Help from vegetarians on protein intake!!

JoshuaMcAllister
JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
edited November 29 in Food and Nutrition
Morning MYPers,

So last night whilst training with a friend we were discussing how difficult he finds it to meet his daily protein goal which is made even more difficult on training days, he competes in triathlons, so his training includes serious miles on foot, bicycle and in the pool and regularly has to almost double is goal calorie intake.
Obviously we mentioned the likes of eggs, diary, beans but my question to you vegetarians is there a high protein content food we are missing?
Before or after training is there a meal/snack you would recommend with high levels that would be beneficial?

Sorry if these seem like really novice questions, I have very limited experience in protein from a plant based diets. I found it pretty difficult meeting my protein needs when I completed a 60 vegan challenge and I wasn't covering half the miles that he does in training.

Replies

  • Hell_Flower
    Hell_Flower Posts: 348 Member
    edited February 2016
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/8-high-protein-vegetables.html

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek114.htm



    Here you go. Lentils. Lentils all the time if protein is your goal. I eat I heap of lentils because I love the taste and lentil currys are bomb, I couldn't care less about protein to be honest but - my none veggie husband also eats them with me most times and is happy because he eats as much as he wants and still gets what he deems "enough protein". He looks pretty good and muscley, tbh.

    If you go for vegetarian and not vegan, then you can still eat eggs, no?



    :)
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
    Thank you for the reply, ill be sure to have a read through the links you've attached and forward them on.

    Also have to agree with I love a lentil curry, soups good too..

    Its not for myself, I gave vegan a go for 60 days as a challenge. I enjoy to many foods to do that full time. Yeah he can eat eggs but 11g of protein per 100g is a heck of a lot of eggs to meet your daily needs, I was just wondering if any fitness types on here had any insider tips for hitting that daily protein goal.
  • suzan06
    suzan06 Posts: 218 Member
    I just found an insanely delicious option that somehow I had never thought about before (despite eating it in restaurants): Seitan.

    Now obviously if you are on the gluten=bad bandwagon it won't work, since it is made from wheat gluten.

    I make it with the epicurious recipe. It is easy- mix the wheat gluten with a few spices, some soy sauce, and water, knead a minute, let it sit. cut it into pieces, simmer in broth for 30 minutes or so.

    1/4th of the epicurious recipe is a half cup of wheat gluten, and that gives 46 grams of protein in ~250 calories. I often eat it as a snack, dipping it in mustard or a spicy asian sauce of some kind, but the traditional way to eat it would be in stir fry I suppose.
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
    suzan06 wrote: »
    I just found an insanely delicious option that somehow I had never thought about before (despite eating it in restaurants): Seitan.

    Now obviously if you are on the gluten=bad bandwagon it won't work, since it is made from wheat gluten.

    I make it with the epicurious recipe. It is easy- mix the wheat gluten with a few spices, some soy sauce, and water, knead a minute, let it sit. cut it into pieces, simmer in broth for 30 minutes or so.

    1/4th of the epicurious recipe is a half cup of wheat gluten, and that gives 46 grams of protein in ~250 calories. I often eat it as a snack, dipping it in mustard or a spicy asian sauce of some kind, but the traditional way to eat it would be in stir fry I suppose.

    Thanks suzan06, I'll look into this and pass it on to him. Sadly this one isn't for me, I'm not on the bandwagon but I was actually I diagnosed coeliac 6 years ago so I think I'll pass on the wheat gluten ha :D I bet you weren't expecting that response from what I assume is tongue and cheek dig at the latest designer diet ha.
  • runsonrabbitfood
    runsonrabbitfood Posts: 89 Member
    Lentils, legumes, nuts (butters and milks too), seitan, tofu, soy, quinoa. There are also vegan/vegetarian faux meats and protein powders as well.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    High protein veg and vegan sources of protein outside of protein powders (is there some reason these are not ok?) are Seitan, which was already mentioned and is cheap and easy to make, tofu, tempeh, lentils or pulses in general, beans, nut to a small extent as the fat content easily outweighs the protein, veg appropriate meat replacement products (like Gardein, Field Roast, etc), and protein containing veg. Also pretty much any dairy products, cheese, etc.

    There are lots of options out there... and google is your friend.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    I get my protein from beans, lentils and vegan protein powders (which I don't love) when I need to increase my intake. I eat eggs too, but I am intolerant to dairy and soy. Nuts and quinoa have very little protein but they're good options as top ups (but certainly cannot be relied on for main intake).

