Vegan Friends

Hey, I've been vegan for 8 months and found it quite a struggle to maintain the amount of protein I'm getting and limit the sugar intake. Any vegans who have mastered this, please add and share some tips! Always open to new recipe ideas too

Replies

  • 44eab44
    44eab44 Posts: 22 Member
    Hi! I'm not actually vegan but I do eat predominately vegan - especially when at uni!
    Vegan quorn is a v good source of protein! I eat the non vegan quorn and find that really helps.
    Have you tried tempeh? The taste isn't for everyone and it's quite expensive but really high in protein!
    Soya yoghurt / soya milk
    Tofu - goes with lots of things especially yummy Pan fried with ginger and soy
    Lentils and quinoa - make a Dahl that's super high in protein and fibre! Add you can add all sorts of veg into it. At the moment I love mine with sweet potato spinach and mushrooms all mixed in
    Sweet potato and quinoa mash is also high protein
    Have you tried edamame pasta? That's really high protein and fibre, and some home made pesto, for really yummy and nutritious supper!
    Roasted soya beans, really good alternative to crisps or nuts as a snack

    I hope some of those are helpful! What's your usual source of protein?


  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
    are you open to the idea of taking protein powders? I recently bought vegan orgain protein powder. are you into weight training? Try adding beans and legumes or tofu. If you're into clean eating, there's a group on fb on whole starch low fat vegan diet, they recommend 2 fruits per day for weight loss and focusing on whole food starch based... almost 2.5 years into veganism but definitely not mastered that way of eating but slowly transitioning to increasing my protein intake because im doing weight training.. ;)
  • mintyjuly
    mintyjuly Posts: 31 Member
    Vegan a year and a half. Pretty happy with everything now. You're welcome to look at my diary and I can recommend recipes etc.
  • barry_b12
    barry_b12 Posts: 86 Member
    I've been vegan for over 5 years now. I am trying to bulk up a bit so am conscious about my protein level. I too find myself relying quite a bit on various beans, nuts, tofu, edamame ...all that @44eab44 said :) ...and yes, I do use a protein powder too but that might just be because I love chocolate and bananas more than protein :D
  • 44eab44
    44eab44 Posts: 22 Member
    Yes i forgot to mention I use Hemp protein powder most days! I either mix some into my oats in the morning or make a Smoothie with banana, soya yoghurt, frozen berries, dash of almond milk (don't need much) and the Hemp Powder!
  • 44eab44
    44eab44 Posts: 22 Member
    I have only just started using my fitness pal and am bit of a tech klutz!! I was wondering how I can follow people / have people follow me? I'd love to be able to look at other people's entries etc and talk to people but not really sure how! @mintyjuly @barry_b12 @nuttall_x
  • nuttall_x
    nuttall_x Posts: 3 Member
    These are all really good tips and tricks! Thanks so much! I've never really tried protein powder, I don't weight train so always been worried that it wouldn't work effectively/be too many calories that don't get burned!
  • mintyjuly
    mintyjuly Posts: 31 Member
    If you count it in your daily allowance it's fine! For me it's an easy way of hitting the protein goals I need x
  • lululapagaille
    lululapagaille Posts: 84 Member
    Hi, seitan is very protein rich ! I make seitan / bbq sauce sausages. Yum !
  • Luchovida
    Luchovida Posts: 12 Member
    Plants have protien. This is always a concern I hear from everyone. Try quinoa, tofu, garbanzos, peas, beans, lentils, and there are even vegan protein powders.
  • nevadavis1
    nevadavis1 Posts: 331 Member
    I've been vegan for 20 years and never had an issue getting enough protein until recently. Switching to a sedentary job, taking some steroids for my lupus, getting less exercise, aging, and just eating too much (especially carbs) made me gain weight over time. Now that I'm eating in a calorie deficit I'm worried about getting enough protein. I've cut back on some of the things that balanced it out for me in the past, like nuts, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, etc. I've managed to fit my tofu and lots of beans into my calorie deficit plan, but I'm trying to work on getting other proteins in too. So I agree that it can be hard if you're restricting calories. Not that I can claim to be a really totally healthy eater--I couldn't give up my jasmine and basmati rice, every diet I tried before that I didn't get to have my favorites I wouldn't last. So this time I'm fitting them in.

    I'm not a user of protein powders, but the Vega people were in the store handing out samples this weekend and the calories on that kind wasn't bad. My husband seriously weight trains so he uses a different kind. I lift for fitness, but not all that heavy or anything.