Vegan - need protein help!

Ummm.....Your a vegetarian. You are not a Vegan.

Fish! Nut butters-almond butter is better than most others, a good protein powder added to nearly everything...I use Complete Nutrition's V-Core vanilla (can't remember if it's vegan or not) but I've mixed it with everything from non-fat plain greek yogurt, to smoothies, to oatmeal and on top of cereal. Beans/legumes, tuna, cottage cheese, almond milk, tofu, TVP, veggie burgers (although usually higher in sodium if they're store bought)....there's lots of options, just have to get creative. I'm in the same boat as you, working towards building lean muscle and I'm vegetarian...it's a challenge! good luck.

A tofu hint: freeze and then thaw it before you cook it. It improves the texture 1000% and gives it a bit of nutty flavour.

I am currently trying to cut down my processed proteins and use more beans and legumes, but I still use protein powder at breakfast, and I am a big fan of pb2 because I tend to have a high fat diet already (nuts and avocado are staples for me) and I love peanut butter in everything. Also the Gardein Frozen crispy strips with orange glaze are about the best spinach salad topper imaginable.

I eat a lot of whole soybeans as well. Steamed and lightly salted they make a nice snack, and they are good in soups.

If you can do gluten, seitan is extremely high protein, low-cal and reasonably easy to make yourself. It has a very meaty texture. I used the recipe off the Bob's Red Mill gluten flour bag, but there are a lot of recipes out there on the internet. My sister grinds it up and makes seitan chili that to me is nearly indistinguishable from regular chili.

Do you eat cottage cheese, too, or just cheese-cheese? I feel like I get a little more bang for my buck with 2% cottage cheese.

Have you tried plain Greek kefir? I'm not a big milk drinker, either, and I'm not big on yogurt, but I like a glass of kefir. The Greek kefir is particularly high in protein, although the regular's not bad on that front. Greek yogurt, too, is quite high in protein and you can strain it to make it like a cream cheese. I stay away from the flavored yogurts, myself -- too sweet for my tastes.

jamieish1984 wrote: »

Fish! Nut butters-almond butter is better than most others, a good protein powder added to nearly everything...I use Complete Nutrition's V-Core vanilla (can't remember if it's vegan or not) but I've mixed it with everything from non-fat plain greek yogurt, to smoothies, to oatmeal and on top of cereal. Beans/legumes, tuna, cottage cheese, almond milk, tofu, TVP, veggie burgers (although usually higher in sodium if they're store bought)....there's lots of options, just have to get creative. I'm in the same boat as you, working towards building lean muscle and I'm vegetarian...it's a challenge! good luck.

Fish isn't vegetarian...

Unfortunately, Quorn contains chicken's eggs. Seitan is actually very easy to make at home, all you need is gluten (which you can cheaply buy online) and a bit of soy sauce and salt to taste. You'll find plenty of instructions online. It keeps well in the fridge, I usually make enough so that it will last me about a week. It's nearly 100% protein (that's what gluten is), although of course, if you fry it you will add some fat.

Otherwise, I really wouldn't obsess about proteins... but Seitan also tastes good

Beans are so versatile. Check out Pinterest for recipes- I find a lot there. They can be used in salads, burritos or soups. For snacks you can snack on roasted chickpeas or veggies dipped in hummus.

Proteins I use at breakfast- Hard boiled egg, vegetarian sausage, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, 1 oz almonds.

At lunch/dinner- beans in all different ways, cottage cheese, soy burgers (we like Boca originals), tofu (I like mine cooked under the broiler), eggs baked or scrambled, occasional plant based meat (gardein meatballs recently)

Hi, I'm a vegetarian also. I love Clif Builder's protein bars. Each one has 20 grams of protein.

As others have mentioned soy burgers can be a good option. My favorite is Boca's breaded "chicken" patty.

Also, Naked Juice has a protein smoothie with pineapple, coconut & banana that is yummy.

Amy's makes some frozen entrees that are high in protein. I like the veggie pot pie which has tofu in it.

And Tofurkey! The hickory smoked "turkey" deli slices are delicious! Often I just eat them right out of the package without even putting them on bread

Beans, eggs, Greek yogurt, nuts, fish, tofu, cottage cheese

According to authoritynutrition.com the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound (1). This amounts to (2, 3): 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.

1. Seitan – 75g per 100g
2. Lentils – 26g per 100g
3. Peanut Butter – 25g per 100g
4. Hemp Seed – 23g per 100g
5. Black Beans – 21g per 100g
6. Almonds – 21g per 100g
7. Sunflower Seeds – 21g per 100g
8. Tempeh – 19g per 100g
9. Quinoa – 14g per 100g
10. Eggs – 13g per 100g
11. Cottage Cheese – 11g per 100g
12. Edamame – 11g per 100g
13. Greek Yogurt – 10g per 100g
14. Tofu – 8g per 100g
15. Hummus – 8g per 100g
16. Kale – 4.3g per 100g
17. Milk and Soy Milk – 3.3g per 100g
18. Spinach – 2.9g per 100g
19. Broccoli – 2.8g per 100g
20. 20. Avocado – 2g per 100g

Hope it helps!

Laurend224 wrote: »

Docbanana2002 wrote: »

Um... someone who eats eggs and cheese all the time is NOT a vegan. Please use the terms correctly, it is insulting to people who actually are vegans when people use the label to sound trendy or something, but don't actually seem to know what it means or want to live the way a vegan lives. A vegan does not eat ANY products that come from animals (or wear them, or use them in any other way). Eggs and cheese are most definitely animal products.

I'm probably gonna get a flag for this but, untwist your panties. She may not know the correct word, English may not be the OPs first language. I'm vegan and wasn't offended in the least. This kind of attitude is what makes people think vegans are rigid know it alls.

Okay, okay I'll untwist. Sorry if I'm being a jerk, OP. And FWIW, I'm not a vegan, but I'm transitioning to vegan after being a vegetarian for about a year. So I'm practicing my "rigid know it all" act. And maybe a little irritable about someone getting to claim the label I'm working toward while still eating cheese. Giving up cheese has been a bit of a challenge....

Liz4J wrote: »

...so up until now my protein has come from eggs (which I can't think too much about or I won't eat them)

If you have a concern, you might check around to make a connection with someone locally who sells farm-raised eggs. I'm blessed to have a co-worker who has chickens that are basically her pets, so I feel pretty good about eating the eggs. There are others in town I've bought from, too -- they often show up at the farmers' markets.

Liz4J wrote: »

Maybe you know of a good recipe book I could use to be a proper vegetarian (see what I did there haha! ) while getting proper nutrition?

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison is my bible. Not only does she have a lot of good recipes, but she also gives overviews of the different veggies. Her baked goods are heavenly but can be a bit of a splurge. I've told my husband that when he retires, I'll be a happy camper if he simply cooks his way through that one. Molly Katzen's Vegetable Heaven is another one of my favorites. Some of the Moosewood cookbooks are quite good.

I never liked meat as a kid, so went vegetarian at various times in my life, but somehow turned pretty carnivorous in the past decade. I still love many vegetarian foods and don't feel deprived in the slightest if offered something vegetarian or vegan. There are so many delicious recipes that don't require meat. I found my vegetarian phases really forced me to become more creative with my cooking. Have fun with it!