Vegetarian Getting Enough protein

bbabs99

Hey y'all

I've opened a new account, but I've been on and off MFP for a while.
Anyway, I'm a vegetarian college student, that's an important preface.
I do a heavy weight workout three days a week and cardio/bodyweight exercises three days a week. I've read an in innumerable number of places that you should eat about 1g of Protein for every lb of lean body weight, and I'm struggling to get there. I could (and have) gotten there before, but it requires me to rely very heavily on protein shakes and I get hungry because so much of my caloric allotment is going to liquid and not solid food. My diary is open so you can look, but I, because I have limited access to foods, basically eat the same thing every day. As a side note, because lifting and body weight work aren't steady cardio, I don't trust their estimates in terms of calories burned, so I do not log them. To offset, I don't log the vegetables that I eat.

For reference:
Mid morning snack- Two large handfuls of carrots
Lunch - BIg salad with only fresh vegetables and salsa for dressing
Dinner - Ditto lunch


Any help is greatly appreciated.

EDIT: FYI: I take an Iron supplement and a multi every day to try to fill nutritional gaps.

jls1661

I used to be a vegetarian (for 11 years actually). When I decided to be a vegetarian I consulted my doctor to ensure what a healthy vegetarian diet should include. I suggest the same for you. I did include a lot of beans and legumes in my diet. It really comes down to researching which foods have protein in them, and other nutrients you may be lacking. I stayed away from all that processed frozen vegetarian stuff. But, seriously being a vegetarian can be unhealthy if you don't do it properly.

Tattoos_and_Tea

Quorn is a good form of protein isnt it? Maybe add some of that to your diet? x

linda1243

I always mix up vegetarian and vegan, but I have been on a hunt for high proteins and I know some that are 2 items that not meat
-egg whites (makes great scrambles with spinach, tomatoes, zuchini and lot of proteins from the egg whites), and
-greek yogurt (every high in protein and you can make smoothies for breakfast by adding fresh fruits and about a tablespoon of jam for sweetness)

Hope this helps.

linda1243

I always mix up vegetarian and vegan, but I have been on a hunt for high proteins and I know some that are 2 items that not meat
-egg whites (makes great scrambles with spinach, tomatoes, zuchini and lot of proteins from the egg whites), and
-greek yogurt (every high in protein and you can make smoothies for breakfast by adding fresh fruits and about a tablespoon of jam for sweetness)

Hope this helps.

JaneWrastle

BEANS! Bags and cans full - garbanzo, kidney, black, cannolini. make burritos, rice & beans, hummus.
NUTS - walnut and apple salad, almonds for snacks, brazilian nuts are supposed to be full of selenium! pecans in salad! these things may be a tad pricey at once, but you buy it in bulk and it lasts for a long time and you don't need to eat a lot to get the benefits.
Please, be careful, every vegetarian/vegan and i knew in college including my bro got sick - my bro got struck with heat stroke and got very very very sick - like weeks in bed and hospitalization and one of the problems for all of them was not enough of the things you get from meat - protein, iron, and vitamin B. By the way, they are all minimal meat eaters now; not saying everyone is meant to be but if you are meant to be a meat eater, don't find out the hard way by getting sick!

haleyhin

I would suggest tossing some beans onto your salad. I love canneloni beans on my salad. If you eat fish (I know, I know it's not a vegetable... :laugh: ) you could also add tuna to your salad. I'm a disgraced vegetarian, using chicken about once a week, but I usually don't have a problem getting my protein on the veggie-only days.

Also - have you discovered greek yogurt yet? It's a great easy snack and if you get the good stuff, up to 24 grams per serving!

kikitlo

Hi there - I am vegan. I know your struggle. The best plant based proteins are (highest to lowest grams per serving):
Tempeh 30 grms
Lentil 18
navy beans 16
Lima beans 15
Hemp seeds 15
black beans 15
chickpeas (garbonzo beans) 15
tofu 10
almonds 7.4
broccoli 5

I personally eat ALOT of beans. They are low in fat and filling. I also get my protein from a hemp powder that I add to my daily morning shake. I hope this helps.

byHISstrength

I think you should add a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter with your carrots (protein and good fats)
For you salad you can add beans, seeds, and/or nuts (but beans are probably to best choice if you are using salsa as your dressing).

bbabs99

I think you should add a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter with your carrots (protein and good fats)
For you salad you can add beans, seeds, and/or nuts (but beans are probably to best choice if you are using salsa as your dressing).

