Help! Vegetarian who cannot meet her protein goal

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  • akp4Him
    akp4Him Posts: 227
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    I've been a little wary about protein shakes. I don't know much about them but I'm concerned about all the ingredients I see in some of them. Any good vegan protein powder/shake suggestions?

    Garden of Life and Vega One
  • ChickenmommaMich
    ChickenmommaMich Posts: 60 Member
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    Thanks for all the suggestions! I don't eat any quinoa. Tried it once, didn't really care for it. Perhaps it's worth another try?

    I don't drink cow milk (I LOVE almond milk) but I do eat dairy products so I'll up those a bit.

    I've seen Quorn in the stores, but haven't tried it yet. Normally I eat Boca or Morningstar. Aren't Quorn products made completely differently?

    I am a little wary of soy too because of all that I've heard about hormonal disruptions. I don't avoid it completely, I just don't go out of my way to add it to my diet.

    And beans, I will definitely add that. I love chili, hummus and minestrone.

    *Seafood is a great source of protein with very little calories (well depends on how it's prepared) but I only eat seafood once or twice a year*
  • ChickenmommaMich
    ChickenmommaMich Posts: 60 Member
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    Oh and it seems I will be looking into some of the protein powders/shakes mentioned here. Vega seems popular. Thanks :)
  • ChickenmommaMich
    ChickenmommaMich Posts: 60 Member
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    I'm a semi-vegetarian (I occasionally eat seafood) and I'm usually over my protein goal.

    I eat:
    tempeh
    Calnaturale Svelte shakes (they're all natural and sweetened with Stevia -- I don't do artificial sweeteners)
    no-salt added cottage cheese (Friendship brand)
    full fat plain Greek yogurt (it's way more filling than non-fat and worth the extra calories)
    nutritional yeast flakes (also very high in vitamin B12)
    protein shakes/smoothies made with Designer Whey protein powder
    black bean soup
    hummus
    eggs
    low sugar, naturally sweetened protein bars
    Kashi Go Lean Original cereal for breakfast (high protein, low sugar)
    eggs

    I didn't know the Kashi cereals were high in protein...That would be an easy way to up my intake!
  • ChickenmommaMich
    ChickenmommaMich Posts: 60 Member
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    How much protein do you think you need?
    Why?

    I've been reading the boards a lot and used a few TDEE calculators. A few mentions eating as many grams of protein for every pound you weigh. Currently I have my protein set at 40% with Carbs and Fat both set at 30%
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
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    Gluten.
    Don't be wary of protein shakes.
  • krazyforyou
    krazyforyou Posts: 1,428 Member
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    Try quiona cooked with coconut milk, rich and creamy
  • ChickenmommaMich
    ChickenmommaMich Posts: 60 Member
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    Cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, Egg whites, mushrooms, milk .... all are great sources of protein. Also Beans (As in chickpeas, red/kidney etc) are great to add into salads for additional protein.

    I never even thought of adding beans to a salad. That's easy enough! Thanks
  • krazyforyou
    krazyforyou Posts: 1,428 Member
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    Also 0.8 grams of protien per lb is quite enough.
  • BonnieandClyde29
    BonnieandClyde29 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Meat helps! :laugh:

    JK! Ha, a vegetarian and I got into it at work, pretty funny!!!


    Peanut butter helps!!!! Oh and Protein shakes, muscle milk
  • AleciaG724
    AleciaG724 Posts: 705 Member
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    I can meet my protein number most days, but not if I work out hard. I add pea protein powder & PB2 (powdered peanut butter) to smoothies or yogurt with berries. I also have Pro7 which is a whey protein supplement, but I prefer to try & get if from real food. All above suggestions are great, but it's difficult to meet the goal with just food while on a calorie restriction... I figure better to get the protein any way I can until I meet my weight goal. This way I am building muscle to help burn the calories and not losing lean muscle mass along with the fat. I was told that women can't absorb more than 20g of protein at a time, so try to add the supplements between meals, at least two hours apart. I was told to have three protein shakes a day between meals, with 1/3 scoop each time, otherwise we will just be peeing it out...

    My diary is open - feel free to send me a friend request,
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    If your goal is to eat 40/30/30, then you need to eat some foods that get significantly more than 40% of their calories from protein. That isn't easy to do on a vegetarian diet without using protein powders. Even nonfat milk gets less than half of its calories from protein, and eggs get close to half of their calories from protein. Seitan, which is wheat gluten, seems to be about half protein too. If you need to eat 40% protein, you probably need supplements, unless everything you eat is a high protein vegetarian food.
  • ChickenmommaMich
    ChickenmommaMich Posts: 60 Member
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    Well it seems that protein powders/shakes may be just the thing to get closer to my protein goal. Do you eat/drink them as a meal replacement, with meals or as snacks?
  • ewrob
    ewrob Posts: 136 Member
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    How much protein do you think you need?
    Why?

    I've been reading the boards a lot and used a few TDEE calculators. A few mentions eating as many grams of protein for every pound you weigh. Currently I have my protein set at 40% with Carbs and Fat both set at 30%

    I've been asking for an explanation on why so much protein is needed in one's diet and have yet to come across the answer. I am a vegan and I eat 30 to 50 grams of protein per day. I am also fairly active, spending around 10 hours a week cycling. Do we really know that we need more protein? If so, I do not understand why at this time.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
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    Well it seems that protein powders/shakes may be just the thing to get closer to my protein goal. Do you eat/drink them as a meal replacement, with meals or as snacks?

    ANYTIME except for as a meal replacement. Ideally post-workout.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
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    How much protein do you think you need?
    Why?

    I've been reading the boards a lot and used a few TDEE calculators. A few mentions eating as many grams of protein for every pound you weigh. Currently I have my protein set at 40% with Carbs and Fat both set at 30%

    I've been asking for an explanation on why so much protein is needed in one's diet and have yet to come across the answer. I am a vegan and I eat 30 to 50 grams of protein per day. I am also fairly active, spending around 10 hours a week cycling. Do we really know that we need more protein? If so, I do not understand why at this time.

    Protein is important because:
    - Its amino acids are essential for tissue growth and repair. This includes your liver, kidneys, and heart.
    - It is anabolic. You can not build or preserve muscle without adequate protein.
    How much protein do you need? Protein's anabolic response is capped at around 40g per meal. However, as discussed earlier, more than 40g is not wasted. It is used to support the health of your organs.
  • euge777
    euge777 Posts: 2
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    Hello, buy a protein supplement. MetRx, All American EFX, Cytosports, Twinlabs, BSN, all good supplement brands.
  • 230137isntmyweight
    230137isntmyweight Posts: 256 Member
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    It's .8 -1 per pound of lean mass. So if you weigh 165lbs not all of that needs to be fed protein. Figure out your body fat percentage and subtract that from your total weight.
  • marilou0511
    marilou0511 Posts: 591 Member
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    Good to know. Thanks everyone.
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

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