    It's not easy, but certainly can be done.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Edemame noodles (24g protein)
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
    Thank you everyone for the insightful answers. I'm not usually one for posting questions on forums, I'd usually google (which I have done) but whats better than first hand knowledge right?
  • tryasimighty
    tryasimighty Posts: 131 Member
    Quinoa (lots of other health benefits) Peas, hemp seeds (3tbsp = 10g protein) Chia seeds (2 tbsp =5g protein), sesame, sunflower and poppy seeds...unsweetened cocoa powder (I'd opt for raw) mmm Im hungry now :)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Vegan protein powders: pea, rice, hemp
  • alyurete
    alyurete Posts: 20 Member
    Tofu and beans. People seem to forget about them, for some reason.
  • Ciera247Zumba
    Ciera247Zumba Posts: 22 Member
    Quinoa has 8g of protein per cup :)
  • LivLovLrn
    LivLovLrn Posts: 580 Member
    one of the great things about quinoa is that you can find it in so many forms; flour, pasta, grain....it is very versatile. Hummus is another source of protein, and don't forget about combining foods like rice and beans.
    Tofu is ok but too much can mess the system up
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    LivLovLrn wrote: »
    one of the great things about quinoa is that you can find it in so many forms; flour, pasta, grain....it is very versatile. Hummus is another source of protein, and don't forget about combining foods like rice and beans.
    Tofu is ok but too much can mess the system up

    "Too much" of anything will mess you up. That's why we call it "too much."

    I'm not sure how much tofu you would call too much, but soy is one of the most researched foods out there and there is little of substance to link it to harm when consumed by humans (especially tofu).
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    LivLovLrn wrote: »
    one of the great things about quinoa is that you can find it in so many forms; flour, pasta, grain....it is very versatile. Hummus is another source of protein, and don't forget about combining foods like rice and beans.
    Tofu is ok but too much can mess the system up

    "Too much" of anything will mess you up. That's why we call it "too much."

    I'm not sure how much tofu you would call too much, but soy is one of the most researched foods out there and there is little of substance to link it to harm when consumed by humans (especially tofu).

    I'll definitely agree with this... and now I'm going to sit down and eat 16oz (yup, you read right) of tofu as part of my lunch. Not an uncommon occurrence for me. All of my blood tests come back immaculate, short of a VitD deficiency that I'm currently dealing with... which is not soy related, it's I never really go outside related.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    BecomingBane wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    LivLovLrn wrote: »
    one of the great things about quinoa is that you can find it in so many forms; flour, pasta, grain....it is very versatile. Hummus is another source of protein, and don't forget about combining foods like rice and beans.
    Tofu is ok but too much can mess the system up

    "Too much" of anything will mess you up. That's why we call it "too much."

    I'm not sure how much tofu you would call too much, but soy is one of the most researched foods out there and there is little of substance to link it to harm when consumed by humans (especially tofu).

    I'll definitely agree with this... and now I'm going to sit down and eat 16oz (yup, you read right) of tofu as part of my lunch. Not an uncommon occurrence for me. All of my blood tests come back immaculate, short of a VitD deficiency that I'm currently dealing with... which is not soy related, it's I never really go outside related.

    Tofu is one of my favorite foods. I can easily have an entire tub for a meal. And same here for my blood tests, everything's good.

  • roz112
    roz112 Posts: 77 Member
    milk, cheese, beans, whole wheat bread all have a good amount of protein. If you look at each individually it may not seem like a lot but having scrambled eggs with cheese on whole wheat toast could easily give you a lot of protein.
  • runsonrabbitfood
    runsonrabbitfood Posts: 89 Member
    edited February 2016
    LivLovLrn wrote: »
    Tofu is ok but too much can mess the system up

    Lol I often eat a block of tofu at a time for a meal. Individuals will of course be different. But I'd encourage people to at least give soy products a try. So delicious and tofu is so versatile.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    Yes. Tofu. We eat a lot of tofu.

    Edamame is good too.

    Chia seeds have protein in them also.

    And I eat a lot of nuts; almonds, cashews, peanuts and macadamia nuts.

    Soy milk also
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    i use Vega nutrional powder.. it has 22grams of protein but it also has half of my daily nutrients and fiber.
  • fldiver97
    fldiver97 Posts: 341 Member
    Black bean spaghetti....25gm protein per serving. Seitan, tofu, legumes - most has been mentioned before. If not vegan - Greek yogurt has more protein than other yogurt.
  • gettingreallyfedupnow
    gettingreallyfedupnow Posts: 79 Member
    Quorn is also good for veggie protein
  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
    I don't eat meat, I get my protein from liquid egg white (sometimes twice a day), veggie burger with a high protein bread, Quest Bars, whey shake, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese.
  • paisleyfan24
    paisleyfan24 Posts: 6 Member
    I get my protein from all the previous sources mentioned, but I did recently find this awesome bar with 14gm protein, low sugar, gluten free. I think it's one of the best I've found, taste wise. I've only tried the lemon so far. Found it at Walmart, they had maybe 4 flavors, found more online. 81t6mna192yl.jpeg
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Black bean pasta spaghetti = 2 ounces net you 25 grams of protein.

    I eat a lot of chick peas with everything - plant based smoothie - chickpeas, sunflower seed butter/cashew butter, frozen banana(s), organic spring mix and 8 ounces of carrot juice.

    Chick pea scrambled resembled scrambled eggs - extremely filling - full of fiber and protein.

    All the different kinds of lentils, split peas etc.
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