New Vegan Struggling with Consuming Adequate Protein w/out Consuming too Many Carbs

Hi! I am a vegetarian who consumes eggs and next to no dairy and I've been at it going on 4 years. I have never stopped doing research to make sure I nourish my body properly and don't lack in any nutrients and have started studying nutritional advisory. While protein is definitely a huge one, there are other things as well to watch out for when eating an animal/animal product free diet. If you're interested you can add me/message me and we can chat a bit more in depth! But if not that's cool too! One thing I would suggest, if you're only 15-25 grams short, why not pick up a vegan protein powder? There are some super nasty ones out there, but I find the Vega Sport ones really tasty! It's 30 grams of protein per scoop, and you can easily cut that in half if you only need an extra 15 grams.

Another thing I can't recommend enough is hemp hearts! These seeds are FANTASTIC! High in complete protein and high in iron, also they are high in omegas which are essential for heart and brain health and help with focus, mental clarity, and even depression and anxiety.

Every morning I make a hemp milk with 1/4 cup seeds and water, then I use the milk to make a smoothie with fruit, protein powder and vitamins/minerals. This smoothie alone is 45 grams of protein, so this is a great way to get in complete proteins.

Hope this helps! If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Cheers!
~M

daydreamingveg wrote: »

Hi CBD92, thanks for your response! I did not realize that hemp seeds were a good source of protein! I actually have them in my fridge and was reluctant to use them very much because of the calorie and fat content. I am thinking that the bottom is that I need to accept a bit higher carbs and fats in order to reach protein levels. I can look into some vegan friendly protein powder too. Thank you again!

It is true that they are high in fat, but you just remember that fat is essential for good health! And hemp hearts are full of very good fats. Adding healthy fat to your diet can actually help you lose weight! For example, I was having a really hard time seeing results. I started adding a tbsp of coconut oil to my drink in the morning, and the pounds started to come off quite quickly! Of course, too much of a good thing is still a bad thing, so we don't want to over do it, but being vegan you are missing out on so much fat that you would get in eggs, meat, cheese, yogurt etc. So you need to make sure you still get the right amount.

Another great source of protein is lentils. They are cheap (if you buy them dried in a bag) and have almost no fat in them, but are high in protein. My advice is find yourself a lot of good lentil stew/soup recipes, you can use lentils to make all sorts of things like "meat" loaf, "meat" balls, etc. I put lentils in almost everything! There are so many different kinds of lentils, you can do almost anything with some kind of lentil. Have fun with them! They are one of my favourite foods. So versatile!

Cheers!
~M

daydreamingveg wrote: »

Hi CBD92, thanks for your response! I did not realize that hemp seeds were a good source of protein! I actually have them in my fridge and was reluctant to use them very much because of the calorie and fat content. I am thinking that the bottom is that I need to accept a bit higher carbs and fats in order to reach protein levels. I can look into some vegan friendly protein powder too. Thank you again!

you need healthy fats, fats help with hormone production.hemp seeds,flax,chia while not high protein are healthy because they contain omega 3 fatty acids. hemp seeds,have about 10g of protein for 30g of seeds(depends on brand too some will be higher some lower),and great sources of fiber too.

Chia seeds! It's very difficult to have a variety of protein sources if you're trying to stay low carb as a vegan. Most high protein rich foods are beans, legumes, whole starch vegetables, pease, lentils, and even grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa)- all high carb. I would definitely recommend upping your carbs, if these whole starches are your source of protein, you will most probably not gain weight from them. Also, take a look at WSLF on Mr. & Mrs. Vegans youtube channel to gain more understanding of the importance of these foods and the benifits they bring our bodies

I really don't think going over carbs and fat is a big deal. A lot of people don't look at their carb/fat/protein % at all and as long as you get somewhere near your range it really isn't serious. You will still likely be healthy and I'd say getting adequate protein would be most important (IMO). Just try to get a decent balance of all three.

Vegan of 10 years... ritual carb offender... 67lbs down. I exceed MFP's carb count daily.

High carb isn't inherently bad. Veganism, by sheer merit of excluding food groups which make up the majority of protein-dense foods, does lend itself towards high-carb. As others have said, the default macros on MFP aren't designed with veganism in mind.

If you have never tried seitan before, you might have to try different ones to find one you like. Or, make your own. There are some that I find unpalatable. I love anything by Field Roast, though.

