High protein + no meat = ?

marinabrazil
marinabrazil Posts: 106 Member
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys,

I have been on the P90X diet for 3 weeks with my husband while doing the workouts. It has been amazing and I have lost some weight and my husband too. But I still think there is more we can do about it. The foodguide asks for 50% protein in the first fase of the diet but we are vegetarians! We eat eggs, milk and cheese but after a while I get kind of sick of egg white omelets and soy burgers. Do you guys have any suggestions for protein sources for vegetarians that we can munch on? I can never achieve the protein goal of the day! NEVER!! I need help...
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Replies

  • JeanBeanM
    JeanBeanM Posts: 32 Member
    Have you looked at Miccis ladder on the beachbody site? Here's the link

    http://teambeachbody.com/eat-smart/michis-ladder


    It has a list of several foods & whether they are a protein a fat or a carb. It may have some alternatives.
  • deshaine
    deshaine Posts: 195
    HUMMUS!!!

    It's made from chick peas.

    Also, TVP, texture vegitarian protein. You can make it like hamburgers or ground beef.

    Tofu... :Q
  • think48
    think48 Posts: 366 Member
    Beans beans beans! :)
    And nuts, legumes.
    Peas have some protein as well.
  • 87wareagle
    87wareagle Posts: 1
    Oatmeal and beans are great(and cheap). Have you tried Quorn products? They're fantastic! (and not soy they are mycoproteins)
  • Kristen81
    Kristen81 Posts: 342 Member
    How about something like red beans and rice. You can use brown rice instead. Pretty good for you and full of protein and fiber.
  • TByrd1325
    TByrd1325 Posts: 920 Member
    While I have no idea about vegetarinsim, I'm sure there are protein powders out there you could also supplement with.
  • Paula_Addem
    Paula_Addem Posts: 80 Member
    Have you tried quinoa?
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
    Nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, etc), oatmeal, beans (soy, lentil, black, kidney, pinto, lima, etc.), peanut butter, almond butter, yogurt, spinach, broccoli... Good luck!
  • garedds
    garedds Posts: 251
    black bean burgers, veg. chilli, chickpea burgers, lentils.
  • IAmDanMarshall
    IAmDanMarshall Posts: 44 Member
    As others have noted... beans, lentils, green leafy veggies, nuts. Also check out some protein powders. We just got some from trueprotein.com... They have a bunch of different kinds but we got the gemma pea protein. It's only like $5 a pound, too.

    http://www.trueprotein.com/Product_Details.aspx?cid=22&pid=6816
  • paul100
    paul100 Posts: 29
    Lentils and other pulses. Quorn is a great meat substitute (is it marketed in the States?)
  • DancingDreamer
    DancingDreamer Posts: 520
    beans, fake "meat" products, tofu, tempeh, hummus or anything else made with chickpeas. try searching "high protein vegetarian recipes" online. or go to vegetariantimes.com and look through their recipes, lots of delicious stuff.

    its really not THAT hard for us vegetarians to eat enough protein, you just need to do it right.
  • DancingDreamer
    DancingDreamer Posts: 520
    Lentils and other pulses. Quorn is a great meat substitute (is it marketed in the States?)

    it is in the states but some people are allergic to it and the people who are will die if they eat it. its a VERY small population but i still think its something people should be staying away from. just my opinion. (its a fungus that grows on the inside of stagnant beer vats, if you want to know what it is)
  • Kristen81
    Kristen81 Posts: 342 Member
    I thought this sounded yummy. It's a balck beand and sweet potato chili.l

    Ingredients:
    •2 cloves garlic, minced
    •1 small onion, diced
    •2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
    •2 medium carrots, sliced
    •1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
    •2 tbsp olive oil
    •1 15 ounce can black beans
    •1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
    •1/2 cup vegetable broth
    •1 tbsp chili powder
    •1 tsp cumin
    •1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
    •1/2 tsp garlic powder
    •1/2 tsp salt
    •1/4 tsp black pepper
    Preparation:
    Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil for a minute or two, then add sweet potatoes, carrots and bell pepper until onions are soft, about 5-6 minutes.
    Reduce heat to medium low, and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine well.

    Simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, until flavors have mingled and vegetables are cooked.

    Makes 5 servings of homemade black bean chili.

