Are the protein and fat goals important? (vegetarian)

Cheri_Alexander

I recently went from being 100% vegan to lacto-ovo. Today for the first time I realized that I am consistantly very under my daily protein and fat goals. I'm usually under with carbs as well and a bit under with calories. It seems like now that I'm eating the occasianal egg along with all the beans, almond milk, nuts etc I should be getting plenty of protein. How accurate are these "goals"? Is there harm in completely ignoring them?

Glucocorticoid

Don't use the cookie cutter recommendations of MFP. With that being said, yes, tracking macro-nutrients does matter (along with your calories).

kstep88

I would suggest asking your doctor what he/she would thinks. we are all different. I would think you would at least want to hit a standard amount of protein, sodium, fats, and carbs.... My protein is around 40g-100g it just depends, and my carbs are under 101...sodium is set at 1500.

My bloodwork is fantastic too. ---- but I used to be deficient in protein and was really sick. Not fun. (per blood test)

yesthistime

Vegetarian groups:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/219-mfp-vegetarians

BeetleChe13

My sister and I have been vegetarians off-and-on, and I know that a major concern is protein intake. Not getting enough protein can lead to muscle loss and cause many different health issues. You should aim to eat 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. I'm not sure how critical fat is though, but nuts and eggs are a good start.

Dave198lbs

if you are going to be a vegetarian you should really consider some actual research re: nutrition etc. there is a lot of information available. no offense to this audience here, but most of us cant agree whether tea counts as water or whether soda is made by the devil.

good luck

yogibella

I think it also depends on the kind of activities/exercise you are doing. Getting a good balance of macros is always good, whatever your individual goals are, including good fats. Before, I used to eat too many carbs to make up for the lack of protein, and always eating low-fat stuff, which is not that great either....I've since learned!

ninerbuff

I recently went from being 100% vegan to lacto-ovo. Today for the first time I realized that I am consistantly very under my daily protein and fat goals. I'm usually under with carbs as well and a bit under with calories. It seems like now that I'm eating the occasianal egg along with all the beans, almond milk, nuts etc I should be getting plenty of protein. How accurate are these "goals"? Is there harm in completely ignoring them?

Being that protein and fat are essentials (carbohydrates are not) to basically have life, yes they are important.

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DopeItUp

The default settings are typically considered very low for protein, so if you're not even meeting that, you are extremely low on your protein intake. Most people recommend around 1g per pound of lean body mass. So most average sized people should be eating at least 100g a day. I am shooting for 225g a day.

Beans, nuts and almond milk really aren't good sources of protein. Beans are mostly carbs and nuts are mostly fat. Even a jumbo egg only has like 8g of protein, they're mostly fat too.

LatinaGordita

Lacto - ovo here for many years. Protein is critical to me, because it keeps me satisfied longer than carbs. And I maintained my fatness by being a carb junkie for many years. When I can't get enough protein, I supplement with whey protein shake. I aim for 90 to 120 grams of protein and 90 grams of carbs. You have to research and figure out whats right for you. The MFP goals are extremely high on carbs and very low on protein.

Best of luck!