And, as several have said, it's not a big deal to go over carbs or fats. Another good protein powder (I'm not overly fond of Vega because of the taste of stevia, though I keep some Vega One around) is Sun Warrior.

daydreamingveg wrote: »

Hello. As the title states; I'm new to veganism and am trying to ensure I am hitting my MFP numbers, specifically protein. I always wind up being 15-25 grams short on protein. I regularly consume Daiya greek yogurts, spirulina, beans, ezekiel bread, nuts and oats, and of course veggies. I find that if I were to hit my protein goals then I'd most likely exceed my carb goals and potentially my fat goals, I'm usually slightly under my calorie goals as well, but only by a couple hundred on average. I would prefer not to rely heavily on soy products, but I am considering switching my almond milk in my morning smoothie for soy milk and could definitely add some edamame as well. I suppose my real question is: Do the MFP goals accurately reflect realistic goals for vegans? And, is exceeding my carb and fat goals acceptable in order to hit my protein goals?

Any supportive advice would be appreciated.

The MFP default macros are just a starting place. There are a few vegans here who have mentioned shooting for 60 C 20 F 20 Protein. When I lived in yoga communities, my vegan friends certainly ate a lot more carbs than I did, and were happy, healthy, and fit.

Does soy milk have enough protein to make a difference? What about a pea protein powder in your morning smoothie?

Here are some vegan recipes featuring beans or lentils: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/search/ ?f[0]=field_special_diet:158786&f[1]=field_recipe_main_ingredient:789

daydreamingveg wrote: »

Do the MFP goals accurately reflect realistic goals for vegans? And, is exceeding my carb and fat goals acceptable in order to hit my protein goals?

Any supportive advice would be appreciated.

I totally and utterly ignore the carb goals. After a week, I decided that trying to keep under the carb threshold while also hitting the protein threshold (which is important to me for sport-related goals) would have meant food-planning would have taken over my life for the next fortnight, before I just gave up on mfp and dieting in disgust.

My high-carb, high-fat, on-target protein diet seems to be working out for me so far, so long as I pay attention to portion size.

"And, is exceeding my carb and fat goals acceptable in order to hit my protein goals? "

They are just recommendations. If you are vegan I'd say you are going to eat more carbs and don't worry about it.
I am not vegan but I look at my calorie goal first then my protein goal and don't really worry about the rest.

You've already gotten a lot of great advice, but I'll chime in. I ignored my carbohydrate goal when I was losing weight, I just focused on getting enough protein and fat. I lost over 40 pounds this way and am still maintaining it.

I do think switching out your almond milk for soy milk (or a pea-based milk, like Ripple -- don't worry, it doesn't taste anything like peas!) would be an easy switch. Seitan has a *lot* of protein without a lot of carbohydrates. I personally reduced my fruit when I was losing weight because I was getting lots of vitamins and fiber elsewhere and it wasn't satisfying enough for the calories without much protein or fat -- this gave me more room for snacks with protein. It's optional, but worth considering if you aren't a big fan of fruit anyway. When I did have it, it was almost always in the form of a smoothie (now that I'm maintaining and have more calories each day, I have more fruit).

At the end of the day, your weight loss will come from consistently being in a deficit.

daydreamingveg wrote: »

Hello. As the title states; I'm new to veganism and am trying to ensure I am hitting my MFP numbers, specifically protein. I always wind up being 15-25 grams short on protein. I regularly consume Daiya greek yogurts, spirulina, beans, ezekiel bread, nuts and oats, and of course veggies. I find that if I were to hit my protein goals then I'd most likely exceed my carb goals and potentially my fat goals, I'm usually slightly under my calorie goals as well, but only by a couple hundred on average. I would prefer not to rely heavily on soy products, but I am considering switching my almond milk in my morning smoothie for soy milk and could definitely add some edamame as well. I suppose my real question is: Do the MFP goals accurately reflect realistic goals for vegans? And, is exceeding my carb and fat goals acceptable in order to hit my protein goals?

Any supportive advice would be appreciated.

MFP just has default macro settings for everyone...you can change them...macro breakdowns are a pretty individual thing.

Vegans and vegetarians typically eat higher carbohydrate diets...there are exceptions, but that's kind of how that all works out naturally.