Calling all vegetarians!

Yes to above comment!
If you can add eggs, cottage cheese and yogurt, they're all great sources of protein!
Low fat string cheese, hard boiled eggs and yogurt are good protein.
Yum to morning star, they have great "chik-patty's"
I recommend protein cuz it keeps you fuller for longer and feeling more satisfied.
Also pnut butter!
Pnut butter on apples are a great snack.
Or laughing cow cheese, yum.

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I eat eggs sooo muchh. But honestly my average protein intake is about 40-60 grams. Alot from carbs tbh. But I dont experience any exhaustion or brittle nails and i think its because twice a week I do usually have a high protein diet(about 70-90 grams). I don't know if your body 'stores' unused protein so Im not exhausted when I have low protein, or if the multivitim i take is enough. Honestly I would suggest going back to pescitarianism until you get a hold on eating in a normal pattern (not too much sugary snack or not enough hearty meals). I've been a vegetarian (who occasional eats fish, but no milk) for about 4 years and I haven't had any real energy issues unless Ive had a couple days of just sugar binge eating.

I was a vegetarian 27 out of 42 years. Never thought about what to eat I guess cause I ate tons of "everything" or at least that is what I thought being raised that way. Never limited things like nuts, avocados, and eggs. Now they say that a diet high in healthy fats are very beneficial and even necessary to absorb nutrition like say in a salad. Not only that, but healthy fats are necessary to feel full longer. I ate everything from:

-Homemade squash or spinach casseroles (with egg)
-Zucchini pasta (they have neat little kitchen gadgets to peel the zucchini to mimic pasta)
-Eggplant parm
-Stuffed peppers
-Artichokes
-Mashed Rutabega or Turnip
-Stuffed Portabellas
-Grilled shish kabobs w/onion, tomato, pepper, and mushrooms
-Spicy guacamole
-Hummus
-Beans and more beans of many types
-Deviled eggs
-Homemade egg salad or potato/egg salad
-Sweet potato casserole done sweet or savory
-Cottage cheese or yogurt with fruit on top
-Homemade peanut butter with agave nectar (takes only a few minutes in the processor to make a yummy batch for apples, bananas, celery, crackers...)
-For something a little more sweet, I would blend up a mix of frozen and fresh fruit, and add agave nector (which is very neutral in flavor, but very sweet). My favorite is blending a few frozen bananas, some ice and water, a lot of oatmeal, wheat germ, agave nector, and cinnamon... then top with lots of unsalted peanuts. Very filling!

I think the biggest thing is to keep mixing things up to keep a variety and balance. I love spinach, but don't eat it everyday. I alternate Broccoli Raab, mustard greens, kale, bok choy, and collards ect. And, I make sure to eat plenty of raw veggies as opposed to having mostly cooked. Cooking them is fine, but does destroy some of the vital enzymes and vitamin content. To keep from getting bored, I like exploring cultures to see what different things are out there from roots to gourds. And google recipes that incl them. Also check out different spices like for Indian food! As for wheat, corn, rice and things like that, it was only a small portion to accompany a meal. Never a plate of (or I would blow up fast). Otherwise, I did not have weight issues and was super strong.

Why am I not a vegetarian now? Marriage. lol I gained 20 lbs immediately after introducing meat to my diet. I still prefer mostly a vegetarian diet and don't feel weak if I don't have meat.

Have been vegetarian for 22+ years. Had a high triglycerides and high total cholesterol reading a few years ago. Doctor told me to cut out refined carbohydrates.

Went all whole grains. Which meant baking most things myself. Whole grain pasta, only brown rice, whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, etc. (It takes a bit of getting used to the texture but it is possible to make the switch. I haven't looked back.) Greatly reduced sugar intake also.

In 2-3 months, my triglycerides dropped to very healthy levels, my HDL (the good kind) was above 60, and my LDL dropped considerably. Did not give up butter, eggs, milk, cheese, etc. Levels have stayed consistently good over the intervening years.

Have never had a nutritional deficiency and have not paid the least bit of attention to macros (do take a multivitamin and vegan omega 3 DHA/EPA pill). But, medical conditions and genetics may affect things like anemia so my experience there may not be the same as yours. Avoid caffeine and drink orange juice (or take vitamin C) around the time you are taking iron for maximum uptake. Sadly, heme (read: animal sourced) iron is absorbed most easily, but is totally possible to get enough iron without eating meat.

I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 41 years. My high cholesterol/triglycerides dropped sharply and are now solidly in the normal range after weight loss, and I eat a boatload of (mostly non-fat) dairy (but I don't think I have a major genetic predisposition; perhaps you do). Details on the cholesterol are on my profile page.

My diary is open to friends, and you can friend me if you like. But I'm in a different spot than you: I'm trying to find my maintenance calorie level now, eating about 1700 calories net, trying to get 100g of protein most days. I don't eat bars, protein powder, special shakes, or fake meat products, but I do cook from scratch.

Some foods to consider: Eggs; Greek (or Icelandic) yogurt (ideally plain, with your own additions, since the added sugar in flavored ones can be startling); Soy foods (tempeh, edamame, dry-roasted soybeans are the ones I eat the most); beans of all types; 'ancient grains' like quinoa, spelt, etc. ; veggies that have relatively more protein (broccoli, spinach, others); lower-fat cheeses like cottage cheese, farmer cheese, ricotta; reasonable portions of nuts or seeds (you need some healthy fats); snacks with protein like crispy chickpeas or crispy snap peas or Indian puppodums.

For me, inappropriate cravings increase if I don't get enough protein, especially at breakfast. However, this may not be the same for you, as cravings/satiation seem to be rather individual.

There are a lot of good suggestions here. I would also ask are you eating enough? What is your daily calorie goal? You could be overdoing your deficit.

I'm a vegan with an open diary! Some may think my protein intake is atrocious on most days but I use the cronometer site to check if I'm getting enough nutrients, and I am scoring 100%.

HutchA12 wrote: »

There are a lot of good suggestions here. I would also ask are you eating enough? What is your daily calorie goal? You could be overdoing your deficit.

I second this. You seem concerned about the higher calories content of some of the foods suggested. Maybe your deficit is too large?

If you're getting 60-70 g protein on average, depending on your size that's probably within the recommended range for health purposes. Eating higher protein can be beneficial for many people for different reasons, but if you're in the recommended range that may not be the source of your issue.

I do think it's concerning that you have a history of anemia but aren't paying attention to iron. Low iron and a large deficit could easily lead to some of your symptoms. Getting enough fat is also important, as someone mentioned. If your deficit is too large you may be avoiding things higher in fat.

It may just come down to just being a little more deliberate about what you're eating and possibly eating more. With your history of anemia, it's probably good to have some blood tests run, though. I would suggest not just taking supplements willy-nilly without consulting your doctor first. You may want to look into spatone for iron - talk to your doctor about it.

You shouldn't be deficient in B12 if you're eating dairy and eggs. My guess is you aren't eating enough calories.

I'm a vegetarian, and my diary is open. I've been a vegetarian for 25 years.