The issue that I run into with peanut butter (and nuts in general) is that to get a hefty dose of protein, you need to eat a lot of nuts (peanut butter is 7g protein for 190 calories, almonds are 6g protein for 160 calories, etc) and it's tough on a reduced calorie diet.

VeganGal84

nuts, nut butter, beans/lentils, whole grains... where are these in your diet? You are right, without these (at least some of them) it would be tough to be a vegetarian and get enough protein.

bbabs99

nuts, nut butter, beans/lentils, whole grains... where are these in your diet? You are right, without these (at least some of them) it would be tough to be a vegetarian and get enough protein.

I have nuts.... I have a whole bunch of whole grains, they're not missing at all. The foods that I posted on the OP were only the vegetables because I don't enter them to offset not entering my exercise calories. My diary is open.

VeganGal84

nuts, nut butter, beans/lentils, whole grains... where are these in your diet? You are right, without these (at least some of them) it would be tough to be a vegetarian and get enough protein.

I have nuts.... I have a whole bunch of whole grains, they're not missing at all.

Okay, I was basing this off of your original post, which was veggies only.

bbabs99

nuts, nut butter, beans/lentils, whole grains... where are these in your diet? You are right, without these (at least some of them) it would be tough to be a vegetarian and get enough protein.

I have nuts.... I have a whole bunch of whole grains, they're not missing at all.

Okay, I was basing this off of your original post, which was veggies only.

I explained what I was doing in the OP, but no worries. There would be a lot of other issues if I was only eating vegetables.

Wilmingtonbelle

When I decided to eat vegetarian (and embark on 100# weight loss), I asked my doctor to help me with nutrition. Focusing on protein is not enough, as women we have to make sure we get enough calcium, iron, etc... What makes it tougher is I'm lactose intolerant and don't eat eggs.

I'm really fortunate my doctor is understanding of my weight and nutritional goals, sending me to an expert vs. giving me a pamphlet. She put me in touch with a dietician who specialized working with vegetarians and vegans. The dietician gave me several great cookbooks but most importantly had me select key nutrition items in MFP to track, protein, iron, calcium, fat and fiber. You have to log EVERYTHING so you are sure you are getting the nutrition your body needs. She told me especially women vegetarians and vegans sometimes do not get full nutrition in their diets because they miss key food groups. She referred me to the Mayo Clinic Vegetarian Food pyramid which I have printed and on my fridge. I use it when shopping so I'm sure I buy the foods that my body needs to be healthy and support my active life.

Plus there are some great vegetarian and vegan cooks on this site who have been so helpful to me as I find new recipes and try new things. Many are very willing to support you so ask if you can be their friend

I hope this helps and great post!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/NU00190

lisaisso

bump

kristelpoole

Don't get lost in the mindset that you don't have a lot of options available for protein as a vegetarian. It's simply not true.

Try these sources, either on your salad or in something else.

Quinoa - cheap, easy to make and 1 cup = ~18g protein

Beans, Lentils, Peas - veggie chili, black beans on salad (especially w salsa? it's a no brainer!), split-pea soup, etc.

Tofu, tempeh, soy milk, soybeans

Nuts, all-natural peanut butter

Veggie burgers, bean burgers, seitan, etc

Whole grains

Cheese

Eggs

Fruits, certain veggies, etc

bbabs99

Don't get lost in the mindset that you don't have a lot of options available for protein as a vegetarian. It's simply not true.

Try these sources, either on your salad or in something else.

Quinoa - cheap, easy to make and 1 cup = ~18g protein

Beans, Lentils, Peas - veggie chili, black beans on salad (especially w salsa? it's a no brainer!), split-pea soup, etc.

Tofu, tempeh, soy milk, soybeans

Nuts, all-natural peanut butter

Veggie burgers, bean burgers, seitan, etc

Whole grains

Cheese

Eggs

Fruits, certain veggies, etc

I'm not making an argument that it can't be done, I know it can. But being in college things are slightly more complicated than if I wasn't. I work in eggs, cheese, whole grains, nuts and nut products, but I'm looking to get upwards of 180-200g of protein per day.

PrincessEliNa

I'm a vegetarian too, and while I love my salads, grains, and fruits, I definitely add meat substitute to my diet all the time.
Soy protein is the way to go I say!
Morning star veggie burgers?

kristelpoole

What do you have available to cook with? Just a microwave and hot pot or do you have a kitchen?

bbabs99

What do you have available to cook with? Just a microwave and hot pot or do you have a kitchen?

Microwave, fridge and a toaster that can also hard boil/poach eggs.