Protein from veg sources & safe amount of fat

free8gent

I am trying to increase my protein intake, as I think that will help with the hunger I have recently been experiencing. I am currently limiting the amount of animal protein I consume, as I am living in China and it is difficult (and expensive) to buy meat or fish I feel is safe to eat. I have been eating quite a lot of nuts and eggs, but this inevitably leads to a high proportion of calories from fat.

I am looking for new ways to increase my protein intake from vegetarian sources. I currently eat tofu a few times a week, but do not want to consume much more soy as I am hypothyroid and I know soy can interfere with thyroid function.

What are some other non-soy options vegetarians use to increase protein intake?

What are your thoughts on a safe proportion of calories from fats assuming it is healthy fat? If getting more protein means consuming a higher portion of calories from fat, is this the best route to take?

Thanks!

selkiekin

I've been vegan for years so all my protein comes from veggie sources. If you are not gluten-intolerant, wheat gluten is amazing. You start with wheat gluten to make seitan( "wheat meat") You can make it into anything...mostly I make it into cutlets with the consistency of chicken. You can do all the same things with it that you would with meat...bread it, fry it, soups, stir-fries... lots of good info & recipes here: http://thegentlechef.com/

Of course, there's always good ole beans. Black beans are a staple in rice & beans and tacos/chili type things...white cannelin beans can be thrown in the blender with the juice from the can and a little salt pepper & garlic to form a high protein white gravy that works really well as a "biscits & gravy" breakfast. Chickpeas (garbonzo beans) are great mashed up with spices & a little mayo, onions & celery - this is practically tuna or egg salad. Use it the same way in sandwiches or on crackers. You can also take canned chickpeas & spread them out in a single layer on a cookie tray add any spices you like at this point) & bake at 300* until the beans are crispy. Great crunchy snack!

Quinoa is a superfood, way high in protein and used the same way as rice. There are different varieties and the different colors have different textures. White quinoa is most like rice, except it's far superior nutritionally. Red quinoa has more of a crunch. Almost pops when you bite it. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/quinoa/

Hope that helps.

free8gent

I've been vegan for years so all my protein comes from veggie sources. If you are not gluten-intolerant, wheat gluten is amazing. You start with wheat gluten to make seitan( "wheat meat") You can make it into anything...mostly I make it into cutlets with the consistency of chicken. You can do all the same things with it that you would with meat...bread it, fry it, soups, stir-fries... lots of good info & recipes here: http://thegentlechef.com/

Of course, there's always good ole beans. Black beans are a staple in rice & beans and tacos/chili type things...white cannelin beans can be thrown in the blender with the juice from the can and a little salt pepper & garlic to form a high protein white gravy that works really well as a "biscits & gravy" breakfast. Chickpeas (garbonzo beans) are great mashed up with spices & a little mayo, onions & celery - this is practically tuna or egg salad. Use it the same way in sandwiches or on crackers. You can also take canned chickpeas & spread them out in a single layer on a cookie tray add any spices you like at this point) & bake at 300* until the beans are crispy. Great crunchy snack!

Quinoa is a superfood, way high in protein and used the same way as rice. There are different varieties and the different colors have different textures. White quinoa is most like rice, except it's far superior nutritionally. Red quinoa has more of a crunch. Almost pops when you bite it. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/quinoa/

Hope that helps.

Thanks for all of your tips. I have heard about wheat gluten, but I have no idea whether/where I would buy it in China. Same goes for quinoa. I used to eat it in Canada, but I am not sure whether it is available here. I think in the interim, I need to turn to more beans, which as you mentioned are a good source of protein and also low in fat. I will try out your mashed chickpea recipe for sure. Your baked chickpea recipe sounds absolutely delish too, but we don't have ovens here . I have a itty bitty convection oven that just might work though!

free8gent

I should clarify a few points: dairy is also limited as there have been major issues with dairy safety here. Many health foods have unfortunately not yet become mainstream here so are very difficult to find (e.g. I'm not sure if quinoa, wheat gluten, or greek yoghurt is sold in China) - if anyone knows differently I would be overjoyed for the tip! It may be due to my limited vocabulary of healthy Chinese food - I get laughed at all of the time for eating brown rice and brown bread :laugh:

I plan to add in beans as suggested, but am still wondering if adding more nuts is a good idea even if that means adding more fat. Also, any other suggestions from the vegetarians/vegans out there?