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.