Vegetarian Diet..help please?

bluefox9er

Hi guys..I'm a 'proper' vegetarian..I don't eat ANY meat or Fish but I do eat dairy . I am somewhat concerned about the lack of Vit D ( result from a blood test) and protein in my diet. My knowledge of nutrition basically starts and stops at " If it's raw and green, then it's good for you"...

wondering if anyone vegetarian or even better, with a knowledge of nutrition be so kind to share some pointers or tips to increase my protein intake? Also I am adhering to 1200 cals per day for food and 500 calories for exercise at least every other day. Should I be upping my calorific intake? I have lost close to 30 lbs in 6 weeks so far ( this site has been utterly instrumental in helping me get this far, No way i could have done it without it) but hitting that awful 'plateau' where my weight for the last week is fluctuating a pound here and there..I don't have a deadline to reach my target weight, but sooner the better...I'm prepared to do whatever it takes except fit a gastric band :-)

much love and peace to all.

kennie2

do you eat eggs? i think eggs are good for protein. and beans chickpeas, lentils, anything like that

sarahenagy

Beans, beans the wonderful fruit! They are full of protein, they go well in lots of dishes, and are super cheap!

LillysGranny

I am not vegetarian, but skip meat many days and still manage to be well over 100 g of protein -- fat free milk, greek yogurt, lowfat cheese, beans, Ole Extreme Wellness High Fiber Tortilla's, nuts, eggs are all good choices (and when you eat eggs, don't be afraid to have a yolk or two, there's good stuff in there!)

djj267

im eating a nice risotto as i type this

Rice, beans onions, peas, mushrooms and with some veggi sausauge to to bulk it out.

i struggle to find high protien foods but love my veg.

add me and we can swap ideas

thanks

d

lulu1962

Whey protein powder! Yum!:drinker:

UltraRunnerGale

I am a veg and an ultra runner. I know how important vitamin D and protein are. I agree with Kinnie's suggestions. In addition, soy is a great alternative. It's low in fat and loaded with protein. If you see yourself needing more, you can always supplement with protein powders and bars, but I wouldn't use them all of the time.

I take a vitamin D supplement as I can't get enough otherwise and being a post-menopausal (TMI?) woman, I need it to bind with the extra calcium I need.

Hope that helps! :flowerforyou:

jasmin1310

tofu, soya, quorn

wendix

you don't neccessarily have to up your intake, just differ it slightly. try zigzagging calories to get out the plateau. that's when you eat more one day and less the next. google it and it should come up with sites you can use to plan your perfect zigzag as it were.

i used to be vegetarian and had the same problem of not getting enough protein so what worked for me was lots of soy and lots of quinoa. also tofu, avocados, lentils and believe it or not potatoes are good too. obviously cheese and eggs provide protein but on a diet you don't really want to overload on them. nuts are good too like macadamia, cashew nuts and brazil nuts as well as pumpkin seeds/sunflower seeds etc.

UltraRunnerGale

Oh yeah, Quinoa!!! Loaded with protein and many other good things!! Super grain!! I had some last night.

misskiyaw

Since you still eat dairy, you should try Greek yogurt it has 3x's the protein as regular yogurt. My favorite is Chobani or you can try Fage. The two at the bottom of my list are Athenos and Dannons brand. If you like yogurt at all the difference in taste wont be too off putting as Greek yogurt is alot more "yogurty" then its casual American counterparts, however the protein boast is worth it. Greek yogurt packs anywhere from 10 -14 grams of protein, often Ill eat just that and some fruit for lunch.

As a former veg myself I know how hard it can be to balance your diet, so good luck

elcar7

have you tried soy products and tofu?
Personally I think tofu tastes a bit little nothing or cardboard, but when you're marinating it with soy sauce and herbs It's great

concering the vitamin d lack - if possible try to get out in the sun, that's how the body produces it the normal way, besides sitting in the sun also provides you with endorphines - really no joke, my day's better if I catch a little sun, since it shines the bad mood away but don't forget to think about not sitting there for too long (skin cancer risk, but short is okay)

broadsword7

I am mostly vegetarian but eat fish, cheese, and eggs. All great suggestions so far, including beans, soy products (although I am starting to think that too much soy isoflavone is not good), etc. I still however incorporate some of those soy-based "transition" products like Gimme Lean sausage into my diet. My diary is public, feel free to browse it. I am by no means perfect and seeking solutions like everybody else, but maybe it might help. Good luck and keep going!

sarahkbarnes

Hi everyone! I'm new here, and also vegetarian (not vegan). I'm more concerned about iron than protein. Since I started using this site, i've realised that I'm consistently only at about 20% iron GDA. Any high iron veggie food tips would be very appreciated!
thanks folks!

crashta

Quinoa for sure. Often called a super food, it is a complete protein (has all essential amino acids) and is gluten free as well. You can make a larger batch and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. I bought a really great cookbook from Costco called "Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood 365"; it has breakfast, lunch, dinner, appy and desert recipes. Highly recommend this cookbook to anyone that enjoys or is thinking about trying quinoa!

For anyone that hasn't tried it -- it looks a bit like cous cous until you cook it. Good luck!

milaxx

Feel free to check out my diary. I eat eggs, beans, nuts and quinoa. I also drink almond or rice milk. I take a vitamin D daily. and occasionally drink a protein shake. I buy the vegan protein powder from whole foods by Biochem.

kaittx13

you can try looking up what foods work together in order to get the all the amino acids like meat has so you get the same type of filling protein:

like beans and rice
or peanut butter and bread

those are the only two i know by heart i know there are more foods that "complete" eachother and allow you to get the same protein as meat.

since at college i dont eat much meat. i have noticed that i eatt allotttt of beans.