Vegetarian: Trying to Get Enough Protein

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79Annika
79Annika Posts: 9
in Food and Nutrition
I have been on a vegetarian diet (technically pescitarian because I will eat fish from time to time) diet for nearly a year. I chose to do this for humane reasons and not necessarily nutrition. Problem is, I'm finding it very hard to lose weight and get enough protein while eating this way.
First thing my trainer told me is that I need to be eating around 120 grams of protein per day and that I could easily do that by eating chicken breast, steak, etc. I told him that those foods weren't an option because I didn't eat them. This really threw him off and he basically couldn't tell me what to eat unless it included chicken or red meat (he is no longer my trainer btw).
Not to be discouraged, I came home and evaluated what I was eating and fell between 80-100 grams of protein per day. Not bad, but not where I would like to be either. I'm not interested in protein powders and bars because I would prefer to eat as clean as possible and most of them have ingredients that I have never heard of, much less pronounce.
My question is, what are some of the most high protein and low to moderate calorie foods I can eat to burn off some of this belly fat? I'm sure I'm not the only one on this site who eats mainly veggie, so I'm just looking for some tips and inspiration. Hopefully if you're reading this, you can help!

Replies

  • jsmjboertlein
    jsmjboertlein Posts: 267
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    My little boy cannot eat meat, wheat, rhye, barley, or oat proteins. They build up as a poison in his system and have almost killed him. I feed him a lot of goat's milk. It's high in protein. He also gets it from gluten free donuts surprisingly. They are high in protein. He wants to only eat raw spinach all day and nothing else so it's hard to get him the necesary nutrients, but that goat milk helps a TON.
  • _LDM_
    _LDM_ Posts: 81
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    Do you eat yogurt?
  • yankeefan116
    yankeefan116 Posts: 1
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    Try checking out bodybuilding.com, they have a lot of great tips for every one. Hope they can help.
  • LiftNic
    LiftNic Posts: 8
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    Hey, I'm a vegetarian as well! I was vegan for a few months, but back to being a vegetarian again. This was one of my problems, too. But if you're getting in 80-100 grams of protein a day, depending on your calorie intake, that sounds pretty good! Where are you getting your protein from right now? I would suggest the obvious, beans, nuts, edemame... things like that. If you really wanted to, they do have vegan protein powders out there that don't have all that "crap" in them. I drink one that's 150 calories for 21 grams of protein. Tastes like crap, but I love it for a recovery shake after my workout. :)

    I'm not really sure if any of this helped. It sounds like you're eating plenty of protein, so I'm not sure what else to add? Maybe you could give a rundown of what your diet basically looks like? Like maybe one days worth? Maybe we can see where you're lacking, if you are!
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    are you trying to lose weight or gain muscle? people only need 40-50g of protein a day. i body build, so i intake around 100grams. powders arent dirty or bad. i take NOW sports organic veg friendly whey isolate after my workouts. its 25 g a scoop, with soy milk.

    unless you body build and are trying to put on muscle, which takes a calorie surplus, you dont need that much protein. some of these gym dudes feel threatened by vegetarians or vegans for some reason, and think we are all unhealthy and dont have energy or eat enough protein. in fact most meat eaters eat too much. my regular diet i intake enough protein 40-50g. but like i said, i bodybuild so i intake more to help my muscles repair.

    what you are doing now is fine.
  • kendf60
    kendf60 Posts: 234 Member
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    Natural peanut butter, egg whites, protein drinks and fish a couple of times a week.
  • LiftNic
    LiftNic Posts: 8
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    are you trying to lose weight or gain muscle? people only need 40-50g of protein a day. i body build, so i intake around 100grams. powders arent dirty or bad. i take NOW sports organic veg friendly whey isolate after my workouts. its 25 g a scoop, with soy milk.

    unless you body build and are trying to put on muscle, which takes a calorie surplus, you dont need that much protein. some of these gym dudes feel threatened by vegetarians or vegans for some reason, and think we are all unhealthy and dont have energy or eat enough protein. in fact most meat eaters eat too much. my regular diet i intake enough protein 40-50g. but like i said, i bodybuild so i intake more to help my muscles repair.

    what you are doing now is fine.

