Frustrated vegetarian
Replies
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Why is it that people who are vegetarian for reasons other than not wanting to contribute to the deaths of animals have to preface it that way. Is it so shameful to be compassionate and not want to contribute to the pain and torture? It's insulting to many of the group who would have the answers you seek.
Anyway, eat a wide variety of things from a wide variety of sources. Try things you haven't before like maybe lentils or different kinds of beans. Explore. The world of non-animal food is immense and you can easily hit your goals with it. A normal day of WFPB + a Protein Shake I regularly hit 120g of protein, so you can do it! Feel free to add me as a friend, I keep an open diary to friends.
Ok, I appreciate your feedback. My note about why I don't eat meat was to avoid the whole "your going to kill animals all so you can hit protein goals" comment. I don't knock anyone who does it for that reason, that's just not my reason for being vegetarian. It wasn't to offend anyone else so please don'tgeneralize me with other mean hearted, rude individuals.
I greatly appreciate all the helpful feedback everyone has given and I have actually been writing them down so it's not going to waste.1 -
I'm mainly veggie just eating fish approx once per week and am aiming for 20% protein. Apart from fish I mainly get it from eggs, quorn, smoked tofu and "protein cheese" (available in the uk and I think made from 2% milk so low fat). Oats have a reasonable amount too so I have porridge or oat based muesli with soya yoghurt for breakfast.
Thank you!0 -
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ValeriePlz wrote: »This is pretty much why I started eating meat again. I had trouble meeting protein without blowing out my carbs in the process. I also am a long-distance runner and participate in triathlons, so meeting protein became even more important for me.
Pescetarianism can be a good compromise for a lot of people. I pay more for wild-caught fish for environmental and nutritional reasons. I also started eating other meat again, buying mostly grass-fed meats from my local farmers market.
This is pretty much where I was leaning last night but I am trying really hard to keep my protein up. Thanks to the suggestions I've received over the past 24 hours I am going to keep trying and see if I can get the protein up.0 -
In addition to the above suggestions, you might have to just supplement with a protein supplement if you are adamant about hitting that target. I never went full vegetarian, but I spent some time experimenting with being vegetarian 3-4 days out of the week for a few months and I always had to supplement on those days if I wanted to hit 140g.0
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OP - not sure what your goals are, but your protein goal probably doesn't need to be that high. Try backing it down and hitting 100 to see how you feel. You can also cram a lot of nutrients into a smoothie with plant-based powder. I've tried them all and PlantFusion Lean Vanilla is my fav. You can order trial packs on Amazon.0
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[quote="missillianna;c-39892243"
I've just started added protein shakes also... When I do protein shakes, egg whites and seitan I can hit my protein but that's not a recipe to follow daily without getting burnt out on it. Other than eggs what do you guys do for breakfast protein? Dinner ideas with low carbs and high protein?[/quote]
weekday
carman or another protein muesli Bar
milkshake with oats n protein powder (chocolate peanut butter. banana or berries
oat with Greek yoghurt n fruits. I add nuts sometimes
sometimes I make breakfast muffin but then I eat that for a few days
weekend
egg (omelette fried scrambled)
bread with cheese (I make my own n use whole grain or add soy or lentil flour)
scrambled tofu
pancake again add protein powder soy or'lentil flour. I only add one third for the flour otherwise its too'savoury for my preference
we do eat Nuts a lot or add parmegian which is high of fat but we prefer to eat that way.
we eat complex carb. like quinoa or high protein pasta or whole grain pasta. its just a little bit but adds up. I make the tomato sauce with silken tofu or textured soy protein.
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OP - not sure what your goals are, but your protein goal probably doesn't need to be that high. Try backing it down and hitting 100 to see how you feel. You can also cram a lot of nutrients into a smoothie with plant-based powder. I've tried them all and PlantFusion Lean Vanilla is my fav. You can order trial packs on Amazon.
