Low-no carb high protein vegetarian/vegan foods?

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Crisitunity
Crisitunity Posts: 98 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

I am raising my calorie intake slowly but surely (moving towards maintenance, yay!) and I have some concerns. I do not strictly eat a vegetarian diet, but most days do not want to eat meat. I watch my carbs, trying to keep it to 60g/meal & 30g/snack as I am hypoglycaemic.

Most days I am getting my calories in by having egg whites (I hate yolks - smell, texture, flavour) or cheese.

Any other great suggestions?
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Replies

  • lilylux
    lilylux Posts: 109 Member
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    Nuts or seeds, tofu? I'm vege/pescaratian so I'm interested to see where this thread goes!
  • Crisitunity
    Crisitunity Posts: 98 Member
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    Looks like a whole lot of nothing on advice for this! Yeah, nuts and seeds are high cal. I might go back to putting coconut oil in my green & sweet smoothies. It was my main source of cals when I was on a vegan diet. Was hoping for something a little bit more substantial or solid... but maybe that's where the carbs come in? I don't know.
  • WillyH19
    WillyH19 Posts: 3 Member
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    How about beans? Chickpeas are one of my favorites. I eat them in salads or roast them with some garlic and olive oil for a snack.1/2 cup has around 27g of carbs.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Seapoint Farms dry roasted edamame.

    1/4 c (30 g) -- 130 cal 4.5 g fat (.5 sat), 0 chol, 130mg sodium 9 carbs, 7 fiber (2 net carbs) 1 g sugar, 14g protein 4% calcium 10% iron

    And they are addictively delicious!

    http://www.seapointfarms.com/dry-roasted-edamame.html

    There are also vegan protein powders. And Hemp powder is pretty high in protein.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    You're going to hate my advice, but when you give yourself all these limitations in your diet (high protein, low calorie, low carb, no meat), you are either sacrificing health or severely limiting your options.

    If you want protein that isn't high calorie or high carb, eat meat.
    Beans are high in carbs.
  • jbahrami
    jbahrami Posts: 206 Member
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    I love having slices of avocado with my eggwhites (on the side, of course). How about making something with lentils? Super high in protein...any legumes or beans are great. I make "black bean cakes" all the time (blackbeans, eggwhites, garlic, salt, pepper and throw them in a little olive oil in the skillet...you can also add spinach or any veggies to them as well) and they're great for any time of day!
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    You are applying too many restrictions to find real foods that meet your criteria - if you want moderate calorie you are going to have to restrict fats, then you also want to restrict carbohydrates and don't eat meat or fish. Your main option is going to be protein powders. Coconut oil is not particularly nutritious it is just fat, it certainly should not form the cornerstone of a vegan diet. Why not use whole coconut (block creamed), avocado or cocoa?
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
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    You're going to hate my advice, but when you give yourself all these limitations in your diet (high protein, low calorie, low carb, no meat), you are either sacrificing health or severely limiting your options.

    If you want protein that isn't high calorie or high carb, eat meat.
    Beans are high in carbs.

    Totally agree^^
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Vegetables are carbs, so I have no clue how one could be both a vegetarian and a low-carb person. Maybe become a nut/seed 'itarian?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    You're going to hate my advice, but when you give yourself all these limitations in your diet (high protein, low calorie, low carb, no meat), you are either sacrificing health or severely limiting your options.

    If you want protein that isn't high calorie or high carb, eat meat.
    Beans are high in carbs.

    Totally agree^^
    I'm with these two. There are no low carb, non-meat protein options, really, other than protein powders.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    I'm with these two. There are no low carb, non-meat protein options, really, other than protein powders.

    Yup - And protein powder is arguably not even a "food", more like a supplement
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    You're going to hate my advice, but when you give yourself all these limitations in your diet (high protein, low calorie, low carb, no meat), you are either sacrificing health or severely limiting your options.

    If you want protein that isn't high calorie or high carb, eat meat.
    Beans are high in carbs.

