Vegetarian ADVICE!

TiffanyLoveG if you have Netflix I recommend you watch 'Food Choices'
It talks specifically about protein, once you watch this everyone's opinions won't matter about your protein intake. Unfortunately people are very misinformed about protein and the human body.

I think there are so many opinions out there, you just don't know who to trust or believe. I'm not vegetarian, but I don't eat a ton of meat so my protein per day is about 65 to 80 grams. I'm reading the New Rules for Lifting and according to him, I should be at 30 or 40% protein. That's a ton! 180 gr. a day! I eat a lot of beans, but they don't have as much protein as you think. I made 3 bean chili and I think I may add some seitan as a small serving only has 14 gr. of protein.

I guess I don't have an answer for you. I also eat nuts/peanut butter occasionally, as it's pretty dense in calories. Cottage cheese has a lot of protein for under 100 calories. Oh, and dried seaweed - spirulina is the new darling of vegan foods. I have no idea of how to use it, but it's low cal and high protein.

I'd agree with the addition of beans, lentils and greek yogurt if your into dairy. Also 60 g of protein a day is okayyy. I aim to get about 90 g because i strength train. but it will get easier to find foods to fulfill your nutrients! keep track of your foods so you can see what works for you. Good luck

You never have to worry about protein if you are eating whole foods. I've been vegetarian for 5 years, i have never in my life taken a protein supplement, yet i continue to grow any muscle i choose to exercise. Protein is a buzzword that they use to sell products. Essential amino acids are found in abundance in fresh produce.

Do you know what protein deficiency disease, when you are getting enough overall calories, is called?
Kwashiorkor. Ever heard of it? Most people haven't, because it's extremely rare. Whey used to be a waste product in dairy manufacturing. Now, they get to add their waste product back to other foods, and market it as "Now, with more protein!", as if lack of protein had ever been a problem in America.

Rocbola wrote: »

You never have to worry about protein if you are eating whole foods. I've been vegetarian for 5 years, i have never in my life taken a protein supplement, yet i continue to grow any muscle i choose to exercise. Protein is a buzzword that they use to sell products. Essential amino acids are found in abundance in fresh produce.

Do you know what protein deficiency disease, when you are getting enough overall calories, is called?
Kwashiorkor. Ever heard of it? Most people haven't, because it's extremely rare. Whey used to be a waste product in dairy manufacturing. Now, they get to add their waste product back to other foods, and market it as "Now, with more protein!", as if lack of protein had ever been a problem in America.

Someone eating a whole foods diet heavy in fruits and vegetables could still have issues with specific amino acid deficiencies, specifically lysine. While I don't think that protein is a pressing worry for vegetarians or vegans, I would never make the inaccurate blanket statement that one *never* has to worry about it.

Protein isn't just a buzzword. It's an essential macronutrient. Here is a link that may be helpful: http://veganhealth.org/articles/protein

Make sure you learn about proper protein combining so you are making complete proteins by mixing carbs like rice, oats and potatos with a vegetable protein like beans and lentils in order to have all of the essential amino acids.

(1) The writer who in the early 1970s popularized the idea that it is essential for vegetarians to rigorously practice protein combining at every meal to get adequate protein (Frances Moore Lappe, in "Diet for a Small Planet") more or less disavowed the idea just 10 years later (in a subsequent edition of the book), but the idea will not die.

(2) Protein combining is about combining foods from various groups (dairy, grains, legumes, and seeds -- note that potatoes do not fall into any of these groups, and that "carbs" are not one of the groups) to get an essential amino acid profile that more closely resembles the ratio needed by humans to use up all the amino acids they consume (if you're too low on one amino acid, once you've used it up combining it with others to make a complete protein, there may be some other essential amino acid that you didn't use up and is now "left over.") As long as you're including foods from several of the groups (dairy, grains, legumes, and seeds) in your diet on a regular basis, you don't need to worry about "mixing" them at a given meal.[/quote]

Sorry I know you're right I just didn't want to go into too much detail. As long as the different food groups are included in your diet they don't need to be in the same specific meal.

If you have concerns about other people's opinion about you and your protein check out the documentary titled Food Choices on Netflix. It is eye opening and really will make you understand where to find protein and how much we really need.
It's a great watch!