    Nutritional information (per serving):
    Calories: 427, Calories from Fat: 67
    % Daily Value:
    Total Fat: 7.5g, 12% / Saturated Fat: 1.2g, 6% Trans Fat: 0g
    Cholesterol: 0mg
    Sodium: 368mg, 15%
    Total Carbohydrates: 72.0g, 24%
    Dietary Fiber: 17.3g, 69%
    Protein: 21.4g
    Vitamin A 289%, Vitamin C 65%, Calcium 15%, Iron 31%
  • think48
    think48 Posts: 366 Member
    Lentils and other pulses. Quorn is a great meat substitute (is it marketed in the States?)

    it is in the states but some people are allergic to it and the people who are will die if they eat it. its a VERY small population but i still think its something people should be staying away from. just my opinion. (its a fungus that grows on the inside of stagnant beer vats, if you want to know what it is)

    I've never heard of it, but THAT sounds disgusting, lol.
  • marinabrazil
    marinabrazil Posts: 106 Member
    Thanks alot guys!!!

    The thing is, I eat per day:

    1 serving of lentils
    1 serving of brown rice
    Almonds of Brazil nuts
    Tofu
    TVP
    Soyburgers
    1 cup of protein shake
    1 protein bar
    Tahini
    Eggs

    And I STILL cant match up the protein intake that I need!!! Amazing....
  • heidiberr
    heidiberr Posts: 643 Member
    Whole grain pasta noodles have a lot of protein as well!
  • musclebuilder
    musclebuilder Posts: 324 Member
    Thanks alot guys!!!

    The thing is, I eat per day:

    1 serving of lentils
    1 serving of brown rice
    Almonds of Brazil nuts
    Tofu
    TVP
    Soyburgers
    1 cup of protein shake
    1 protein bar
    Tahini
    Eggs

    And I STILL cant match up the protein intake that I need!!! Amazing....

    cottage cheese, yogurt, another protein shake, P28 High Protein Bread, high protein cereal
  • CraftyGirl4
    CraftyGirl4 Posts: 571 Member
    Not all proteins are created equal. There are a lot of people here who have good suggestions about protein sources, but you need to aim for complete proteins. By a complete protein, I mean, a protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. These are most readily found in animal proteins. But since you're a vegetarian, that's not really an option.

    Egg whites and whey protein are the most bioavailable sources of protein. What I mean by that is if you read the label, and it says 20 g of protein, you are actually getting 20 g of protein. This is NOT true of other protein sources, even meats and fish. Complete proteins for vegetarians include soy, amaranth and quinoa. However, you can also make complete proteins by combining foods. Here is the simple way of making complete proteins to keep in mind:

    •Legumes + seeds
    •Legumes + nuts
    •Legumes + grains

    For instance, brown rice and beans = complete protein. Whole wheat bread and peanut butter = complete protein.

    But, if you are following a high protein diet as a vegetarian, please, be aware, that this is extremely difficult. Why? Well, as mentioned before, it's just plain difficult to get all of the protein out of these sources of it. Second, many of these items contain good amounts of fiber, which is great, but it fills you up and keeps you feeling full. It's hard to eat more when you're already full.

    You will probably want to consider supplementing with something like whey protein. Follow the directions on the package, and do not exceed the recommended dosage according to the package. Protein bars can also help, as can higher protein snacks like greek yogurt.

    Hope this helps!
  • hunterr
    hunterr Posts: 16 Member
    I don't think you can do 50% protein without meat and fake foods.

    Fat free cottage cheese, egg whites and huge amounts of non starchy vegetables are the only high protein vegetarian foods I know of that don't contain a lot of carbs or fat.
  • marinabrazil
    marinabrazil Posts: 106 Member
    Not all proteins are created equal. There are a lot of people here who have good suggestions about protein sources, but you need to aim for complete proteins. By a complete protein, I mean, a protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. These are most readily found in animal proteins. But since you're a vegetarian, that's not really an option.

    Egg whites and whey protein are the most bioavailable sources of protein. What I mean by that is if you read the label, and it says 20 g of protein, you are actually getting 20 g of protein. This is NOT true of other protein sources, even meats and fish. Complete proteins for vegetarians include soy, amaranth and quinoa. However, you can also make complete proteins by combining foods. Here is the simple way of making complete proteins to keep in mind:

    •Legumes + seeds
    •Legumes + nuts
    •Legumes + grains

    For instance, brown rice and beans = complete protein. Whole wheat bread and peanut butter = complete protein.

