Need more protein, fewer carbs! Vegetarians input greatly w

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nadiambe13
nadiambe13 Posts: 25
in Recipes
Hi! I figured I'd reach out to the MFP community to get some suggestions.

I'm trying to increase my protein intake, and lower my carb intake. It used to be easier when I ate more meat than I currently do, but not that I'm a vegetarian/vegan, I've decided to cut back on how often/how much I eat meat, particularly red meat.

I have no problem with dairy, but need to be mindful of saturated fats.

I would prefer sticking to whole foods, and not get into supplements, shake mixes with weird ingredients, packaged food with labels you need a chemistry degree to read.

Mealtimes are generally okay, snacks are especially hard because I tend to do the fruit/veggie route.

Anyone have suggestions?

Replies

  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
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    Nuts are good, but high in fat so watch out. Tofu is a great source of protein as are legumes. You can add some black beans to a salad to add protein but not too many carbs. I supplement with whey protein because I find it hard as a vegetarian to get enough protein without the added carbs, but of course it can be done without the need to. I just find that in my busy life, that is what makes sense for me right now.
  • amyfly
    amyfly Posts: 137
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    Low fat cottage cheese or greek yogurt - both are high in protein, low in cals and pair up great with fruit.
  • kbw414
    kbw414 Posts: 194
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    I eat a bowl of cereal with brown rice milk for a snack sometimes. It's filling and MFP says that it's providing about 13 grams of protein. Not to mention its full of healthy whole grains and fiber.

    Adding beans or seeds to a salad (such as sunflower or hemp) helps to add protein (and good fat). You can also add a hard-boiled egg. As a vegetarian, I find that I eat more beans, seeds, nuts, and legumes than most meat-eaters.
  • sanura
    sanura Posts: 459 Member
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    I agree, nuts, seeds, lentils, beans and tofu are all good sources of protein, so is quinoa which you can use instead of rice in many dishes. I keep some vegan protein powder around for the days when I don't get enough. Mine is made from rice.
    if you are mainly avoiding red meat, you could have eggs or fish?
  • annabellio
    annabellio Posts: 127 Member
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    Beans !!! They're my favorite and most versatile food product!!!!
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
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    yeah i'd be looking to our scale covered friends...
    fish has all sorts of goodness in it. So look there.

    any reason you're cutting back on you're meat intake???

    red meat occasionly is fantastic for you. i eat it 3 times a week...chicken and fish every other day.

    in fact i'm not sure what i would eat if i didnt eat meat every meal??
    3-4 times a day i'm eating some kind of animal! and when im not its eggs or a shake, lol.
  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
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    I'm a vegetarian and don't have any problems consuming about 100g of protein a day. I have 3/4c. of cottage cheese for breakast with a skinny latte, which provides 30g of protein. For lunch I often have eggs (2 = 19g protein) with wholegrain bread (depending on which brand I buy, has protein from the wholegrains and seeds) and for dinner something cheesy! I buy low-fat cheddar for my every day cheese needs and low-fat mozzarella for pizza night (1 wholewheat pita topped with tomato sauce, fresh herbs, tons of veggies, and mozzarella).

    But like everyone else said - beans, legumes, seeds, nuts. Dairy is great for me, and oatmeal.
  • MissMaggie3
    MissMaggie3 Posts: 2,464 Member
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    First of all, congratulations on joining the vegetarian community. I've been veggie for for about 28 years and feel good for it - both spiritually and physically. For me, various kinds of beans are a regular feature, houmous (delicious!) and tofu. Don't know where you are, but in the UK we have a brand called 'Cauldron', who make a superb marinated organic tofu which is wonderful in stir fry. And apparently, beans and rice combined create extra protein. And yes, quinoa, nuts,eggs, seeds (e.g.in couscous) ... getting hungry as I type! Good luck.
  • nadiambe13
    nadiambe13 Posts: 25
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    Thanks for the input! I greatly appreciate everyone taking the time to give me some input. In messaging someone to respond to a question asked a on this board, I realized that I also have Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook, which has a lot of recipes incorporating the very things you all suggested: nuts, beans, legumes, seeds. I'll take all your input, and see if I can't pick out some recipes to throw into my regular rotation.

    Much appreciated! :)

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