Frustrated vegetarian

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Replies

  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    edited June 2017
    nowine4me wrote: »
    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.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    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!
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
    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.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    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.).

  • daneejela
    daneejela Posts: 461 Member
    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?
  • nevadavis1
    nevadavis1 Posts: 331 Member
    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.
  • missillianna
    missillianna Posts: 19 Member
    slaite1 wrote: »
    nowine4me wrote: »
    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.
  • missillianna
    missillianna Posts: 19 Member
    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!!
  • missillianna
    missillianna Posts: 19 Member
    daneejela wrote: »
    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.
  • daneejela
    daneejela Posts: 461 Member
    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.
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    Being a "vegetarian" does not make you lose weight.
    It just means you may have a harder time getting enough protein and that you may be short on some vitamins & minerals.
  • ericatoday
    ericatoday Posts: 454 Member
    I hit my protein no prob on my vegetarian days. Beans, vegan protein powders, eggs, cheeses, Tofu, I love morning stars vegan chik,'n' so good and 23gms of protein
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Since the issue is that you feel better when not eating meat, I think maybe the first thing is to identify what about eating meat was making you feel bad. Too much saturated fat? If that's the case then eating leaner meats might work. Or maybe you are just eating more veggies than you used to, and that helps.

    Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are my quick fixes when I need a little low-cal protein. Fish are also excellent - try a variety of fish, especially fatty fish such as salmon, which are great for you. The most important thing as far as including more fish in my diet was finding where to buy them locally - the fish at standard groceries are disgusting here, while at ethnic markets they are much fresher and more varied.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I'm not vegetarian, but when I do a meatless day, the only way I can get near 100g protein without blowing out my cals is incorporating eggs, greek yogurt, and lentils. I agree you don't have to kill yourself to get to 120g of protein, so maybe back that down a little and take some of the pressure off :)
  • VictoriaTuel
    VictoriaTuel Posts: 1,604 Member
    Beans, veggies like edamame, and tofu/tempeh/seitan are all great for protein. I also try to make sure the carbs/grains I'm eating also have a fair amount of protein - lentils, certain pastas, etc. - so my base doesn't go to waste.

    However my favorite way to get protein is Greek yogurt - it can go into so many things! When I eat sauces I'll mix them with plain yogurt for a protein boost that doesn't change the flavor profile. I could snack on zucchini slices with BBQ sauce and Greek yogurt in a 1:1 ratio all day. Also, I'll make a variation on these Greek yogurt pancakes that are delicious: http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/08/15/greek-yogurt-pancakes/

    I know you said you're tired of eggs, but I'd feel bad leaving out egg drop soup, because I eat it all the time. It's super low calorie, but also very filling and a different way to eat eggs.
  • rachieliz93
    rachieliz93 Posts: 8 Member
    missillianna wrote: »
    I've been vegetarian since October and I am trying to lose some weight. I did the first few months the wrong way... Supplementing protein for carbs and fat. Well now I am tracking everything and I am having the HARDEST time making my protein. I am so frustrated I am about to start forcing myself to eat meat. I will preface this with, I am not a vegetarian because I want to save all the animals... My body just does not do well with meat. I've really enjoyed how I feel not eating meat but I need to have a better way of obtaining it daily.

    Any ideas??? Please don't tell me chickpeas. Hummus and peanut butter don't cut it.

    Vegan here,
    I add soaked cashews to my pasta sauces (in a food processor or blender) it makes everything taste rich and creamy. Has 20g protein in half a cup of cashews. You can also add them to smoothies and nice cream!
  • danika2point0
    danika2point0 Posts: 197 Member
    I like ThinkThin protein bars.
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