PROTEIN! GAH! HELP!

rainbowbow

Hello All! I posted this topic in another portion of the forums but it didn't get very many responses. And the few it did pretty much suggested what was in my original post. O-o Posting it here because i think more people will actually look at it.

Please help me!!!! I don't want to drink 4 scoops of whey everyday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a vegetarian. I have been a vegetarian my entire life and cannot digest meat (due to improper enzymes). I have been lifting heavy and hitting my protein goal of about 105 grams of protien for the past 6-8 months.

Here is my issue. Last week I was diagnosed with hypothyroid. From what I have seen soy interferes with the body's ability to both produce/absorb the thyroid hormone.

I am wondering if the excessive amounts of soy protein i've had to consume to hit my protien goal were detremental to my thyroid. Until I have my physician confirm/instruct me about what he thinks is best i've been trying to cut as much soy out of my diet as possible.

How on earth can I hit my protien goal of 105 grams and stay within the 1400-1500 calorie range without soy?!?! Am I destined to drink whey/casein forever? I can eat things like greek yogurt, beans, nuts, etc. but the protien content vs calorie ratio is pretty terrible.

Any suggestions on alternatives? Anyone with a similar issue?

Any advice is appreciated!
(Again, eating meat/fish is not an option as i will get extremely ill. Oh, and I do consume milk/cheese/eggs)

rainbowbow

Bump! Please!

58Rock

As a supplement the only thing worth using is a product by Vega called Veag Sport Performance Protein. It is a complete protein and 100% vegetarian and gluten free. Awesome stuff. They also have a product caled Vega One which can be used as a meal replacement or supplement. Again 100% vegetarian and gluten free, plus Omega-3s, probiotics, greens, and a good deal of complete protein. If you are not dairy intolerant, low fat Greek yogurt weigns at about 14 grams of protein with 100 calories. Same for low fat cottage cheese. If you can handle fish tuna (chunk light) is massive protein/low calorie.


Here is a link to Vega!
http://shop.myvega.com/sequel-estore-us/Vega-Sport/vega_sport_performance_protein_tub_vanilla_usa

Hope this helps!

gabriellejayde

TOFU!
It's super low calorie and high in protein. There's lots of ways to cook it too- I just started using it and my daughter and I both like it in soups.

rainbowbow

As a supplement the only thing worth using is a product by Vega called Veag Sport Performance Protein. It is a complete protein and 100% vegetarian and gluten free. Awesome stuff. They also have a product caled Vega One which can be used as a meal replacement or supplement. Again 100% vegetarian and gluten free, plus Omega-3s, probiotics, greens, and a good deal of complete protein. If you are not dairy intolerant, low fat Greek yogurt weigns at about 14 grams of protein with 100 calories. Same for low fat cottage cheese. If you can handle fish tuna (chunk light) is massive protein/low calorie.


Here is a link to Vega!
http://shop.myvega.com/sequel-estore-us/Vega-Sport/vega_sport_performance_protein_tub_vanilla_usa

Hope this helps!

Vega is a soy protein. Oh, i just saw another one. It just stinks, I might as well drink whey. =/ God i don't want to drink all of my protein every day.

rainbowbow

TOFU!
It's super low calorie and high in protein. There's lots of ways to cook it too- I just started using it and my daughter and I both like it in soups.

I love tofu. But it is 100% soy.

jess7386

OP: Found these for you by doing some googling around. Hope it helps a bit:

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/high-protein-vegetarian-food/

http://foodallergies.about.com/od/soyallergies/tp/soyfreeprotein.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/273264-vegetarian-non-soy-protein-sources/

Seems to give you some good options. Good luck!

downinaggieland98

Can you eat eggs (egg whites)?

Ah, just re-read and saw that you can... maybe egg beaters would be a good addition.

BSchoberg

Tried the Vega and did NOT like it --- gritty, grainy, blech. But - OP, you say eggs are ok? Jay Robb has an egg white protein powder that mixes well, tastes good and gives a LOT of protein. I prefer the whey myself, but I get your problem, so maybe the egg white is your way to get off the soy. Hope that helps some! I'd be at my wits end if my protein was threatened!

Edited to add: they have a tastesless version that you could add to give a bump to your greek yogurt, cottage cheese, etc --- so you're not "drinking" all of your protein...

nikkisa10

You may wanna try this site http://vegetarianbodybuilder.com/187.html

jesse1379

I dont have any thryoid problems but have always used Jay Robs Egg White protein with great success. And IMO it is much much more delicious than Whey or Soy protein.

58Rock

No soy in Vega Sport Protein.

Here is what it contains:

Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Brown Rice Protein Raw and sprouted
Organic Yellow Pea Protein
Hemp Protein - Raw, alkaline-forming and complete
Savi Seed
Alfalfa Protein

iWaffle

How on earth can I hit my protien goal of 105 grams and stay within the 1400-1500 calorie range without soy?!?! Am I destined to drink whey/casein forever? I can eat things like greek yogurt, beans, nuts, etc. but the protien content vs calorie ratio is pretty terrible.

Since you've thrown out soy, lean poultry, and fish the only option you have to get a low calorie protein diet is whey, Greek yogurt and something like egg whites. Not all Greek yogurts are the same. The one I use, Chobani low-fat vanilla, seems to have the best punch in calorie per protein ratio.

