Vegans: how to get enough protein w/out soy or protein powders?

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hannahnew625
hannahnew625 Posts: 19 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! So I just recently started using mfp again and I'm trying to get toned. I'm vegan and I've had a healthy lifestyle for 5-6 years now. Vegetarian, raw vegan, vegan, or paleo. Anyways, I want to get toned but I'm having a hard time getting protein in. I don't want to use soy products because they tend to have a bunch of terrible additives. Same for protein powders. I avoid stevia and natural flavors like the plague and I don't eat cane sugar. I do eat coconut sugar though. Anyways, on average I eat about 270 c, 70 f, and 50-60 p. I am 19, 5'4. 119 lbs. if you have any suggestions or foods to try let me know. Thanks!

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  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
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    Maybe check out Vega? It's the protein smoothie base I use, I love it.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Tofu and tempeh don't have a ton of additives. They're basically just soy (tofu has some simple ingredients to help it come together and tempeh has some -- beneficial -- bacteria).

    Seitan is soy-free and very high in protein. If you make your own, you can control what you add.

    There are many protein powders that don't have any additional ingredients. I currently have some hemp protein powder that is very simple, I use it to add protein to smoothies, granola, etc.

    Beans are a great source of protein for vegans.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I have a body building vegan friend...he eats a lot of seitan, tofu, beans, lentils, and he supplements with a pea protein powder I think...or it might be hemp, not sure 100%.
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
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    Without additives: peas, plain pea protein powder, chia seeds, cacao powder, spirulina powder, houmous, lentils, mung beans, and basically the whole legume/bean parade.

    I also use a lot of vegan Quorn, soya milk, soya yogurt, tofu, Linda McCartney products and faux meats, but these may not be what you're looking for.
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
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    I avoid soy and whey as well, but not because I'm vegan.

    Check out "Garden of Life" Rawfit Protein Powders. Totally Vegan, full of probiotics, and a pretty good label. It's a bit "gritty" because of the vegan protein, but it tastes and smells good.

    Avocado, walnuts, black beans (pressed into patties or balls) to replace "burgers" and "meatballs". I also use edamame pasta and black bean pasta to up my protein as well as have a really filling dish compared to white or wheat pasta.
  • vegandave
    vegandave Posts: 40 Member
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    Seitan, legumes (lentils are incredible), quinoa... I've been using orgain as it's a reasonably priced quality protein, along with peace protein from trader Joe's. I'm back on mfp in order to track my macros. Vegan for a decade, tough hitting the protein while minimizing the fat and the carbs. On the bright side, studies show you don't need as much protein as is typically recommended. Be sure to continue to share your journey, oh - veganbodybuilding.com has some great resources, along with veganmuscleandfitness.com? (Derek Tresize). Be sure to check them out. Robert Cheeke also has a book Shred!
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
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    Omg, I totally missed the thread title asking for no protein powders. *blushes*
  • Muana1005
    Muana1005 Posts: 172 Member
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    There are organic vegan protein powders out there (hemp or pea). Alternatively an easy vegan source is moong beans
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Beans. Lots. But if you would consider a powder, the plantfusion lean vanilla is fantastic (and on sale right now at Whole Foods) and not too sweet. I use a half scoop with lots of spinach and almond milk. Chia, hemp hearts, freekah, black rice, almond butter. I typically come in at about 90p.

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