Vegetarians Protein Suggestions

sullykat

tempeh, tofu, edemame (anything soy)
Green vegetables such as broccoli and kale
beans (kidney, chickpeas, black)
Sweet potatoes

Honestly, if you are eating a clean, well balanced diet, you should be getting enough protein as a vegetarian. I believe your diet should be broken down to the 80/20 rule… if you subscribe to the China Study. 80% carbs, 20% fat and protein. Look into it, it seems to be a pretty valid option and life style for vegetarians/vegans.

thingal12

Chef John's mushroom burger.. TO DIE FOR!!

Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 finely chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2008/11/meaty-mushroom-veggie-burger-least.html

kashmirdreamer

Soy milk, steamed mixed vegetables, greek yogurt, hummus, nuts (though these are high in fat/calories vs the protein), edamame, etc.

Vegetables have a surprising amount of protein for those who don't want to rely solely on beans. If you have a Target, they have new freeze dried peas and edamame with a lot of protein. They are easy to portion into containers for work. I don't really like the flavor but they are so easy. I like the fake soy products but in moderation, and I also eat fish which has a lot of protein.

tcunbeliever

soba noodles...I like them mixed with nutritional yeast, and then either soy/wasabi or soba sauce...seitan is not hard to make, just time consuming, decent recipes are all over the internet...and I love extra firm tofu since it can be fried up and seasoned any way you like it and it pretty much tastes like whatever you cook it in...

Julia6633

my favorites..

protein drinks (I like muscle milk light)
dry roasted edamame
tofu
greek yogurt
lentils
eggs

chubb666

Myprotein pea protein; 2.5kgs for realitvely cheap price. It taste crappy and probably isn't as biodiverse/bioavailale as whey but it contains all the healthy benefits of green foods (phenpols sp?) that increase metabolisim.

The natural ways; cottage cheese, cheese, beans, lentils, milk, soya beans (not recommended for men due to the oestrogneic boosting properties of soya), ground fax seed.

KarenJanine

I'm full time veggie (3.5 years) and have been working on getting my protein up over the last couple of months. I'm now getting around 150 g per day through:

cheese
eggs
greek yoghurt
nuts
whey powder shakes
pea protein powder
soy burgers / sausages
beans
tofu
milk (inc. soy)
seitan
brown bread

plus lots of veggies have protein too, eg. broccoli is pretty good protein per calorie. You're welcome to add me to see my diary but be warned I follow EM2WL so I eat a LOT

PNCTink

Green leafy vegetables. They're made up of nearly half protein.

yksdoris

Beans! I love green beans as a side dish on almost any meal as they're easy to get fresh (not canned) and easy to prepare.

I do eat meat but my preference has always been more veg, less meat, so what I do, I focus my meat on the more protein-rich types: chicken, tuna and salmon. Eggs have a lot of protein but be careful of the egg yolks, those have a lot of cholesterol and calories. I have a problem with milk products so I try to minimize the amount - however, what I can eat in limited amount is cottage cheese. On bread, with a dash of salt, paprika powder and pepper, it's yummy, low calorie and high on protein.

KarenJanine

Beans, beans and more beans! Kidney, pinto and soybeans have loads of protein, and chickpeas and lentils are packed with it. Tofu has lots, and my american friends tell me seitan is pretty good too ... sadly none of that in the UK

I get seitan from Holland and Barrett in the UK. It's the same thing we call 'mock duck' over here and comes in tins by the brand Granovita. It's used by some Thai restaurants so I love making green curry with it.

Sarah_Super

Beans, beans and more beans! Kidney, pinto and soybeans have loads of protein, and chickpeas and lentils are packed with it. Tofu has lots, and my american friends tell me seitan is pretty good too ... sadly none of that in the UK

I get seitan from Holland and Barrett in the UK. It's the same thing we call 'mock duck' over here and comes in tins by the brand Granovita. It's used by some Thai restaurants so I love making green curry with it.

THATS what that mock stuff is?! Woah. Never bought that because, well, fake meat sucks. You learn something new every day!

jakidb

protein shakes--you'd be surprise how fast you'd get that "protein" in

TKHappy

I haven't read the other responses but you are welcomed to look at my diary, its open, I am vegetarian and get about 100 grams of protein a day!! I do add protein powder on a regular basis!

I eat lots of beans, cheese, eggs and nuts!

SyntonicGarden

(bump)

mfanton

I do not eat a lot of meat so I tend to get it from Protein shakes and bars.

theMIDDLE

I have a hard time meeting my protein too. I try to get in greek yogurt, cottage cheese or eggs at breakfast which helps raise it up for the day because before I would grab a bagel or cereal which was pretty empty as far as protein.

moxiecowgirl

Beans, beans, the musical fruit...the more you eat, the more you...are feeding your body good proteins.

I also agree with the recommendations for Greek yogurt...don't make that face...if I can choke it down, you can too...cottage cheese, and eggs. Nuts and tofu are also pretty good sources of protein.

If you like fish better than red meat or chicken, since you're not a vegetarian, there are some fish, especially salmon, that are great protein sources.

Jackieonappy

I am a vegan and always meet my protein goal on MFP. Beans. Soy chunks. Tofu. GREEN veggies.

Bentley2718

How much protein are you getting?

Beans and lentils are a big protein source for myself. I also eat tempeh and some tofu. Quinoa is also a good source.

And really, unprocessed food will have some protein in it so eating a variety of foods helps.

About 50-60 g on average. Tonight I had quinoa mac n cheese for dinner that was 15g of protein. I have been trying to drink a protein shake every day but they are kind of sweet. If I remember to do that I get into the 70-80 range.

Also! I was getting 50 - 60g daily because that was the MFP goal but working out and keeping healthy I've been told I should be AT LEAST 100 if not more. So FYI I do think these goals are pretty low

A lot of people, especially on here, overestimate protein needs by quite a large margin. I'm 5'7, pretty active, including a lot of strength building exercises (e.g. lifting weights, pole dancing), and based on the formulas in Vegan For Life (which was written by a vegan registered dietician), my protein requirement is about 80-90 grams. The World Health Organization puts protein needs (assuming you're not restricting calories) at about 10% of calories, and recommends something like 15% of calories to be safe.

A lot of veggies (e.g. kale, broccoli) meet the 15% margin easily. If you get a variety of whole foods, protein should not be a problem if you're not restricting calories. It can be a little trickier for those of us restricting calories, but it should still not be as much of a challenge as many people present it to be, especially since you can always resort to things like protein bars (I make my own, using pea, rice, and hemp protein so I know what is in them and don't spend as much money).

Jackieonappy

BTW, my diary is public to my friends so add me if you want to see what I eat everyday as a vegan . I don't mind.