Trying to get protein but have allergies- frustrated

CLFrancois
CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a lot of allergies. Just a few- Nuts, Soy, Corn, lactose intolerant. I cannot take whey protein or soy. Lets just say I would like to try to avoid animal products (I am vegetarian, but lets just pretend)
Where the heck would I find enough protein?
I need ideas. I cook, so any ideas would be possible.
Oh, I also like to try to limit gluten as I get bloated easily.

I sound like a fun person to eat with, huh?

Replies

  • mallen404
    mallen404 Posts: 266 Member
    greek yogurt?

    I eat, chicken, beef, greek yogurt, eggs, nuts, milk..
  • jehavin
    jehavin Posts: 316 Member
    Lol, just reread your original post and realized you're vegetarian. Whoops. Not sure how to help/what to tell you except eggs/tuna!
  • jehavin
    jehavin Posts: 316 Member
    Feel free to add me if you need meal/food ideas. I'll admit that I do indulge in dairy every now and then (and pay the price) but about 90% of the time I can get my numbers without any dairy.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Beans! I use lentils like ground beef in a lot of recipes, like tacos. I make "Hawaiian" navy beans by adding pineapple and salt. I mix refried beans with salsa as a dip....

    Lots of people who are lactose intolerant can still enjoy yogurt with active cultures and Greek yogurt has the highest protein concentration.
  • tacguy
    tacguy Posts: 196
    Check out the vegan Shakeology. I'm not sure if it will work for you or not, but it might.
  • jehavin
    jehavin Posts: 316 Member
    Beans! I use lentils like ground beef in a lot of recipes, like tacos. I make "Hawaiian" navy beans by adding pineapple and salt. I mix refried beans with salsa as a dip....

    Lots of people who are lactose intolerant can still enjoy yogurt with active cultures and Greek yogurt has the highest protein concentration.

    I totally forgot about beans!
    OP, these are great ideas. Be warned, though, that part of my dairy intolerance was that, as the protein content of dairy went up (aka Greek yogurt and cottage cheese,) the more immediate and dehabilitating my stomach's response was. (If you have lactose intolerance, you know what I mean.) Beans are dicey for me; the refried ones hurt my stomach like crazy but the ones I use in chili (kidney, pinto, black,) are good in small amounts. =)
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    If you are avoiding animal products completely then I would suggest legumes as an alternative. I would suggest tofu if it isn't made of soy, but I think it is? I never thought too much about it.

    nutritiondata.self.com is a good resouce, it has a search tool that can help you find foods based off your specific needs and can categorize based off of type of food (veggie, meat, fruit, grain, etc.)

    Good luck finding good alternatives, it will take being inventive I think because of your allergies.
  • mooglysmom
    mooglysmom Posts: 319 Member
    Tofu if pure soy. Just for info...

    Nuts. Lots of nuts. And beans. Lean meats that you can tolerate. The dairy makes it a bit harder, but you'd be surprised how many fruits & veggies have protein in them.

    I feel for you. I've got a gluten intolerance (possibly Celiac) and my oldest son is the same in addition to having a life threatening allergy to dairy.

    They do make coconut yogurt, you might want to check it out. Trader Joe's might have it if you have one near you, or you can make your own (which I'm terrified to try, not sure why...).

    Good luck, I know its hard, but think outside the box :)
  • KatieDuvall612
    KatieDuvall612 Posts: 17 Member
    I'm also allergic to soy, nuts, and peanuts, I'm lactose intolerant, and rarely eat meat. When I first starting lifting weights getting enough protein was hard for me, but I've managed to find ways.

    Some fruits and vegetables have small amounts of protein but every bit helps - carrots, spinach, broccoli, cucumbers, bananas, blueberries, etc. I make a smoothie every morning and after every workout with various fruits, veggies, and protein powder (I use PlantFusion which has minimal ingredients and is vegan, gluten free, soy free, dairy free). I also add chia seeds (3g of protein per Tbsp).

    Other high protein foods I eat: beans, brown rice, eggs.

    Can you tolerate any lactose? I've found I can tolerant some ok so I eat light string cheese or shredded mozzarella as a snack. Although I try not to rely on dairy pills often, I use them sometimes so I can eat Greek yogurt.
  • wmagoo27
    wmagoo27 Posts: 201 Member
    You can supplement your diet with pea protein. I've picked some up from Bodybuilding.com before for my wife. She has many of the same food allergies as you do. I can't speak personally to the taste, but it is an option. I've also seen hemp protein on the shelves before.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    amaranth is high in protein for a grain substitute. It also tastes good.
  • hdlb
    hdlb Posts: 333 Member
    I have a lot of allergies. Just a few- Nuts, Soy, Corn, lactose intolerant. I cannot take whey protein or soy. Lets just say I would like to try to avoid animal products (I am vegetarian, but lets just pretend)
    Where the heck would I find enough protein?
    I need ideas. I cook, so any ideas would be possible.
    Oh, I also like to try to limit gluten as I get bloated easily.

    I sound like a fun person to eat with, huh?


    I'd eat with you! We'd get along great, except I'm a meat eater lol. But I'm dairy, nuts, soy, corn, gluten, rice and oats free.....

    Try Vega protein powder if you're ok with supplementing that way. Its a vegan protein powder and the taste isn't horrible. Its not a huge dose of proten, but its something. I think its 15g/serving for the chocolate kind.

