High protein - Low carb ideas for Vegetarians?

SassySurrealist
SassySurrealist Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
Help please? I'm really trying to be creative here, but I'm trying to limit my intake of soy products, and I'm lactose intolerant, so I have to be cautious with dairy products. That only leaves eggs, but they're not as satisfying, and after a while one can get sick of eating them. If I include fish / seafood, I start becoming concerned about mercury and cholesterol levels. What's one to do?

Any ideas, suggestions, comments would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Replies

  • EmpressOrange
    EmpressOrange Posts: 40
    I was a vegetarian for about 11-12 years. I got most of my protein from eggs, nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and lentils. I also tried to stay away from soy products and other over processed fake meats.
    I recently started eating shrimps and some white fish (my body can't process any other kind at this point). So far so good. I'm somewhat worried about mercury in fish too, but I don't think I'm eating enough of it to cause any serious harm (I hope).
    It's pretty hard as a vegetarian to eat balanced meals. Often I didn't have time to eat properly. Much easier to fill up on sandwiches, pastas and other junk =)
    Try to incorporate more nuts into your diet maybe?
    Eat some as a snack, or add to a salad or a stir fry.. Nuts are really filling, so you wont need too many.
    I love eggs, and have no problem eating 1-2 every day, for some reason I never get sick of them. I'm going for a check up soon, and will get my cholesterol tested just in case.

    I'm also lactose intolerant, but can eat some yogurts, small amounts of cheese and recently tried and got hooked on Skinny Cow ice cream with almost no side effects. Real ice cream is my kryptonite, so I'm pretty sure that Skinny Cow is a chemical experiment and not real ice cream.
    Have you tried eating yogurts? I know that I can eat natural Balkan style yogurts with no harmful effects.
  • Hbazzell
    Hbazzell Posts: 899 Member
    Beans Beans the magical fruit :)
    And nuts.
    And broccoli.
    and hemp protein if you can, some pop positive for drug tests so be careful.
  • ShaniWulffe
    ShaniWulffe Posts: 458 Member
    Bump for ideas :)
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    My wife is a lactose intolerant vegetarian, and lactase doesn't seem to help her. However, she makes her own yogurt with milk, and has no problem with it. The trick is she lets it incubate for long enough that the bacteria eat most/all of the lactose.

    For protein, well, that's a battle and a half. Nuts have more fat than protein, and while that's not an issue because fats aren't evil, it does mean the calories add up super fast.

    Dietary cholesterol found in animal products is nothing to worry over. That's the least of your concerns... Unless you are one of the few whom dietary cholesterol actually affects? For mercury and other heavy metal toxin concerns with fish, I would suggest you get out there and catch your own from your area's cleanest lakes, or research what the best store-bought fish types are when it comes to sustainability and contaminants (hint: Canadian farmed rainbow trout and wild pacific salmon are near the top).

    If you're a vegetarian, low-carb is not really going to be an option...
  • tomatini
    tomatini Posts: 61 Member
    Have you tried seitan? It's made of wheat gluten and whatever else you choose to put in it. It is not a no-carb food, but most recipes have a much higher amount of protein than carbs, and most recipes are very low-fat. There are lots of seitan recipes on the internet, but if you've never tried it before and don't want to invest in a bunch of ingredients you can also get prepared packages of it at Whole Foods and other health food type shops. It's usually in the refrigerator case near the tofu and stuff.
  • SassySurrealist
    SassySurrealist Posts: 7
    Wow! Thank you All so much for your wonderful comments and suggestions! Now on to try some of them and get some menu ideas put together... Thanks again!

    BTW, after posting, I looked on the Atkins website and to my surprise, they have suggestions/modifications specific to vegetarians/vegans... Who would've thought? :wink: :tongue:
  • EmpressOrange
    EmpressOrange Posts: 40
    Completely forgot.
    King oyster mushrooms. They are pretty high in protein (for a vegetable that is), and are really filling. It's like the steak of mushrooms.
  • gooseberrypink
    gooseberrypink Posts: 14
    The newest Atkins book has a section for vegetarians and vegans. You might not be able to get down to the lowest carb levels, but unless you really want to, it's not a problem. Low-carb veg ideas: spinach stuffed mushrooms, portobella pizzas, nuts, cauliflower crust pizza, light breads, salads, chili with tons of veggies, veggie soup.
  • Niledhel
    Niledhel Posts: 134 Member
    Beans and broccoli. Oh, and sweetcorn. Got to love it. ;)
  • Niledhel
    Niledhel Posts: 134 Member
    Beans and broccoli. Oh, and sweetcorn. Got to love it. ;)

    Erm.... But sweetcorn isn't really "low carb". ;) lol
  • LB2812
    LB2812 Posts: 158 Member
    beans, beans, beans! Granted they have some carbs, but they're also a natural, high protein, cheap & easy vegan option. I sometimes make my own burgers with beans - surprisingly easy (I got this book "veggie burgers every which way" & it's awsome!)

    Have you tried tempeh? Or seitan? I get tempeh at trader joe's (although I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it...) and seitan from whole foods. My favorite thing to do with it is make a mushroom stroganoff.

    Otherwise, I'm actually hoping for more ideas as well (also a lactose intolerant vegetarian (sometimes fish though) who tries to avoid soy meats!).

    Nuts help (just watch with all the fat). Soy milk has more protein than the other milks so I usually get that one, but if you're avoiding the soy, maybe almond milk?

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