Vegan Protein?

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Kewpies
Kewpies Posts: 14 Member
edited January 2015 in Food and Nutrition
I went from 180 to 140 on a plant based whole food diet, and now I am working on building muscle.

Usually my protien hovers around 15% of calories :'(

Anyone else struggle with this? What do you do? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Also feel free to add me! <3
I've been using MFP for more than a year, but this is my first post and I am just seeing the benefits of community support :smile:
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Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Protein powder, seitan, tofu, tempeh, tvp, faux meats, nut butters..... I recently started protein powder, it's made a huge difference in my intake. Feel free to check out my diary, it's open.
  • rcottonrph1
    rcottonrph1 Posts: 60
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    Garden of Life Raw is a great vegan protein.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    Add a protien rich food to each meal. That helps me, and dont be afraid to supplement.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    melimomTARDIS wrote: »
    Add a protien rich food to each meal. That helps me, and dont be afraid to supplement.

    Yes. I'm aiming for roughly 30 grams per meal and supplement with shakes.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    I aim for 20g per meal, but I also eat 4 meals a day, so YMMV on that one.
  • rayetteutah
    rayetteutah Posts: 1
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    I don't have trouble w my protein intake. I incorporate spinach/chard/kale into just about everything (put it on veg. burgers, savory sandwiches, put it in soups, chili, mix it into hash or cold salads, etc). Dark green vegetables have a TON of protein. Textured vegetable protein is just soy flour in a ground beef type shape, I use it in chili and for taco/burrito filling. I add vital wheat gluten to a lot of things that need to stick together (veggie burgers, whole wheat pizza crust), and its 100% protein. When my day is lacking I straight up make a shake out of soy protein powder and almond milk (I usually toss a banana in there too for some flavor). If you can afford gardein or tofurky products they are almost always very very good. I eat legumes at darn near every meal, that certainly helps. You can replace rice with quinoa in most things. There are vegan body building websites out there that are more specific, since I am just trying to get fit not necessarily gain a lot of muscle. Hope some of my tips help!
  • Rlyn444
    Rlyn444 Posts: 27
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    Yes supplement shakes. Also nuts and beans are very high in protein, avocados, quinoa, spinach
  • tkillion810
    tkillion810 Posts: 591 Member
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    Chickpeas are a great vegan source of protein. There is also seitan, tofu, and tempah. Black bean pasta is high in protein and yummy. I also use Aloha or Vega Sport protein powder. Both mix well and taste good.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    Make sure that whatever you're using it has a good Amino Acid profile. A good company will make it visible on the side typically.
  • nataliebordeauxx
    nataliebordeauxx Posts: 94 Member
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    OP, what LaurenD said ;) my diary is open to friends, you are welcome to have a peek! I usually hit between 70-90 grams of protein without much thought. <3
  • TacoBelle88
    TacoBelle88 Posts: 6 Member
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    Plantfusion Cookies n' Creme is a great plant-based protein!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Canned chickpeas and lentils are my fav. For lunch I had hemp seeds on top of some cantaloupe. Remember that broccoli and leafy greens have protein.
    In order to get protein high enough, I had to greatly diminish the role of breads and similar foods. They are gone.
  • nessamonique318
    nessamonique318 Posts: 2 Member
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    I added some of you as friends. I have switched to a plant based diet. I find myself running out of ideas on what to cook. I know that I'm not eating.. I am ready to tone and put on muscle. Help me!!
  • 1970JaimeSmyth
    1970JaimeSmyth Posts: 1 Member
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    Lots of beens and rice! Gotta find combos to complete proteins. Tofu needs to be properly cultured. Vegan has its draw backs if you don't educate yourself. I would advise consulting a nutritionist if your intention is to make this a long term lifestyle choice. This forum has some poor advice from well meening but misguided people. Check out the truly independent long term studies on supliments for example. Also need to ingest all the essential amino acids... it can be done well if you put the work in. I see a lot of anemic vampire looking veggies out there.
  • Kewpies
    Kewpies Posts: 14 Member
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    Laurend224 wrote: »
    Protein powder, seitan, tofu, tempeh, tvp, faux meats, nut butters..... I recently started protein powder, it's made a huge difference in my intake. Feel free to check out my diary, it's open.

    Thanks! I'll check it out :) I had just started using PB2 (a peanut powder) and was getting curious about using protein powders. Will definitely be looking into it!
  • Kewpies
    Kewpies Posts: 14 Member
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    rcottonrph1 wrote: »
    Garden of Life Raw is a great vegan protein.

    Thanks!
  • Kewpies
    Kewpies Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    rayetteutah wrote: »
    I don't have trouble w my protein intake. I incorporate spinach/chard/kale into just about everything (put it on veg. burgers, savory sandwiches, put it in soups, chili, mix it into hash or cold salads, etc). Dark green vegetables have a TON of protein. Textured vegetable protein is just soy flour in a ground beef type shape, I use it in chili and for taco/burrito filling. I add vital wheat gluten to a lot of things that need to stick together (veggie burgers, whole wheat pizza crust), and its 100% protein. When my day is lacking I straight up make a shake out of soy protein powder and almond milk (I usually toss a banana in there too for some flavor). If you can afford gardein or tofurky products they are almost always very very good. I eat legumes at darn near every meal, that certainly helps. You can replace rice with quinoa in most things. There are vegan body building websites out there that are more specific, since I am just trying to get fit not necessarily gain a lot of muscle. Hope some of my tips help!

    This was extremely helpful! I feel like I have a ton of leads now :) I do already eat dark greens at every meal but maybe I need to eat more? And I could definitely stand to eat more quinoa and legumes, so I'm excited to look up some new recipes :):)
  • Kewpies
    Kewpies Posts: 14 Member
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    Rlyn444 wrote: »
    Yes supplement shakes. Also nuts and beans are very high in protein, avocados, quinoa, spinach

    Thanks!
  • Kewpies
    Kewpies Posts: 14 Member
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    tkillion810 wrote: »
    Chickpeas are a great vegan source of protein. There is also seitan, tofu, and tempah. Black bean pasta is high in protein and yummy. I also use Aloha or Vega Sport protein powder. Both mix well and taste good.

    Thanks for the tips! I'm new to the world of protein powders + supplements so I appreciate the recommendation!
  • Kewpies
    Kewpies Posts: 14 Member
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    Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »
    Make sure that whatever you're using it has a good Amino Acid profile. A good company will make it visible on the side typically.

    Thanks for the heads up!

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