    You're a body builder and you eat 100 grams of protein a day when training? This is amazing. I tried body building (yeah. hi. the diet made me crazy in the head!) and my trainer had me eating 180g of protein a day! But that was back when I didn't know anything and just listened. Now I strive for 100g of protein a day, and I workout 5x a week. I lost so much muscle when I switched to being a vegetarian, but I was not eating 100g. of protein. I know every body is different, though. That's just what works for me. I naturally have a lot of muscle... at least, I used to! :P :/

    Anyway, like others said, you really don't need as much protein as you think. And I forgot, Chobani yogurt! I just talked about this on my website the other day... that is a GREAT source of protein, and it's SO yummy!
  • 79Annika
    79Annika Posts: 9
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    Wow! Thank you all for the helpful and fast advice!! This is the first time I've posted and was't expecting such quick feedback :)


    jsmjboertlein - Sorry to hear that about your son. I have tried goat cheese, but never the milk. I will give it a try!

    _LDM_ - I do eat one container of Oikos Greek Yogurt everyday. It has 10 grams. Is there a better option?

    yankeefan116 - I have checked out similar sites and most of them say I should be eating the same amount of protein as my goal weight (120 lbs)

    LiftNic - What is the name of the 150 cal protein shake? I would be interested, thank you!

    xraychick77 - I am trying to lose weight and gain some muscle to help burn fat. I honestly don't know how much more protein I can squeeze in without going overboard on my calorie intake!

    kendf60 - Eggs and fish I have covered. Peanut butter is too easy for me to eat too much! That come sometimes be a danger food for me. I eat almonds instead :)
  • LiftNic
    LiftNic Posts: 8
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    Hey! It's called Optimal Plant Proteins. There's nothing really bad in there for you. It's like pea protein, rice protein... a mixture. I got it from Whole Foods. They have other vegan ones that don't have horrible things in there for you, but that was one of the cheapest ones I found... like the Vega brand is something like $55 for a tub! Come on! So yeah. I highly recommend drinking a shake after your workout! Good luck! :)
  • 79Annika
    79Annika Posts: 9
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    Hey! It's called Optimal Plant Proteins. There's nothing really bad in there for you. It's like pea protein, rice protein... a mixture. I got it from Whole Foods. They have other vegan ones that don't have horrible things in there for you, but that was one of the cheapest ones I found... like the Vega brand is something like $55 for a tub! Come on! So yeah. I highly recommend drinking a shake after your workout! Good luck! :)


    Thanks! I will check it out next time I'm at WF!
  • jamieyuen
    jamieyuen Posts: 3
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    are you trying to lose weight or gain muscle? people only need 40-50g of protein a day. i body build, so i intake around 100grams. powders arent dirty or bad. i take NOW sports organic veg friendly whey isolate after my workouts. its 25 g a scoop, with soy milk.

    unless you body build and are trying to put on muscle, which takes a calorie surplus, you dont need that much protein. some of these gym dudes feel threatened by vegetarians or vegans for some reason, and think we are all unhealthy and dont have energy or eat enough protein. in fact most meat eaters eat too much. my regular diet i intake enough protein 40-50g. but like i said, i bodybuild so i intake more to help my muscles repair.

    what you are doing now is fine.

    I agree that you are taking enough protein. not too sure why you need more than 80?? Myfitnesspal says I only need 45 grams per day..and i'm 119lbs. and i'm trying to lose weight and lose belly fat too!
  • emperorsdream
    emperorsdream Posts: 24 Member
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    quick and dirty:

    eggs (unless you're vegan)

    avoid soy (Its not good for women and not good in general - the hype is a myth): http://www.westonaprice.org/soy-alert/927-soy-alert-brochure.html

    Protein powders-- Raw unprocessed are the purest quality: http://www.warriorwhey.com/ & (vegan) http://www.gardenoflifeusa.com/ProductsforLife/SUPPLEMENTS/FoundationalNutrition/RAWProtein/tabid/1894/Default.aspx

    beans, tempeh, quinoa, nuts, some dark, leafy greens, etc: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/top-ten-protein-sources/

    This is a great blog on weight loss and low carb (you'll have to weed through the meat): http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/
  • ameaston22
    ameaston22 Posts: 38
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    I agree that beans are one of the best ways to get a high dose of protein in your diet and work great as meat-replacements. I make a lot of soups with different beans and also make black bean burgers once or twice a week. They are low in calories, but high in protein! Let me know if you need some recipes!!

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