    How about Quinoa? It has protein too.
  • Iron_Pheonix
    Iron_Pheonix Posts: 191 Member
    Sunwarrior Protein powder - clean supplement with brown rice as protein source. I have a lot of food allergies (even react to help in Vega products) but this one was great
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    I have a lot of allergies. Just a few- Nuts, Soy, Corn, lactose intolerant. I cannot take whey protein or soy. Lets just say I would like to try to avoid animal products (I am vegetarian, but lets just pretend)
    Where the heck would I find enough protein?
    I need ideas. I cook, so any ideas would be possible.
    Oh, I also like to try to limit gluten as I get bloated easily.

    I sound like a fun person to eat with, huh?

    Try this page https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CE4QFjAB&url=http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php&ei=6ys7UYDHPLCC0QH7j4CgAw&usg=AFQjCNFYfCtF73nTJ4QgTkSWpvA9B6Ow4w&bvm=bv.43287494,d.dmg

    Does Tofu count as Meat?
    There are a few sections specificlly for Vegetarians you just need to scroll down. Hope this helps.
  • cielbee
    cielbee Posts: 62
    In addition to previous suggestions, how about quinoa. You use it like a grain, although it's really a seed. Also, if you're not allergic to seeds, you might try something like sunflower seed butter. Lentils and beans are great as are your greens. Veggies like cooked spinach and green peas have quite a bit of protein. Have you thought about working with a dietitian? You might get some good ideas that way.
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
    Try RAW Protein and RAW Meal by Garden of Life. Ingredients in RAW Meal:

    Organic Raw Sprout Blend (Organic Sprouted Brown Rice, Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Sweetener (from Organic Sprouted Brown Rice)), Organic Amaranth Sprout, Organic Quinoa Sprout, Organic Millet Sprout, Organic Buckwheat Sprout, Organic Garbanzo Bean Sprout, Organic Kidney Bean Sprout, Organic Lentil Sprout, Organic Adzuki Bean Sprout, Organic Flax Seed Sprout, Organic Sunflower Seed Sprout, Organic Pumpkin Seed Sprout, Organic Chai Seed Sprout, Organic Sesame Seed Sprout), Organic RAW Flax and Coconut Blend (Organic Flax flour, Organic Coconut flour), RAW Green Food and Fruit Blend (Organic Oat Grass juice, Spirulina, High Protein Chlorella, Organic Alfalfa Grass Juice, Organic Barley Grass Juice, Organic Wheat Grass Juice, Organic Strawberry, Organic Cherry, Organic Blackberry, Organic Blueberry, Organic Raspberry), RAW Enzyme and Probiotic Blend (Bacillus coagulans, Proteases, Amylase, Lactase, Glucoamylase, alpha-Galactosidase, Lipase, Pectinase, Peptidase, Bromelain, Phytase, Hemicellulase, beta-Glucanase, Papain, Cellulase, Xylanase, Diastase, Invertase), Organic RAW Vanilla Extract, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus bulgaricus.

    Pretty sure there's nothing in there you can't have, right? It's awesome! I swear by both.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    Beans, lentils, split peas, quinoa, sunflower seeds, eggs
  • AmandaTraylor
    AmandaTraylor Posts: 1 Member
    http://amtraylor.iamlimu.com/

    Check out the Limu Lean Meal Replacement shakes. I have one every morning for breakfast and I love them. I have several people that don't need to lose weight but drink these for the extra protein
  • WillowWindow
    WillowWindow Posts: 100 Member
    It's always tough to combine vegetarianism with multiple allergies but the people here have given you lots of good ideas. I would just add that there are blogs out there with lots of recipes for gluten-free food with different combinations of things the writers are allergic to. You just have to browse around until you find someone who closely matches your profile and then, if they are vegetarian or not, they will probably have a range of vegetarian recipes. Most of them have recipe indexes so you can find what you're looking for easily. One that comes to mind that has a lot of very good recipes and multiple allergies is Gluten Free Goddess.

    Since some of the foods you mentioned -- corn, soy-- are now genetically modified unless they are organic, you might want to factor that into the equation, as well as the fact that dairy has a lot of added hormones. Natural, unmodified food is your best bet if you have allergies.

    If you can have eggs, free-run organic ones are a good choice and egg whites can boost protein in muffins, fritattas etc. I make vegetarian burgers with besan ( chick pea flour) and combinations of minced carrot, green pepper, garlic, onion and mushrooms that taste fantastic and are full of protein. It's available at places that stock Indian groceries and bulk foods.
  • jadermary
    jadermary Posts: 105 Member
    I love RAW Protein and RAW Meal by Garden of Life, drink it everyday.
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
    I checked out hemp protein but it is pretty expensive. I think I will leave that as a last alternative.
    I got some pea protein, looks interesting, tastes pretty ok. I mix it with my coconut milk and a banana.
    Whatever works at this point.
    I work out a lot and have noticed I am getting exhausted quickly.
    I have used egg protein before and just want to try to not use it as much.
    I like beans but they don't like me as much. Moderation for sure. Black are my favorite. I do put lentils in a lot of things to bulk them up.
    Thanks for all the suggestions!
    Luckily I am not a very picky eater.
  • WillowWindow
    WillowWindow Posts: 100 Member
    Sounds like it might be a recovery problem. If you train too much your body is breaking down faster than it can recover. I'd check with a trainer or sports medecine person if you think you are having that issue.
  • alisiaendris
    alisiaendris Posts: 213 Member
    What about nut butter alternatives like sun butter?

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