Protein and vegetarianism
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daniellaritson
Posts: 2
Hey!
Iv'e been a vegetarian for almost 8 years now and have always struggled to get my protein up to my requirements. Some days I'm on around 30-40g max, unless I have a protein shake after the gym, or eat eggs for every meal and a whole tub of greek yoghurt. Since I decided to make the change from obsession with weight loss to a healthy focus on fitness; I've been struggling to get the sufficient amount of protein in my diet that I need in order to progress. Being a student, I don't really have the money to fund fancy supplements for non meat eaters or extra fancy food from holland and barrett. On the days that I've been training its been exhausting trying to get the right amount of protein and it seems to be taking over my diet to the point where I'm not really getting to eat the same things that I usually do and enjoy.
So, any vegetarians out there have any suggestions or tips on how to increase protein without it taking over your whole diet? I would really appreciate it!
Iv'e been a vegetarian for almost 8 years now and have always struggled to get my protein up to my requirements. Some days I'm on around 30-40g max, unless I have a protein shake after the gym, or eat eggs for every meal and a whole tub of greek yoghurt. Since I decided to make the change from obsession with weight loss to a healthy focus on fitness; I've been struggling to get the sufficient amount of protein in my diet that I need in order to progress. Being a student, I don't really have the money to fund fancy supplements for non meat eaters or extra fancy food from holland and barrett. On the days that I've been training its been exhausting trying to get the right amount of protein and it seems to be taking over my diet to the point where I'm not really getting to eat the same things that I usually do and enjoy.
So, any vegetarians out there have any suggestions or tips on how to increase protein without it taking over your whole diet? I would really appreciate it!
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Replies
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Bump because I have the same problem.Hey!
Iv'e been a vegetarian for almost 8 years now and have always struggled to get my protein up to my requirements. Some days I'm on around 30-40g max, unless I have a protein shake after the gym, or eat eggs for every meal and a whole tub of greek yoghurt. Since I decided to make the change from obsession with weight loss to a healthy focus on fitness; I've been struggling to get the sufficient amount of protein in my diet that I need in order to progress. Being a student, I don't really have the money to fund fancy supplements for non meat eaters or extra fancy food from holland and barrett. On the days that I've been training its been exhausting trying to get the right amount of protein and it seems to be taking over my diet to the point where I'm not really getting to eat the same things that I usually do and enjoy.
So, any vegetarians out there have any suggestions or tips on how to increase protein without it taking over your whole diet? I would really appreciate it!0 -
Quinoa and kidney beans or most beans and chickpeas are a good source of protein and fairly cheap...0
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A quick look at your diary shows that you're very dependent on carbs like cereal, bread, and pasta. It'll be easier to reach your protein goals if you switch things around a little.
Make sure you get a good amount of protein at every meal - tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentil loaf. Vital wheat gluten is super cheap and it's easy to make seitan with it. If you're vegetarian, you're eating eggs and dairy, so that'll add up as well. TVP granules are very cheap and you can make a fantastic "meat" sauce to pour over pasta. Ditch the cereal and bread for breakfast and center the meal around some protein - it'll keep you fuller longer anyway.
Buy some cheap protein powder from amazon or truenutrition and add a scoop to shakes, morning oatmeal, whatever. It makes a good snack for in between classes, too.
Plus, if you incorporate fresh veggies with higher protein content - broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, all which you can get for cheap cheap cheap at Aldi - it'll all add up and you shouldn't have to exert much effort to meet your goals.0 -
Low fat dairy and beans, and fish if you eat it?0
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Low fat dairy and beans, and fish if you eat it?
Why would a vegetarian eat fish lol0 -
Low fat dairy and beans, and fish if you eat it?
Why would a vegetarian eat fish lol
I've heard a fair few, and seen a lot on here, of pescetarians describing themselves as vegetarian.
A few times I've seen vegetarians eat chicken... smh0 -
Low fat dairy and beans, and fish if you eat it?
Why would a vegetarian eat fish lol
I know a lot of people who call themselves vegetarian and eat fish.... Not sure why you found that funny though?0 -
Low fat dairy and beans, and fish if you eat it?
Why would a vegetarian eat fish lol
I know a lot of people who call themselves vegetarian and eat fish.... Not sure why you found that funny though?
That's called a pescatarian
Vegetarians do not eat animals. But for some reason people don't consider fish an animals. Blows my mind.1 -
I'm a vegetarian, try beans, lentils, cheese and eggs - they will help your protein levels.
