Carbs/Protein/Fat Ratio: Vegan

swalberg0625
swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
in Food and Nutrition
No luck on vegan/ herbivores forums. Thanks in advance for any opinions/ suggestions.

So I calculated my BMR/TDEE & Adjusted my macros in accordance with IIFYM

Carbs: 45%
Protein: 40%
Fat: 15%

I think carbs is a good fit but does the protein/ fat ratio seem far fetched for a vegan diet. What ratio are you guys/gals using? Any advice would be much appreciated

Replies

  • VeganCappy
    VeganCappy Posts: 122
    My diet gets me a ratio of around 80%-85% carbs, and a split between of the rest between protein and fat. Sometimes I go a little nuts on nuts, and the protein and fat jobs up, but for a weekly average, I would guess I keep them both under 10% - 12%.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    15% fat is far too low for a female. Unless you're trying to build muscle, you won't need to have your protein goal so high (pretty sure you'd struggle to hit it on a vegan diet too).
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Not sure how you got 15% for fat, try something like 40/30/30
  • swalberg0625
    swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
    15% fat is far too low for a female. Unless you're trying to build muscle, you won't need to have your protein goal so high (pretty sure you'd struggle to hit it on a vegan diet too).

    Yes that is what I was thinking. And at 45% carbs already under. And protien can be difficult. I'm thinking maybe

    Carbs: 50
    Protein: 20
    Fat:30
    I eat a lot of fruit and whole grains. Median amounts of veggies. Just trying to come up with a good ratio that I can try to stick to for awile
  • swalberg0625
    swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
    15% fat is far too low for a female. Unless you're trying to build muscle, you won't need to have your protein goal so high (pretty sure you'd struggle to hit it on a vegan diet too).

    Yes that is what I was thinking. And at 45% carbs already under. And protien can be difficult. I'm thinking maybe

    Carbs: 50
    Protein: 20
    Fat:30
    I eat a lot of fruit and whole grains. Median amounts of veggies. Just trying to come up with a good ratio that I can try to stick to for awile

    Already over carbs for the day I meant
  • VeganCappy
    VeganCappy Posts: 122
    15% fat is far too low for a female. Unless you're trying to build muscle, you won't need to have your protein goal so high (pretty sure you'd struggle to hit it on a vegan diet too).

    Do you have a scienctific reference?
  • swalberg0625
    swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
    My diet gets me a ratio of around 80%-85% carbs, and a split between of the rest between protein and fat. Sometimes I go a little nuts on nuts, and the protein and fat jobs up, but for a weekly average, I would guess I keep them both under 10% - 12%.

    It seems most vegans/ vegetarians have higher carbs BC of grains/ fruit/veggies. So def will take that into consideration with more healthy fats and the protein probably being the lowest.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    You can't just choose to eat less protein than your body needs because it's hard to get on a vegan diet. You can hit those ratios on a vegan diet, try including vegan protein powders to bump up your protein levels. I've never tried them myself (I'm not vegan, although I was in the past) but most vegan athletes I've come across say pea protein powder is very good.
  • VeganCappy
    VeganCappy Posts: 122
    http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/
  • swalberg0625
    swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
    You can't just choose to eat less protein than your body needs because it's hard to get on a vegan diet. You can hit those ratios on a vegan diet, try including vegan protein powders to bump up your protein levels. I've never tried them myself (I'm not vegan, although I was in the past) but most vegan athletes I've come across say pea protein powder is very good.

    Yes I agree and looking into a supplement. I do make sure the proteins I ask eating are complete such as quinoa and edemame. Protein won't be much lower than fat but as of now I am not having issues energy wise.
  • VeganCappy
    VeganCappy Posts: 122
    My diet gets me a ratio of around 80%-85% carbs, and a split between of the rest between protein and fat. Sometimes I go a little nuts on nuts, and the protein and fat jobs up, but for a weekly average, I would guess I keep them both under 10% - 12%.

    It seems most vegans/ vegetarians have higher carbs BC of grains/ fruit/veggies. So def will take that into consideration with more healthy fats and the protein probably being the lowest.

    Yes, you don't need any more fat than your essential fatty acids, because you body has no problem making fat from carbs and even protein.
  • Neliel88
    Neliel88 Posts: 42 Member
    Aim high on the carbs, keep the fat and sodium low. Forget about the protein because if you're eating enough calories from fruit, vegetables and grains then you'll get more than enough protein.
  • VeganCappy
    VeganCappy Posts: 122
    Aim high on the carbs, keep the fat and sodium low. Forget about the protein because if you're eating enough calories from fruit, vegetables and grains then you'll get more than enough protein.
    +1
  • swalberg0625
    swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
    Aim high on the carbs, keep the fat and sodium low. Forget about the protein because if you're eating enough calories from fruit, vegetables and grains then you'll get more than enough protein.

    Great! Thanks
  • swalberg0625
    swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
    http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/

    Thanks
  • swalberg0625
    swalberg0625 Posts: 98 Member
    http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-get-enough-protein/

    Said thanks already but this video is awesome! :)
  • doddy44
    doddy44 Posts: 8 Member
    Im a longtime vegan with the same question. I eat whole foods, but Im not raw. I started keeping track June 5th and so far my average ratio is: 67% carbs: 20% fats: 13% protein. The carbs go between 60-70%, the fats vary between 12-25% and the protein seems to be the steadiest, varying between 11-18%. Im also wondering if I should be trying to control the ratio more, get more protein, or eat less fat. Thanks for any advice!
  • doddy44
    doddy44 Posts: 8 Member
    Im wondering about % calories versus % grams for the ratios. The percents I put above are from the Myfitnesspal.com Food input page (which I think is in grams) but I want to know my % calories so that I can change the Goals page. Any suggestions?
  • VeganCappy
    VeganCappy Posts: 122
    Im wondering about % calories versus % grams for the ratios. The percents I put above are from the Myfitnesspal.com Food input page (which I think is in grams) but I want to know my % calories so that I can change the Goals page. Any suggestions?

    What are your goals?

    MFP displays % calories, not % grams.
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
    I am vegan as well and aim for 68 grams of protein a day as recommended by my dietician. I am needing to gain weight due to being underweight and having hypothalmic ammenoreah. I am also very active; so, my goals may be different than yours. Basically, the dietician said I should get at least .6 grams of protein for each pound I weigh. The rest of my calories are just whatever I happen to eat that day.
  • balanceandnirvana
    balanceandnirvana Posts: 51 Member
    I eat 80-90% carbs or higher and it works AMAZINGLY for me and many others (: you should look into it
    It was hard for me to be vegan until I discovered the high carb, raw lifestyle
  • lemonmon1
    lemonmon1 Posts: 134 Member
    I have been vegan for 8 years. I just averaged 15 days from the last month and my ratio is generally about 58% carbs, 31% fat, and 11% protein. That is close to what I would set my goals to if MFP let you set your own exact percents rather than multiples of 5. I would aim for 58-30-12. That's me, a moderately active 28 year old female. I do way better on a higher fat diet. I focus on omega 3's by eating flax and walnuts and eat other healthy fats from avocado and coconut and try to stay away from canola oil as much as I can. If I don't eat enough fat, I don't feel satisfied, and it's a recipe for disaster. My carbs are mostly from vegetables and legumes. I don't eat a lot of grains and I generally avoid gluten. Everyone is different, so you need to find what works for you, but good idea asking the question because it will help you decide what ratio to try next!

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