Thank you!!0 -
weekday[quote="missillianna;c-39892243"
I've just started added protein shakes also... When I do protein shakes, egg whites and seitan I can hit my protein but that's not a recipe to follow daily without getting burnt out on it. Other than eggs what do you guys do for breakfast protein? Dinner ideas with low carbs and high protein?
carman or another protein muesli Bar
milkshake with oats n protein powder (chocolate peanut butter. banana or berries
oat with Greek yoghurt n fruits. I add nuts sometimes
sometimes I make breakfast muffin but then I eat that for a few days
weekend
egg (omelette fried scrambled)
bread with cheese (I make my own n use whole grain or add soy or lentil flour)
scrambled tofu
pancake again add protein powder soy or'lentil flour. I only add one third for the flour otherwise its too'savoury for my preference
we do eat Nuts a lot or add parmegian which is high of fat but we prefer to eat that way.
we eat complex carb. like quinoa or high protein pasta or whole grain pasta. its just a little bit but adds up. I make the tomato sauce with silken tofu or textured soy protein.
[/quote]
Thank you0 -
I make smoothies they are not super tasty but they're good for you. Oatmeal, chick pea flour, hemp seed meal, flaxseed, one cup of spinach, banana, carrot, and some kind of more sugary fruit like mango, and a little honey0
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OP - not sure what your goals are, but your protein goal probably doesn't need to be that high. Try backing it down and hitting 100 to see how you feel. You can also cram a lot of nutrients into a smoothie with plant-based powder. I've tried them all and PlantFusion Lean Vanilla is my fav. You can order trial packs on Amazon.
That's what I was thinking. My protein goal used to be pretty high, and I have found 100g MUCH easier to attain. It has not affected my goals (personally).
OP, you asked about protein bars. Aldi has a few different ones (at a decent price). I'm a fan of the yogurt honey peanut bars. They are like imitation balance bars, and I find them very filling. They are 15g for 200ish calories. You can get no fat Greek yogurt for 80calories and 15g protein (also at aldi if you want).
Make an omelette with 1-2 eggs and add some egg whites to increase the protein for minimal calories (again, aldi sells VERY cheap eggs typically). Maybe throw some veggie sausage crumbles and shredded cheese in. Add in sprouted toast or a low carb (ie high protein) tortilla and you can potentially be looking at 40g protein just for breakfast. - EDIT: remembered you wanted egg alternatives. You can just eat the fake sausage on high protein bread which is delicious. Or have refried beans in a high protein tortilla. But eggs (and whites) are a super easy protein source. Also try googling "protein pancakes"
Gardein "ground meat" is similar to real meat in protein content. You can put it in sauce over pasta or mix it in some peas over rice and easily get another 20-25g protein. (Boca chicken patties are fantastic and have 15g. Whole grain flat outs have decent protein, eaten together over 20g for dinner). With just these suggestions you're already at 90g.
I would further suggest a range, maybe 100-120g of protein if you're not comfortable dropping your goal. Once you hit 100g comfortably, look at your diary and try to figure out simple ways to tweak your diet to squeeze in the extra 20g.0 -
All good suggestions. The items that saved me were a good quality plant based protein powder (like Plant Fusion or Vega), protein powder pancakes (1 scoop powder, 3 egg whites, 1 tspn baking soda, water for desired consistency) cook the pancake and spread a high protein PB on top (like FitMix). Or have on a low carb high protein bread like "When Pigs Fly Low Carb". Also I've tried vegan eggs. They are "ok", good for protein. For bars I found "Simply Protein". They super low calorie and low carb but have between 12-15g of protein per bar. Gardein is also one of my favorite vegan products, the meatless burgers are super delicious!1
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I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years - but I do eat dairy and seafood - which is where I get a lot of my protein. I also eat a lot of beans.1
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ValeriePlz wrote: »This is pretty much why I started eating meat again. I had trouble meeting protein without blowing out my carbs in the process. I also am a long-distance runner and participate in triathlons, so meeting protein became even more important for me.
Pescetarianism can be a good compromise for a lot of people. I pay more for wild-caught fish for environmental and nutritional reasons. I also started eating other meat again, buying mostly grass-fed meats from my local farmers market.
One of several reasons for me... I actually never lost weight well when vegetarian because I was eating cheese to try to keep my protein up... and I became really really sick of all of the prepwork that goes into casseroles (and then eating casseroles endlessly)... and I really like the taste of a nice, rare steak.
