How do you get your protein?

swisspea

I'm vegetarian, this is how I usually get my protien (technically I am a pescetarian as I sometimes eat fish, but we all know it has amazing sources of protein so I don't have to go there):

Eggs (don't worry too much about the cholesterol, if you have a diet that does not have meat you are essentially getting NO cholesterol, which is also harmful to your body on a cellular level)
Beans (I add beans to green salads, sauces, make my own bean dips and make some great veggie cold salads with beans)
Green vegetables (lurking here is some powerful protien! You wouldn't think it but broccoli and spinach are huge sources of protien)
Lentils (canned or dry, I use these to make soups that are SO filling you swear you'd just had a steak)
Nuts (make sure they are unsalted and aren't coated in, all-natural peanut butter is great)
Soy products like soy milk and tofu! (I loooove soy milk, even the fat-free kind! Just beware, soy contains estrogen mimickers, so don't give soy products to baby boys, also, soy production requires a large amount of water and the seeds themselves are trademarked, so ethically soy isn't all that great)
Oats
Quinoa

Strategies:
I always start my day on a protein source. And not just cottage cheese or yogurt! I start usually with peanut butter, oatmeal or an egg or two to start the day off right and to not have to stress about making a bean-lentil-soy-spinach dinner to compensate for the fact that I had no protein all day! (This happened a lot when I started being a vegetarian).

Track your protien over the day and make a dinner decision based on your day.

Most importantly, diversify! Protien is made up of 20 different amino acids, and technically, if you don't eat meat, you put yourself at risk of not getting enough of these different amino acids, which is bad. Try to keep your body as healthy as possible by diversifying your protein sources as much as possible.

kimwig

I'm vegetarian, this is how I usually get my protien (technically I am a pescetarian as I sometimes eat fish, but we all know it has amazing sources of protein so I don't have to go there):

Eggs (don't worry too much about the cholesterol, if you have a diet that does not have meat you are essentially getting NO cholesterol, which is also harmful to your body on a cellular level)
Beans (I add beans to green salads, sauces, make my own bean dips and make some great veggie cold salads with beans)
Green vegetables (lurking here is some powerful protien! You wouldn't think it but broccoli and spinach are huge sources of protien)
Lentils (canned or dry, I use these to make soups that are SO filling you swear you'd just had a steak)
Nuts (make sure they are unsalted and aren't coated in, all-natural peanut butter is great)
Soy products like soy milk and tofu! (I loooove soy milk, even the fat-free kind! Just beware, soy contains estrogen mimickers, so don't give soy products to baby boys, also, soy production requires a large amount of water and the seeds themselves are trademarked, so ethically soy isn't all that great)
Oats
Quinoa

Strategies:
I always start my day on a protein source. And not just cottage cheese or yogurt! I start usually with peanut butter, oatmeal or an egg or two to start the day off right and to not have to stress about making a bean-lentil-soy-spinach dinner to compensate for the fact that I had no protein all day! (This happened a lot when I started being a vegetarian).

Track your protien over the day and make a dinner decision based on your day.

Most importantly, diversify! Protien is made up of 20 different amino acids, and technically, if you don't eat meat, you put yourself at risk of not getting enough of these different amino acids, which is bad. Try to keep your body as healthy as possible by diversifying your protein sources as much as possible.

Not being picky, but just a couple of corrections.

22 Amino acids, of which the body cannot make 8 (it can make the rest) so it is these 8 (we vegetarians / vegans) must get from the diverse legume, soy, nut and other veg source.

Cholesterol - the body makes this from various lipid components and it is also present ( but to a much lesser level) in plant sources. So you do not suffer if you do not eat foods with cholesterol, you just have to eat foods with the building blocks for it

bowmin05

I use Amplify XL - Chocolate from GNC. It tastes like YOOHOO! Super yummy and only 4oz's of water.