    Amen to that. And supposedly my diet is a "fad" and "too restrictive". Yeah, whatever.

    By all means, eat the coconut oil because you need something healthy to fuel your body!
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    You are applying too many restrictions to find real foods that meet your criteria - if you want moderate calorie you are going to have to restrict fats, then you also want to restrict carbohydrates and don't eat meat or fish. Your main option is going to be protein powders. Coconut oil is not particularly nutritious it is just fat, it certainly should not form the cornerstone of a vegan diet. Why not use whole coconut (block creamed), avocado or cocoa?

    No, restriction of fats does not need to be part of the plan. I eat anywhere between 1300-1600 cals per day and I do it on a diet of 65% fat. Wrong about the coconut oil; it is VERY nutritious and yes it is "just fat", one of the healthiest kinds. It is a cornerstone of my diet so certainly could be for a vegetarian/vegan diet as well. Whole coconut, avocado and cocoa are great recommendations.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    You are applying too many restrictions to find real foods that meet your criteria - if you want moderate calorie you are going to have to restrict fats, then you also want to restrict carbohydrates and don't eat meat or fish. Your main option is going to be protein powders. Coconut oil is not particularly nutritious it is just fat, it certainly should not form the cornerstone of a vegan diet. Why not use whole coconut (block creamed), avocado or cocoa?

    No, restriction of fats does not need to be part of the plan. I eat anywhere between 1300-1600 cals per day and I do it on a diet of 65% fat. Wrong about the coconut oil; it is VERY nutritious and yes it is "just fat", one of the healthiest kinds. It is a cornerstone of my diet so certainly could be for a vegetarian/vegan diet as well. Whole coconut, avocado and cocoa are great recommendations.

    What makes coconut oil "VERY nutritious"? I realize it's a healthy fat, but so are a lot of other oils. Does this have other nutrition besides fat?

    That's a serious question BTW. I'm not trying to diss it, I just know little about it. Does it taste like coconut?
  • adiefuhren
    adiefuhren Posts: 3
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    Seitan, seitan, seitan. Try it if you haven't already. It's delicious!!! It can be prepared like meat and has a much better taste and texture than tofu. It has a more meat-like texture. I like to eat it prepared like a pulled pork sandwich... delicious! It only has 3 grams of carbs per serving (same as tofu) but MORE protein, LESS calories and LESS fat! It has 18 grams of protein per serving!
  • sblake204
    sblake204 Posts: 458 Member
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    YOu can also try Almased or Hemp Seeds. Both can be found at a health food store
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
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    Lentils, beans, while these might not be considered low carbs by all they are complex carbs and they would fit in with your goal amounts.

    Lentil soup is a fantastic filling meal. I use lentils to bulk out meals where I use veggie mince. Quorn mince or grounds as it's called in the US is good for protein and low carb, 9.0g per serving and low fat, 2.0g per serving.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Seapoint Farms dry roasted edamame.

    1/4 c (30 g) -- 130 cal 4.5 g fat (.5 sat), 0 chol, 130mg sodium 9 carbs, 7 fiber (2 net carbs) 1 g sugar, 14g protein 4% calcium 10% iron

    And they are addictively delicious!

    http://www.seapointfarms.com/dry-roasted-edamame.html

    There are also vegan protein powders. And Hemp powder is pretty high in protein.

    ^^I second this

    Also, seitan, tofu and quorn. You ca also make a protein shake with whey as a snack.
  • walkinon_sunshine
    walkinon_sunshine Posts: 36
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    Seitan, seitan, seitan. Try it if you haven't already. It's delicious!!! It can be prepared like meat and has a much better taste and texture than tofu. It has a more meat-like texture. I like to eat it prepared like a pulled pork sandwich... delicious! It only has 3 grams of carbs per serving (same as tofu) but MORE protein, LESS calories and LESS fat! It has 18 grams of protein per serving!


    ^^^Yes, yes and triple yes!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Greek yogurt.

    Mycoprotein (Quorn products)

    And.... Damn... Can't really think of anything else "low carb"

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