Vegetarian

BrkNelson
BrkNelson Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! I was wondering if anyone has any advice on becoming vegetarian . I've done some research and I still have a few questions. I do lift weights and do cardio 6-7 days a week. So my main concern is protein ? What are some food ideas for protein when someone is considering becoming vegetarian. I'm looking into the " ovo vegetarian" because I want to still consume eggs from my local farmers market but omit dairy. I can't have dairy anyways due to having an allergy to it. So if anyone has any advice please please please share.
Thanks !

Replies

  • jbirdgreen
    jbirdgreen Posts: 569 Member
    Beans and legumes are my favorite source. I like the taste, so that's my choice.
    When I first started really cooking, I would make a huge crockpot of black, pinto or even chickpeas... then make meals around it for the rest of the week. I would freeze whatever I knew I wouldn't use for the week.

    I would usually make these meals:
    Enchiladas,
    Burritos
    Tacos
    Chili or Soup (with a couple tins of tomatoes, onions/garlic/bell pepper, spices, and frozen corn) I would bag them up and freeze.
    Southwestern omelets
    Burgers (mash about 1 1/2 cups beans with breadcrumbs, seasoning sautéed veg, and an egg. Fry or bake. Put on bun or serve with w/rice and salsa)
    Cutlets (Chickpeas) -- search for the recipe at isachandra.com.
    Vegan sausages (Pintos) -- See above

    You could also use the beans in salads.

    I also make seitan with vital wheat gluten, and I cook frozen veggie burgers/meat sparingly -- we try to be a low soy household.
  • jbirdgreen
    jbirdgreen Posts: 569 Member
    edited February 2017
    I've been a vegetarian since 2000, so 17 years. I'm technically pescatarian because I do eat fish when I eat out, but I've only been doing that for the past two years. I also am more likely to choose a meatless entrée, so I probably have fish about one time a month at the most.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Definitely beans, and there are protein shakes that would probably help you a great deal. Obviously vegan since you want to avoid dairy. Can you eat tofu?
  • jbirdgreen
    jbirdgreen Posts: 569 Member
    I also love lentils -- I make a lot of Indian food around those. Mostly just season them with a lot of curry and spices, then serve over rice/quinoa.

    Quinoa has a lot of protein.

  • BrkNelson
    BrkNelson Posts: 8 Member
    @SoDamnHungry I'm not sure. I've never had it . I have been told I have a semi intolerance to dairy. Usually if it's ice cream ,yogurt and stuff like that . I don't like milk anyways... so it's not a big issue for me : I found a protein powder that's dairy free called Nectar and it tastes horrific so I'm still on the lookout for a good protein lol.
    @jbirdgreen thank you for all of your suggestions .
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I'm a vegetarian with an open diary. Feel free to add me. And if anything in my diary appeals to you, I can give you recipes. I'm working through one cookbook (1,000 Vegan recipes) in sequential order. I'll skip around if I'm looking for a specific dish, but every Thursday when I do my weekly cooking, I make sure to do whatever's 'next'. So, I've just finished the pastas and Asian noodles and started on chilis this week.
  • JacquiH73
    JacquiH73 Posts: 124 Member
    You can experiment with cooking tofu, there's also tempeh, and meat replacement products that are high in protein (just keep an eye on sodium content).

    Grains, nuts, seeds, beans all contain protein and if you feel a little under you can always boil or fry an egg.

    There are also protein powders hemp, soy or pea protein based that you can add to smoothies.

    For some reason our society is protein fixated (which I think has a lot to do with our big marketing push to meat and dairy) but nutritionally we only need a small percentage of protein compared to complex carbohydrates. 10-35% protein compared to 45-65% complex carbs (according to NIH). As long as you are eating a good variety of foods with and plenty of beans, nuts and grains it's very hard to be protein deficient.
  • MizShrew
    MizShrew Posts: 2 Member
    edited February 2017
    If you are okay with soy, and you're not familiar with cooking tofu, Isa Chandra has a great scrambled tofu recipe: http://www.isachandra.com/2009/10/tof-u-and-tof-me-scrambled-tofu-revisited/

    It's easy, it's versatile, it's great for breakfast or in a wrap with some greens.

    I also like to do a version of Saag Paneer replacing the Indian cheese with tofu -- it's got a similar texture and absorbs the Indian spices really well. Here's a recipe for that:
    http://www.veganricha.com/2013/10/palak-tofu-tofu-in-spinach-curry-vegan.html

    And of course, there's always beans, nuts, lentils, and eggs if you're still eating them. You'll want to add a B12 supplement to your regimen, too. It's the one essential vitamin that vegans can't really get elsewhere (if you like Nutritional Yeast, that's a good source too, just make sure to check the nutrition info -- not all yeast is nutritional yeast.) I know you're not going vegan, but I eat lacto/ovo vegetarian and still need to supplement B12.
  • BrkNelson
    BrkNelson Posts: 8 Member
    Wow thank you guys for all of your suggestions. I was afraid no one would say anything or be the usual rude comments ya know . I'm definitely going to give all these a try. Thank y'all for helping me out !
  • jbirdgreen
    jbirdgreen Posts: 569 Member
    JacquiH73 wrote: »
    For some reason our society is protein fixated (which I think has a lot to do with our big marketing push to meat and dairy) but nutritionally we only need a small percentage of protein compared to complex carbohydrates. 10-35% protein compared to 45-65% complex carbs (according to NIH). As long as you are eating a good variety of foods with and plenty of beans, nuts and grains it's very hard to be protein deficient.
    MizShrew wrote: »
    You'll want to add a B12 supplement to your regimen, too. It's the one essential vitamin that vegans can't really get elsewhere (if you like Nutritional Yeast, that's a good source too, just make sure to check the nutrition info -- not all yeast is nutritional yeast.) I know you're not going vegan, but I eat lacto/ovo vegetarian and still need to supplement B12.

    I agree with both of these. People always worry about getting protein from a veg-based diet, but that's totes easy. The real issue is b12 and iron, which are much more difficult to obtain from a plant-based diet. Eating plenty of dark green, leafy veg (that's why we love Kale so much) and nooch (nutritional yeast) can help, but you probably want to add a good multi that contains iron, or at least b12. Blackstrap molasses is also a good source for iron -- my mom was taking that when she was anemic (she's not vegetarian).



  • goldenbeaut
    goldenbeaut Posts: 47 Member
    I agree with the posts made already. Beans, lentils and quinoa are my weekly go to's. I also lift and do cardio only 2 times a week plus some yoga and I've managed to keep my weight up by tracking my protein here on MFP. you can friend me if you'd like to take a look at my diary!

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