If you're not opposed to casseroles and such, Jeanne Lemlin used to have some really good cookbooks out there... I still pull them out from time to time (just not every. single. day.).
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I'll ask one unpopular question and probably get some angry answers, but here it goes
Why do you think you need more proteins?
Do you experience some problems?0 -
Seitan is a really good way to get protein for the calories actually. Too bad my stomach doesn't love it in large amounts--like I can have a little on top of a salad but I big piece, no way for me. But if it works for you, it's a really good one to eat a few times a week to get protein up.0
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OP - not sure what your goals are, but your protein goal probably doesn't need to be that high. Try backing it down and hitting 100 to see how you feel. You can also cram a lot of nutrients into a smoothie with plant-based powder. I've tried them all and PlantFusion Lean Vanilla is my fav. You can order trial packs on Amazon.
That's what I was thinking. My protein goal used to be pretty high, and I have found 100g MUCH easier to attain. It has not affected my goals (personally).
OP, you asked about protein bars. Aldi has a few different ones (at a decent price). I'm a fan of the yogurt honey peanut bars. They are like imitation balance bars, and I find them very filling. They are 15g for 200ish calories. You can get no fat Greek yogurt for 80calories and 15g protein (also at aldi if you want).
Make an omelette with 1-2 eggs and add some egg whites to increase the protein for minimal calories (again, aldi sells VERY cheap eggs typically). Maybe throw some veggie sausage crumbles and shredded cheese in. Add in sprouted toast or a low carb (ie high protein) tortilla and you can potentially be looking at 40g protein just for breakfast. - EDIT: remembered you wanted egg alternatives. You can just eat the fake sausage on high protein bread which is delicious. Or have refried beans in a high protein tortilla. But eggs (and whites) are a super easy protein source. Also try googling "protein pancakes"
Gardein "ground meat" is similar to real meat in protein content. You can put it in sauce over pasta or mix it in some peas over rice and easily get another 20-25g protein. (Boca chicken patties are fantastic and have 15g. Whole grain flat outs have decent protein, eaten together over 20g for dinner). With just these suggestions you're already at 90g.
I would further suggest a range, maybe 100-120g of protein if you're not comfortable dropping your goal. Once you hit 100g comfortably, look at your diary and try to figure out simple ways to tweak your diet to squeeze in the extra 20g.
Wow this is a ton of great info. Thank you so much. I was just talking with my husband last night about shopping cheaper and I thought of Aldi's. I am going to check out their bars.0 -
nevadavis1 wrote: »Seitan is a really good way to get protein for the calories actually. Too bad my stomach doesn't love it in large amounts--like I can have a little on top of a salad but I big piece, no way for me. But if it works for you, it's a really good one to eat a few times a week to get protein up.
I just tried seitan and actually liked it!!0 -
I'll ask one unpopular question and probably get some angry answers, but here it goes
Why do you think you need more proteins?
Do you experience some problems?
Haha no angry answers here at least. I think I believed based on popular thought process that I needed a high amount of protein to develop and sustain muscle tissue. I watched a documentary last night called "what the health" on Netflix and it had a lot of good information. Between the responses I've received here and that documentary I'm really rethinking a lot. I think I was placing too much emphasis on protein consumption at the risk of actual quality food.2 -
missillianna wrote: »Haha no angry answers here at least. I think I believed based on popular thought process that I needed a high amount of protein to develop and sustain muscle tissue. I watched a documentary last night called "what the health" on Netflix and it had a lot of good information. Between the responses I've received here and that documentary I'm really rethinking a lot. I think I was placing too much emphasis on protein consumption at the risk of actual quality food.
I think time will show how much proteins we really need and what part is based on truth and what part is result of health industry hype.
I have no definite opinion on this yet
One of the reasons why I am skeptical are historical: I think that (at least in my country) we are now at the historic maximum of protein consumption. My ancestors, specially female ancestors were no vegetarians, but they ate so little meat and eggs like they almost were. And those women worked pretty hard and were pretty strong and had a lots of children (so, very few hormonal imbalances compared to nowadays).
The reason why they ate like that are pretty sad, due to famine and not being treated equal (meat and eggs were saved for men). But anyway, I find very interesting that with such diet they were in such a good form and that there were so few hormonal imbalances.0
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