SpanishRapunzel

Quinoa! And try plain 0% Greek yogurt for less calories than the sweet stuff and add it in lots of stuff ( like Brown rice and tex-next black beans). My boss is Indian vegetarian and is an avid cyclist AND runner and gets probably 85-100grams of protein a day, so I'm sure it's possible. Good luck to you!

dirtbikegirl5

You may need to go to a health food store, not GNC, but a real health food store. There is one product that I saw and I am sorry that I cannot remember the name of it, but it does not have soy in it, no dairy, no whey and no casein. And, of course, it is safe for vegetarians and vegans. I am currently taking one that contains soy and it is not settling well with me. I will use the other one when I am done with it. I also love tofu, but it does have soy in it. It is hard to find a protein that is gluten free and soy free, unless you eat meat.

wolfchild59

Try finding some seitan. It's made from wheat, not soy, and has 20-30g of protein per 4oz serving. It's a really common vegetarian meat substitute.

And I think that Quinoa also has a large amount of protein in comparison to other grains.

bokodasu

Pea protein! Hemp protein! Haven't found any that taste good, but they both have great amino acid profiles and you can hide pea protein in smoothies and hemp in oatmeal. I also mix hemp protein powder and chia seeds in yogurt - the goo from the chia masks the grit from the hemp. (Sounds appetizing, doesn't it? It's... ok, no, it's not much better than it sounds, but it is kind of interesting to eat.)

I get my hemp protein (the 15g protein kind) in 3lb bags through Amazon and my local health food store sells a pure pea protein under their store brand so it's relatively cheap, but I assume you can get it online too.

Good luck!

gabriellejayde

TOFU!
It's super low calorie and high in protein. There's lots of ways to cook it too- I just started using it and my daughter and I both like it in soups.

I love tofu. But it is 100% soy.

Sorry! Totally forgot you said no soy.

phonepest

What about the whey/collagen blend shots (like new whey) small shot, lots of protein?

luckyclover78

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4771/10-Vegan-Sources-of-Protein.html

This might help you out. Dark leafy green vegetables have a lot of protein for a small calorie intake.

Maybe you should google some vegetarian/vegan weight lifter websites for tips.

This guy is an endurance athlete on a plant based diet. Maybe you can search his site for some tips. http://www.richroll.com/

giggitygoo

Greek yogurt, quinoa, black beans, lentils, cottage cheese, and eggs


Most of my protein comes from these sources.

luckyclover78

http://www.richroll.com/nutrition/my-top-7-sources-of-plant-based-protein/

roxierachael

On one hand, you may be over- thinking it; a lot of people are hypothyroid. It's really not expensive nor a big deal to take synthroid everyday.

On the other hand, you can look into making your own greek yogurts. The ones I've seen are full of sugar and high in calories. It's really not hard to make, just a little time consuming.

kelseyhere

you can bake flaxseed into muffins and breads or add to smoothies. adds a decent amount of protein (about 30g protein per cup of flax).

also i eat my whey protein in oatmeal made with almond milk. to me it's a lot more palatable than drinking it in a shake.

ishtar13

How vegetarian are you?

If you are an ovo-lacto vegetarian, then eggs and milk can provide quite a bit of protein.

tumblyweed

Savi seeds! The first one tastes really weird for some reason (each...and...every...time), but these things are actually quite delicious AND the protein to calorie ratio is great!

I know that you can get them through the Vega brand or maybe just google them. At least this way you aren't drinking all of your protein calories.

As for protein shakes that don't have soy or whey, you can try Garden of Life RAW. It is completely plant-based, gluten and soy free. I get bored and sometimes switch it up and drink Plantfusion. Pretty much the same, but not as hearty as the RAW. I think it's pea protein.

Finally, here is a vegan on-line store. You can browse around and maybe find some good protein options: http://veganessentials.com/

Oooh! and, if you want to just try the Plantfusion, they have a cheap sampler pack, you can try all four flavor for $5. The protein is pretty high: http://store.veganessentials.com/plantfusion-protein-sampler-pack-p3673.aspx


Whew! hope that helps!

CPAUTISM24

Check out the Hallelujah Acres Diet on hallelujahacres.com. They are 100% Vegan. Hopefully this will help you.:blushing:

malcontent

Hemp protein powder has a decent amount of protein, and you can mix it in other foods, like oatmeal or muffins ... Doesn't have a ton of calories, also. I use this one: http://manitobaharvest.com/category/16/Hemp-Protein-Powder.html, and it tastes pretty good (i have vanilla) just mixed up in a shake with a banana or something. It is a bit gritty but not in a nasty way, at least it doesn't bother me.

Oh, and I'm not sure on this one, but isn't fermented soy "safer"? Like tempeh?

Good luck!

DesireeLovesOrganic

I was going to suggest hemp powder too. I like the Nutiva one the best, it also has lots of iron. I mix it with raw cacao powder, a banana, and some almond milk (or eden organic soy....it's not genetically modified and no hexane in the extraction process, one of the only soy products I will touch...I am vegan. The eden unsweetened has 12 protein in 1 cup.)

Chia, flax are easy additions to smoothies, oatmeal, etc. Nutritional yeast also has a good amount (and b12 too.) Split peas and black eyed peas are great, chuck them in the crockpot with spices and veggies, makes a great lunch. I notice the dried ones have more protein than anything canned....

briannadunn

Try legumes they are chock full of proteins. I am trying to become a vegetarian because I can't have milk, digest meat, and eat bread products because of my IBS. We are basically in the same boat. I read a book called Eat to live that really helped.

LotusInTheSky

Hey there, Im vego and always looking for alternative non-soy protein sources as well. I think Quinoa is great. I also make lots of dhals (or lentil and vege soups) using red lentils or mung beans ( a bit easier to digest), Chia seeds are also supposed to be amazing, and I have some cottage cheese and/or yogurt everyday. Nuts are also great, but the calories add up quickly!