Vegetarian Help!

Clarissabar

I've been a vegetarian for five years now, but i could never master the art of eating enough to fill in my protein gap without taking in too many carbs, too much sugar, or sodium. I love food, i really do, but my food diary shows a lack of protein and too many carbs. Any one know any ways to help this. Advice? Maybe some vitamins or healthy snack food options/ vegetarian recipes...or some helpful links.
Anything would be great! Thanks

melaniecheeks

Do you eat eggs at all? Great potein in them, especially the whites.

Cheese? Cottage cheese is a good low-cal source.
Dairy? Greek yoghurt is your friend.

Beans and lentils are good - though they do have a carb content. edemame I believe have the most protein for your buck. Roast chickpeas and roast broad beans are handy snacks.

Nuts and seeds - though they're high in (good) fats.

Tofu and soy products, or quorn are useful too.

LindseyAlyssa

It's hard to tell what you're already eating since you're diary isn't open, but go for various beans, lentils, quinoa, eggs (if ovo-vegetarian), greek yogurt and cheese (if lacto-vegetarian), nuts... most everything has at least SOME protein in it, but these are what I can think of that have a bit more. How many grams of protein are you trying to reach? At a certain point, you'd probably need to look into supplemental protein powder. I use Plant Fusion.

As for recipes, go here!
http://thugkitchen.com/
I *believe* it's all veggie friendly, but I haven't been through all of their recipes.

edit: also include seeds like hemp and flax!

steph6467

Have you tried supplementing with protein powder? There's quite a few good vegetarian and vegan options available.

BookRat

Do you eat eggs, dairy? Cottage Cheese and Fat Free Greek Yoghurt are great sources of protein, but so are vegan-friendly foods like wheat (bread, pasta, couscous), bulgar, quinoa, lentils, all types of beans, chickpeas, spinach, broccoli, tofu, nuts and nut butters, soy milk and seeds (although there are little scraps of protein in a lot of things, like tomatoes, dried fruits and mushrooms that can add up). Some of these items are high carb/fat, but if you manage it right, they're fine.

I'm finding middle-eastern cuisine to be good inspiration at the moment, as it focuses on a lot of protein rich grains and pulses.

fitness_faeiry

Really? Its easy depending on how clean and varied your diet is. Here's some tips:

Take a daily protein shake.
Add protein powder to things you bake - muffins and bars etc
Fat free greek yoghurt
Add Nuts Seeds and Pulses to your meals
Quinoa is high in protein and a good replacement for other grains

Im a Pescatarian but I do have complete vegetarian days. Feel free to add me to check out my diary