    But, if you are following a high protein diet as a vegetarian, please, be aware, that this is extremely difficult. Why? Well, as mentioned before, it's just plain difficult to get all of the protein out of these sources of it. Second, many of these items contain good amounts of fiber, which is great, but it fills you up and keeps you feeling full. It's hard to eat more when you're already full.

    You will probably want to consider supplementing with something like whey protein. Follow the directions on the package, and do not exceed the recommended dosage according to the package. Protein bars can also help, as can higher protein snacks like greek yogurt.

    Hope this helps!

    REALLY helpful!! Thanks alot
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    I don't think anyone mentioned protein shakes. You may LOVE the protein shakes by BSN. Their lean dessert protein has 21 grams of protein in each scoop. Sometimes I drink if on the way to work in place of breakfast. Try 40% protein for P90X.
  • TByrd1325
    TByrd1325 Posts: 920 Member
    Craftygirl mentioned greek yogurt.. I'd like to second that. Some are super yummy and have 10-18 grams of protein.
  • hunterr
    hunterr Posts: 16 Member
    Could you maybe tolerate a little wild caught fish?
  • CraftyGirl4
    CraftyGirl4 Posts: 571 Member
    Not all proteins are created equal. There are a lot of people here who have good suggestions about protein sources, but you need to aim for complete proteins. By a complete protein, I mean, a protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. These are most readily found in animal proteins. But since you're a vegetarian, that's not really an option.

    Egg whites and whey protein are the most bioavailable sources of protein. What I mean by that is if you read the label, and it says 20 g of protein, you are actually getting 20 g of protein. This is NOT true of other protein sources, even meats and fish. Complete proteins for vegetarians include soy, amaranth and quinoa. However, you can also make complete proteins by combining foods. Here is the simple way of making complete proteins to keep in mind:

    •Legumes + seeds
    •Legumes + nuts
    •Legumes + grains

    For instance, brown rice and beans = complete protein. Whole wheat bread and peanut butter = complete protein.

    But, if you are following a high protein diet as a vegetarian, please, be aware, that this is extremely difficult. Why? Well, as mentioned before, it's just plain difficult to get all of the protein out of these sources of it. Second, many of these items contain good amounts of fiber, which is great, but it fills you up and keeps you feeling full. It's hard to eat more when you're already full.

    You will probably want to consider supplementing with something like whey protein. Follow the directions on the package, and do not exceed the recommended dosage according to the package. Protein bars can also help, as can higher protein snacks like greek yogurt.

    Hope this helps!

    REALLY helpful!! Thanks alot

    You're welcome. Let me know if you have another other questions.
  • craig1768
    craig1768 Posts: 44 Member
    As a fellow p90x'er.... I suppliment with Optimum Nutrition double choclate (num) powder.

    Not sure if 'no meat' also including fish (swordfish, shrimp, tuna)
    Here is the rest of my list of high proteins low carbs low fat

    Eggs
    Nonfat cottage cheese
    Nonfat greek yogurt

    For the meat eaters who are interested
    Boneless/Skinless Chicken breasts
    and basically all meats, but you have to watch the fat content on some.

    Craig
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
    Greek yogurt is my favourite. You could have it with fruit, or use it in your shakes to add even more protein.

    Beans - in soups, stir fry, chili, fajitas, etc.

    Lentils - soup, lentil loaf

    Also fake meat products.. I'm so iffy on eating these now though because of soy interferring with estrogen levels.. I guess in moderation though!
  • marinabrazil
    marinabrazil Posts: 106 Member
    I don't think anyone mentioned protein shakes. You may LOVE the protein shakes by BSN. Their lean dessert protein has 21 grams of protein in each scoop. Sometimes I drink if on the way to work in place of breakfast. Try 40% protein for P90X.
    [/quote

    If I drink 2 shakes a day I will go bankrupt!!! They are REALLY expensive here in Brazil...good thing is that Im almost on fase 2 of p90x and then I dont have to eat so much protein!
  • SharonsJetSet
    SharonsJetSet Posts: 159
    beans, soy soy soy soy and beans Of course adding some eggs and cheese will help too. I eat the EAS AdvantEDGE carb control bars. TONS of protein in those, barely any sugar and they're pretty good.
  • ganesha303
    ganesha303 Posts: 257 Member
    Cook with Tofu.

    Have Whey Protein shakes after workouts.

    Have Casein Protein shakes before bed.
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