Vegan Protein

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HappyHealthyHolly
HappyHealthyHolly Posts: 84 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This may have been asked already, but I'm not sure, so I'll just ask anyway. :)

I feel like I should get a bit more protein in my diet & I'm trying very hard to get it from healthy food, but it seems like I still always come up short. Either the protein I find to add has too little protein to count, too much sodium, too many calories, or something like that.
I'm thinking I may need to add a shake of some sort that has little calories as well as little sugar, carbs, sodium, fat, etc. Protein & Potassium are my two struggles. On that note, any great potassium suggestions?

I've just started dried apricots for added potassium, as well as some nuts. I eat bananas. But I'm trying to watch the calories at the same time, which doesn't make it easy.

I have some protein bars, but they're higher in calories than I'd like, as well as sugar & such.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!

Replies

  • fastbelly
    fastbelly Posts: 727 Member
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    What I use for protein is Soya Protein from Holland & Barrett, not sure if that particular one is available in US but I'm sure there will be similar offers.
  • missvics
    missvics Posts: 112
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    Oh the sad sad irony. On my homepage it listed your forum topic and right underneath it someone else's forum asking for Veal recipes. Yuck!!!!
  • RobertaG
    RobertaG Posts: 205 Member
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    Beans are full of protein and potassium
  • HappyHealthyHolly
    HappyHealthyHolly Posts: 84 Member
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    @fastbelly Thanks! I'll look for that, or something similar.

    @missvics Oh so sad indeed! And ewwwww! Nothing against meat eaters, I used to love my mean, but never ever wanted veal!
  • blueyegrl
    blueyegrl Posts: 248 Member
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    There are many unexpected ways to get your protein in, here is a website that lists some good food sources:

    http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

    When you go to that page, scroll down and it has a list that will hopefully help out!
  • arbonnefit
    arbonnefit Posts: 17 Member
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    I am not a big meat eater so I get most of my protein from shakes. I use the Arbonne Shakes, they are vegan certified and gluten free. The ingredients in Arbonne's Protein Shakes are vegan and kosher, containing no animal products or by-products. The shakes are available in chocolate and vanilla. . Arbonne shakes are low in carbohydrates, sugar, calories and fat, and they contain no saturated fat, no cholesterol, no lactose and no artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors.
  • risforretro
    risforretro Posts: 2
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    I'm a vegetarian (not vegan, although I commend you for having that much willpower). I do protein shakes every morning. I've found that a shake in the AM right when I wake up helps curb my appetite the rest of the day and it also wakes me up, moreso than coffee or tea ever has.

    There are quite a few options when it comes to Veg Protein Shakes: Hemp, Soy (I've found I like this the best), Rice, and even Pea. The pea is apparently really good (or so my non-veg friend at the gym thinks! There are even veg protein mixes (I think they mix hemp, soy, rice and pea).

    I buy my soy powder through GNC - they have really great deals every now and then :) Hope I helped!
  • IndigoVA
    IndigoVA Posts: 164 Member
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    I was vegan for 15 years. I went back to ovo-lacto a couple years ago, but I still eat primarily vegan, and I'm always OVER on my protein. Are you opposed to eating soy "meats"? For example, whole grain pasta with a tomato sauce with grilled Tofurky Italian Sausage has tons of protein. Eat nuts as snacks, or nut butters on apples or whole grain crackers. Add nuts, tofu, tempeh, beans, seitan to your salads and/or stir fries. Just a simple meal of beans and brown rice has lots of protein also.
  • BeverageTreats
    BeverageTreats Posts: 149 Member
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    I just started drinking coconut water. Low cal and loaded with potassium.

    Cooked spinach is a huge source of potassium also. Well, raw is too I suppose, but you'll be eating raw spinach for a long time to eat as much as if it's cooked first.
  • veganjeanie
    veganjeanie Posts: 158 Member
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    It's actually hard not to get enough protein, if you are getting enough calories. Americans eat way too much protein.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    I only need 48 to 60 grams of protein a day, and I easily get that with whole grains (1 cup of oatmeal has 12 grams!), peanut butter and almonds, soy products such as Boca burgers, and beans, beans, and more beans.
  • cupotee
    cupotee Posts: 181 Member
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    Try tofu :) There's no taste so you can do whatever you want with it. For firm tofu, I like to slice up 3oz and fry in a tsp of oil. Then I make a korean marinade (with soy sauce, pear juice, sesame, green onion, garlic etc.) and dip and eat! It's delish and low cal.

    You can use soft tofu to replace some of the banana/milk in fruit smoothies. You won't notice at all!
  • bloodbank
    bloodbank Posts: 468 Member
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    Tofurky Italian Sausage has tons of protein.

    And if you're like me and can inhale an entire package in a matter of minutes, you're pretty much set with protein for the day! :laugh:

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