Vegetarian Protein Options that are Low in Carb
emj5687
Posts: 2 Member
While I know there are many great plant-based protein options out there for vegetarians, I find that most of them come with high calorie and/or carbohydrates. As someone that's using MFP to lose weight, I'm struggling to hit my daily protein goal without exceeding calories or carbs. Any suggestions? (The vegetarian part is non-negotiable.)
0
Replies
-
Seitan, tofu and tempeh are generally high in protein and low in carbs. Eggs, cottage cheese and greek yogurt are also great sources if you're the kind of vegetarian that eats dairy and eggs. Even white and portobello mushrooms are a surprisingly good source of protein for the calories if you manage to eat enough of them.
In general, I believe carbs are a personal preference. You can absolutely lose weight with a higher carb diet if you're finding it hard to stay at a lower carb count. You could edit your desired carb percentage in the options if you are put off by red numbers.6 -
It's often a person's own choice to make things easier or more difficult. Calories come in the form of carbs, protein and fat (and alcohol). If you want to lose weight, you need to reduce calorie intake. If you're a vegetarian, you can still get protein through eggs and dairy. If you are a vegan, you need to base your intake around beans, grains and nuts. If you just don't eat meat, you can eat fish and other seafood.1
-
Take a look at this thread (link below). It links to a spreadsheet that lists many foods by protein efficiency: Highest protein for fewest calories. Scroll through it, find foods you like, eat more of them. As a veg, you'll have to scroll past the meaty/fishy parts, but the veg options are there, and the more efficient ones will tend to be relatively lower carb/fat, by definition.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also2 -
how about vegan protein powder?0
-
This is a list that the Low Carber Daily MFP group put together for ketogenic options (very low carb) that may be of help.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
Vegan Keto
https://www.reddit.com/r/veganketo
http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2015/04/video-low-carb-vegan-keto-plant-based/
http://veganhealth.org/
Vegetarian Keto
https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo
http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2015/07/05/2-week-vegetarian-keto-diet-plan
http://vegetarianketo.blogspot.com/
http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2015/05/27/81-delicious-savory-low-carb-vegetarian-recipes
https://vegetarianketo.wordpress.com/3 -
I use Vega One, 20 g of protein with 10 g of carbs (of which 6 g are fiber) for 160 calories.0
-
Thanks everyone! These replies are great
I will check out all the links you sent. I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian by the way, so eggs are already a key part of my diet. 2 -
In addition to the suggestions already mentioned, I like powdered peanut butter (PB2 is my favorite brand.) It's basically lower calorie peanut butter because most of the fat is removed, so it's a decent source of protein without being a calorie bomb.1
-
I'm vegan:) Edamame, Boca burgers, pb2, broccoli! Hope that helps:)1
-
I'm also a non-negotiable ovo-lacto vegetarian, so I completely understand your struggles.
I recommend checking out No Meat Athlete's website. He posts charts and things about being athletic and vegetarian. Here's his post: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegetarian-protein-primer/
You can sign up for his e-mails and he will send you a PDF cheat sheet for sources of protein. It looks like this: https://fatfreechef.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/final-chart-scan-for-plant-protein1.jpg?w=900&h=1175
I will say that even following this chart and a general clean-eating diet, I still never hit my MFP protein goal, in part because I work out so much. I focus more on eating healthy, being active, and staying within my daily calorie limits than limiting carbs, and I've managed to lose 70 lbs (60 of it within about a year), so like someone else said, you don't have to completely limit carbs in order to lose weight.0 -
How long you been vegetarian?
One of the most important things i have learned in my years as a vegetarian is that there is absolutely no need to worry about protein, ever. Most people don't get enough fiber. Many people suffer from micro-nutrient deficiencies or electrolyte imbalances. Almost NOBODY ever suffers from lack of protein. Most people get too much, and it's a strain on the kidneys to get it out.
Just make sure to eat green vegetables every day.6 -
Try Quorn products, for example, a quorn "chicken" fillet is 45 calories and has 6 g of protein, 2.4 g of carbohydrate and 0.8 g of fat. They also do sausages, mince, "chicken" nuggets and southern fried "chicken" bites which are all really tasty.0
-
I have been eating eggs, cottage cheese, protien powder, Greek yogurt, and a lot of fake meat.1
-
How long you been vegetarian?