I don't eat chicken or fish
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Buy and make beans a main protein, beans are literally $1 a pound. I bought them in college all the time. You can make burritos, soups, salads, ect. Yes beans have carbs but they are high in protein fiber and iron. Try making a big batch of vegetarian chili. Yum!0
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Boca vegan burgers are a good option. 80 calories and 13g protein, if memory serves. Tofurky brats are about 30g protein for 270 calories. Gardein has several good option (I like the mandarin chick'n personally). Stir fried tofu is always a good option as well. If you keep an eye out, there are a number of high protein options.0
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As upthread, leafy greens are pretty good. I do a lot of bean chillis with black eyed, haricot, chickpea etc,
I use quorn slices in salads at lunchtimes, quorn chicken style pieces. Personally I prefer Cauldron sausages, rather than quorn. Paneer in curries0 -
Also a vegetarian here. I struggle with the same issue. Without supplements, I usually can get up to 80g of protein eating lentil, black beans, quinoa, broccoli, eggs, edamame, and Greek yogurt. To push higher, I have to add a supplement.
p.s. I'm a non-fish eating vegetarian0 -
i have the same issue! i've been vegetarian/sometimes vegan for 24 years. for the past several months i've been having greek yogurt with about a half ounce of almonds and some fresh berries for breakfast pretty much every morning, which starts my day protein-heavy (i still don't get enough protein, but i'm getting closer, i guess...!). lately i've also begun throwing chia seeds into my yogurt and other foods (not sure they have much protein but they're healthy). i toss seeds or nuts on a lot of things that i eat (salads, oatmeal, etc.) and should make soups more often than i do (lentil soup, vegetarian chili, etc.). i love bean and cheese quesadillas (heavy on the beans), which are cheap and easy to make. i'm going to check back because i'm also looking for ideas from others - thanks for posting!0
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I've been vegetarian for 14 years now and although it has been a struggle hitting my protein at first (130g +-) I learned how to eat to hit my goals. Feel free to check my diary for inspiration, although you will find chicken like once a week when I'm too lazy to cook two meals (my partner is a meat eater). In a nutshell it's a lot of cheese, eggs, cottage, quark, Quorn every now and then etc. Beans & chickpeas are good too but a bit carb heavy to eat all the time.. Plus I have 1-2 scoops of whey daily, I get mine from myprotein.com it's the most student budget friendly source..:)0
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Ignore protein. It is the biggest myth in all of nutrition. It is near impossible to not get enough protein if you are getting enough calories.
A human baby will grow 300% in its first two years of life consuming only mothers milk. Human breast milk is around 4.5% protein by calories. Never in your life will you need more protein then in your first two years of life.0 -
Ignore protein. It is the biggest myth in all of nutrition. It is near impossible to not get enough protein if you are getting enough calories.
A human baby will grow 300% in its first two years of life consuming only mothers milk. Human breast milk is around 4.5% protein by calories. Never in your life will you need more protein then in your first two years of life.
This post is just ridiculous.0 -
Ignore protein. It is the biggest myth in all of nutrition. It is near impossible to not get enough protein if you are getting enough calories.
A human baby will grow 300% in its first two years of life consuming only mothers milk. Human breast milk is around 4.5% protein by calories. Never in your life will you need more protein then in your first two years of life.
This post is just ridiculous.
Would you like to provide an intelligent rebuttal?0 -
Would you like to provide an intelligent rebuttal?Ignore protein. It is the biggest myth in all of nutrition. It is near impossible to not get enough protein if you are getting enough calories.
A human baby will grow 300% in its first two years of life consuming only mothers milk. Human breast milk is around 4.5% protein by calories. Never in your life will you need more protein then in your first two years of life.
This post is just ridiculous.
I think that might be on you. Incredible claims are often the ones that require evidence.
I was a vegan for five years, worked out and exercised every day on a protein deficient diet and while I was "healthy" I looked like I had AIDS and or was undergoing cancer treatment.
Not sure I could jump into the camp of protein being a myth without some facts to support it.0 -
Would you like to provide an intelligent rebuttal?Ignore protein. It is the biggest myth in all of nutrition. It is near impossible to not get enough protein if you are getting enough calories.
A human baby will grow 300% in its first two years of life consuming only mothers milk. Human breast milk is around 4.5% protein by calories. Never in your life will you need more protein then in your first two years of life.
This post is just ridiculous.
I think that might be on you. Incredible claims are often the ones that require evidence.
I was a vegan for five years, worked out and exercised every day on a protein deficient diet and while I was "healthy" I looked like I had AIDS and or was undergoing cancer treatment.
Not sure I could jump into the camp of protein being a myth without some facts to support it.
Numerous studies by the WHO have determined that 97.5% of the adult population need only around 2.5% calories by protein. They doubled this to cover 99% of the adult population. They then doubled it again just to be safe. 10% protein by calories. It is almost impossible to get less than 7% or 8% protein by calories eating just fruits and veggies.
And I should mentioned they don't list it as % of calories. They list it as a protein/kg of body weight. .66 grams per kg of bodyweight is their recommendation for an adult. For a 70kg adult, that comes out to 184.8 (.66 x 4 x 70) calories of protein per day. It that 70kg adult is a 25 year old male of 178 cm in height, then their RMR is around 2,000 calories. So, for this adult male, the recommendation is 9.25% protein by calories for a sedentary individual. If that person is very active and they burn an extra 1,000 calories in a day, then it would drop to 6.2% protein by calories.
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_935_eng.pdf?ua=1
My anecdotal experience is the opposite of yours. I lost nearly 100 pounds eating a high card, low protein, low fat diet, and then added on over 30 pounds of muscle. Actually, I am close to 40 pounds of added muscle now.
I would ask you what your diet was like, and what kinds of exercise did you engage in.0
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