Vegetarian and protein

Try black beans if you like them. A cup has about 15g of protein. I only buy the low sodium or no sodium beans and season them myself since the sodium can get pretty high. If you eat dairy maybe you can try reduced fat string cheese which has about 8g of protein.

Whey protein powder, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, other types of cheese.

Edited to add edamame. I know you said you don't like soy replacement type foods, I'm assuming you mean processed stuff like Boca Burgers and Morningstar Farms stuff.

Yoplait Greek 2X Protein yogurt - 8g protein per serving
Yoplait Greek 2X Protein with Granola - 12g protein per serving

beans and legumes...quinioa, wheat and other grains...

the only way i have ever been able to hit my macros on a veggie diet was strategic use of protein powders. Yes, it's processed, but it gets the goods in the system!

oh and I happen to believe hitting macros is key to a strength training program, but also to a flat tummy. I notice when I hit my macros, my belly is a lot flatter looking than when I'm loading up on carbs and fat. Just sayin'. that's my two cents.

With all of that said, I've read on this site and others that we are too obsessed with protein and if you eat a diet including a lot of fresh vegetables you're probably getting the compounds your body breaks the protein down into anyway.

Good luck!
[/quote]

I agree with the above statement. I've been veg for 18+mos and have been lifting heavy for the past 6+mos. and have seen some great progress so far...lots of definition and tone. Most days I'm below my protein goal but it hasn't' affected my strength gains or weigh loss at all.

Recommendations: beans, beans, beans (agree w/ the other poster about the salt content, so I try to boil or prep my own)...lentils, edamame, quinoa, lots of fresh veggies and fruits and cheese here and there. (I try to keep it to 2 oz or under per day to monitor the fat content, but everyone's different). I also eat greek yogurt on occasion and drink almond milk (tastes good once you get used to it and doesn't have any soy in it). As far as protein powder goes, when I do use it (I add it to my recipes/food, I never drink it straight w/ water...can't stomach the taste/consistency) I buy the Pumpkin Protein Powder. I think Omega makes it. It's vegan/veg friendly and does the job. Not a lot of added chemicals, etc. like some of the other protein powders out there.

Hope this helps!

oh and I happen to believe hitting macros is key to a strength training program, but also to a flat tummy. I notice when I hit my macros, my belly is a lot flatter looking than when I'm loading up on carbs and fat. Just sayin'. that's my two cents.

Completely agree with this 100%

protein is over rated.

ha ha! not so much in my situation.

It's not how much you consume it's how much you use. Excessive amount of protein just gets stored as energy. So consuming too much is wasted. The less you consume, the better utilization you'll get out of it. Within reason.

agreed, but theres no way to know how much you are using...so it wont hurt to eat more of it and less of the other things. I didnt have muscle like this until I upped my protein levels. didnt change my workout routine at all so i guess i wasnt taking in enough before. but how would i know?

Hi I am struggling to get enough protein into my day. I am a vegetarian with an intollerance to most nuts and don't like soy replacement type foods, Apart from tofu and eggs any suggestions? I am falling about half my protein amount short each day?
Thanks

Try beans or Greek yogurt.

Seitan.... if you can tolerate gluten.

haven't read all the answers, but the Sun Warrior Protein is raw and vegan. Tasted it for the first time today and it's quite good .

My opinion:

Vegetarians ought to *seriously* consider adding hemp seeds to their diets. Hemp seeds are one of the rare plant-based sources of complete protein, in addition to having the perfect ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6, making it like a 1,2 punch to give your body protein. The Nutiva hemp protein powder that I use for smoothies is 90 calories for 15 grams of protein. Honestly, you can NOT get a better, natural source of plant-based protein than hemp seeds.

One downside being that hemp is really high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (about 80%) and the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is about 3:1. Also, the Omega-3 is in the form of the less available ALA (bodies don't efficiently convert ALA to DHA/EPA.) I would supplement with fish oil if you're going to start taking in a large amount of Hemp seeds in an effort to keep your overall ratio better.