One of the most important things i have learned in my years as a vegetarian is that there is absolutely no need to worry about protein, ever. Most people don't get enough fiber. Many people suffer from micro-nutrient deficiencies or electrolyte imbalances. Almost NOBODY ever suffers from lack of protein. Most people get too much, and it's a strain on the kidneys to get it out.
Just make sure to eat green vegetables every day.
^^^^THIS^^^^
It took me a long time to get out of the mindset that I needed a ton of protein. I found it was much more important, as a vegetarian, to make sure I was actually eating enough vegetable matter
3 -
How long you been vegetarian?
One of the most important things i have learned in my years as a vegetarian is that there is absolutely no need to worry about protein, ever. Most people don't get enough fiber. Many people suffer from micro-nutrient deficiencies or electrolyte imbalances. Almost NOBODY ever suffers from lack of protein. Most people get too much, and it's a strain on the kidneys to get it out.
Just make sure to eat green vegetables every day.
it's true that you're unlikely to suffer from protein deficiency illnesses. however, that's not the only relevant reason to get adequate protein. making sure that you're eating protein while in a calorie deficit is the best way to minimize muscle loss when losing weight. strength training can do a lot for this too, but adequate protein is absolutely necessary for maintaining lean body mass.1 -
OP seitan is a great source of protein and cheap to make and customize. greek yogurt is another one that i find essential and can be used in about a million recipes as a substitute for almost any other dairy. eggs are great of course and halo top protein ice cream can be used in a pinch as well
0 -
How long you been vegetarian?
One of the most important things i have learned in my years as a vegetarian is that there is absolutely no need to worry about protein, ever. Most people don't get enough fiber. Many people suffer from micro-nutrient deficiencies or electrolyte imbalances. Almost NOBODY ever suffers from lack of protein. Most people get too much, and it's a strain on the kidneys to get it out.
Just make sure to eat green vegetables every day.
43 years, here. Yup, vegetarian since 1974.
I've definitely seen people switch to vegetarian or vegan eating and, after a time, suffer from inadequate protein: Weakening, hair thinning, energy sapped, more.
Furthermore, we need more protein when in a calorie deficit, when athletically active, and as we age. When all three of those apply - as they did for me while losing - it would be foolish and risky to ignore protein.
Personally, I think anyone who wants to be their healthiest should pay attention to a range of nutritional goals. Protein is high on that priority list.3 -
jessiferrrb wrote: »OP seitan is a great source of protein and cheap to make and customize. greek yogurt is another one that i find essential and can be used in about a million recipes as a substitute for almost any other dairy. eggs are great of course and halo top protein ice cream can be used in a pinch as well
I love seitan, but try to have other sources of protein too on the days you eat seitan because protein quality in seitan is not the best.0 -
How long you been vegetarian?
One of the most important things i have learned in my years as a vegetarian is that there is absolutely no need to worry about protein, ever. Most people don't get enough fiber. Many people suffer from micro-nutrient deficiencies or electrolyte imbalances. Almost NOBODY ever suffers from lack of protein. Most people get too much, and it's a strain on the kidneys to get it out.
Just make sure to eat green vegetables every day.
43 years, here. Yup, vegetarian since 1974.
I've definitely seen people switch to vegetarian or vegan eating and, after a time, suffer from inadequate protein: Weakening, hair thinning, energy sapped, more.
Furthermore, we need more protein when in a calorie deficit, when athletically active, and as we age. When all three of those apply - as they did for me while losing - it would be foolish and risky to ignore protein.
Personally, I think anyone who wants to be their healthiest should pay attention to a range of nutritional goals. Protein is high on that priority list.
Anecdotally, I think a lack of protein (or fat) is behind a lot of the people who quit veganism because they just don't feel good. Our goal shouldn't be just to avoid overt protein deficiency, but to actually thrive, feel great, and maintain our muscle mass. When we tell new vegans (or vegetarians) that they don't have to worry about protein, we're not helping them craft the best potential diet for themselves. Funnily enough, when you read science-based vegan RDs, they're never telling people that they don't have to worry about protein -- they acknowledge that it can be an issue with some diet patterns (high raw, dislike for higher quality vegan protein sources, etc).4 -
I am in agreement with those saying we don't need as much protein as everyone (including MFP) says we do. I just saw a great video about this, and it really made me feel better about the choices I make. If I try to eat as much protein as MFP says I need, I am usually having to down multiple protein shakes AND eat beans (or whatever) every meal and snack. It is a ton of calories and it makes me feel loagy and gross. MFP is helpful but should be a guide, not the hard truth.1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions