans, tofu, tempeh, or seitan with each meal, rounding it out with the protein that is found in foods like vegetables, grains, and nuts/seeds. I occasionally have some protein powder or a protein bar, but not that often.

I found it was easier to get the protein I wanted when I began my meal planning by choosing a protein-dense plant food and then adding other foods as "sides." I don't limit carbohydrates specifically, but doing this makes sure that I'm always getting a good amount of protein with each meal.

domeofstars

domeofstars wrote: »

I'm vegetarian, though I have never specifically focused on eating low-carb I have found that I need to use vegan protein powder to get my protein intake up. I'm in Australia and I use White Wolf vegan protein (vanilla flavour): 90 calories, 2.5 grams of carbs and 23.4 grams of carbs a scoop when made with water.

Sorry not 23.4 grams of carbs, 23.4 grams of protein