New Vegan Struggling with Consuming Adequate Protein w/out Consuming too Many Carbs
daydreamingveg
Posts: 5 Member
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.
Any supportive advice would be appreciated.
2
Replies
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seitan,tofu,would help with the protein intake for little amounts of carbs2
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Thanks CharliesBeansmom! I went and bought some seitan today, so I'll give that a try.1
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daydreamingveg wrote: »Thanks CharliesBeansmom! I went and bought some seitan today, so I'll give that a try.
yeah I dont know what it tastes like since they dont sell it around here. but I love tofu. Im sure there are other sources that someone else can mention,some of those things escape me at the moment lol0 -
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!
~M3 -
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!0
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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!
~M1 -
What about black beans? I'm not sure if they'd fit your macros??
per 100g:
Calories- 113
protein- 8.5g
Carbs- 12.7g
Fibre- 9.3g
And you can add them to just about anything without altering the taste.0 -
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.1 -
Great information on this thread! I could've written what the OP said, myself, so I'm excited to have some good advice to follow. Thanks y'all!1
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My understanding is that a vegan diet is inherently higher in carbs (because most vegan protein sources are also carbsy, eg quinoa, beans). The default myfitnesspal macro balance is aimed at a standard omnivorous diet - you might be better adjusting the percentages to suit your own lifestyle.5
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As an aside if you are planning on veganism as a long term lifestyle you will need to think about how you are going to get vit B12.0
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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 bodies1
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another vote for protein powder,there's so much available for vegans now, there's no need to not be meeting your protein goal. my favourite is the soy protein isolate from myprotein.com, the flavours are excellent. There's also things like pea protein isolate and brown rice protein, which can easily be added to savoury meals, like soups and sauces etc. Hemp protein is also available if you prefer more savoury tastes to sweet ones that you normally get with soy products. you can even get blended products that mix multiple protein sources together, for example active woman vegan blend by myprotein (other sites do stuff like this too, but this is the one i'm familiar with)0
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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.1
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Research "Dr. McDougall." You might find that high carb isn't necessarily a bad thing0
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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.1 -
Wow, thanks everyone! Some really great advice and insight in everyone's responses! I added 30 grams of hemp seeds to my morning smoothie and made some yummy red lentil curry for lunches this week! Hopefully I'll be a bit closer to hitting my protein needs. I won't worry so much about going over my carbs too! Thanks again!2
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Also, I should be covered on the B12 front. I do take a supplement a couple times a week and add nutritional yeast to certain meals. I have a doctors appointment w/ blood work scheduled in mid-april; I'm excited to see the results!0
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as long as you hit your calories you should be fine. I go over on carbs quite often.0
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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.0 -
I red lentils.0
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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:7890 -
I swear by soya protein chunks from Holland and Barrett. They're 50g of protein per 100g which is practically unheard of - vegan or otherwise! You hydrate them yourself at home which can seem intimidating but I promise you if I can do it then anyone can. I do mine in stock, nutritional yeast and soy sauce and then fry them, but my dad prefers to stick them in a sauce or curry and do it that way, either is fine. There's also a mince made of the same stuff with the same protein content.
It's such a good way to boost your protein intake for the day because you have to eat hardly any of it to make a massive difference. Also it's super filling so depending on whether you're trying to lose or gain weight, this may also be a pro for you.1 -
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.
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.
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Spinach and broccoli are low-calorie but provide a decent amount of protein.
You could also add some protein powder to your smoothies.
If they sell it where you live, Quorn is a great diet food. Not great for you, but an easy low-calorie food and high in protein. They have some vegan products nowadays.0 -
"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.
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I would suggest moving from your Almond Milk to a pea-based milk like Ripple. Soy-free, and has a lot more protein per serving than Almond milk is going to have. You can find it at most Target or Whole Foods, as well as other retailers.
Did you set your own macro goals? Or are you going off of the goals that MFP spit out for you? Is there a reason you're fearful of going over on Carbs? Do you have a dietary restriction from a MD or a medical condition? If not, there really isn't any reason to be fearful of carbs. So long as you're burning more calories than you're consuming, the weight will come off.
I've been vegan nearly my entire life. I've lowered my carbs, raised my protein, lowered my protein, raised my carbs, lowered and raised my fat....the only thing that helped me lose weight was to focus on the calories.0 -
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.0 -
The only sources of *pure* protein are animal proteins. Every plant protein comes with at least SOME carbs and/or fat attached to it. You can buy it "mechanically separated" (in the form of soy protein powders, etc), but if you're eating whole foods, your protein and carbs are pretty tightly linked as a vegan.0
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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.0
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