Hitting protein when veggie

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clarehod1
clarehod1 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys. I’m struggling to hit my protein intake with being veggie can anyone share some ideas please xx

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  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Vegan or vegetarian? What is your protein goal, have you adjusted MFP's default? Do you have any food aversions?
  • saralynnmiller
    saralynnmiller Posts: 8 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I found it helpful to plan each meal by deciding what protein-rich food I was going to eat first and then adding other things to it. So instead of deciding to have, say, a baked potato for dinner, I'd begin by deciding to have baked tofu or chili or whatever and then adding the potato if I had additional calories leftover for it.

    If you haven't already, it also helps to make sure you've tried the full range of plant-based high protein foods that are available to you -- are you regularly eating beans, tofu, tempeh, and seitan? If you haven't tried some of these, give them a try and see how you like them. If you're regularly consuming a lower protein plant milk, it may also help to switch to soy (it's higher in protein than most other plant milks).

    I really like your suggestion for planning your meal around your protein source first. Thank you for that tip!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,406 Member
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    In addition, review your food diary to find foods that are contributing relatively many calories, but relatively little protein. Could you reduce the amount of those, and substitute other foods you enjoy that have a bit more protein? There are foods in every category (beverages, fruits, veggies, snacks, etc.) that have protein.

    This thread links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods in order by protein efficiency: Most protein for fewest calories. Scroll past the mostly meaty fishy stuff near the top, and you'll start seeing veg foods.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

    The advice above to build meals around a protein source is good advice. My advice is more about augmenting those sources with additional small amounts that can really add up over the course of a day.
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
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    I am vegan and working on hitting high protein. I try to have tofu, tempeh, or maybe seitan or a beast burger (Beyond Meat) every meal to help get my goals. I usually do a protein shake for breakfast and a protein bar for a snack. I average about 100g as a vegan doing that, which isn’t easy but it is doable. If you are lacto-Ovo, your life will be soooooo much easier.
  • vallary14
    vallary14 Posts: 215 Member
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    Most people put too much emphasis on protein. To calculate your need divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to convert to kilograms then multiply by 0.8 for example the requirement for a healthy adult weighing 154 lbs would be 56 grams according to RDA
  • tenishak34
    tenishak34 Posts: 28 Member
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    Is there a way to eat high protein low carb as a vegan? I have been vegan for a few months and recently started eating meat again because I thought I couldn't get enough protein in my diet. I was eating an average of 20g a day and 200g of carbs. My skin used to be flawless and now I'm all broke out. I need to lose weight and maintain health and wellness. I want to eat a plant based diet. Do I need to restrict my diet to veggies only in order to eat vegan and low carb? Thanks in advance for your time and knowledge.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    tenishak34 wrote: »
    Is there a way to eat high protein low carb as a vegan? I have been vegan for a few months and recently started eating meat again because I thought I couldn't get enough protein in my diet. I was eating an average of 20g a day and 200g of carbs. My skin used to be flawless and now I'm all broke out. I need to lose weight and maintain health and wellness. I want to eat a plant based diet. Do I need to restrict my diet to veggies only in order to eat vegan and low carb? Thanks in advance for your time and knowledge.
    I'm not a vegan at the moment but I have happily done it in the past.

    Vegans eat vegetables and vegetables have carbs. Eat less fruit so that you can fit in more seitan, tofu, tempeh, edamame, beans, lentils, chickpeas, hemp hearts, chia seeds, green peas, soy milk, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Recipe for black bean tacos:
    https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/vegan-black-bean-tacos/

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    tenishak34 wrote: »
    Is there a way to eat high protein low carb as a vegan? I have been vegan for a few months and recently started eating meat again because I thought I couldn't get enough protein in my diet. I was eating an average of 20g a day and 200g of carbs. My skin used to be flawless and now I'm all broke out. I need to lose weight and maintain health and wellness. I want to eat a plant based diet. Do I need to restrict my diet to veggies only in order to eat vegan and low carb? Thanks in advance for your time and knowledge.

    There are vegans who eat lower carbohydrate or even low carb. They tend to eat less fruit and grains and more seitan, tofu, tempeh, seeds/nuts, and lower carbohydrate vegetables. Protein powders can also help.

    Don't eat veggies only -- it will make it hard to meet all your nutritional needs (and probably won't let you meet your protein goals either).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,406 Member
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    vallary14 wrote: »
    Most people put too much emphasis on protein. To calculate your need divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to convert to kilograms then multiply by 0.8 for example the requirement for a healthy adult weighing 154 lbs would be 56 grams according to RDA

    I'd argue that vegetarians might want to get a bit more protein grams than meat-eaters. Our protein sources are more likely to include some that don't have a well-rounded set of the essential amino acids (EEAs). It's important to choose complete proteins (with all the EAAs) when we can, and to choose varied sources for the rest to balance EAAs over time. Getting a few extra grams can help provide a little more wiggle room for insurance on the latter front.

    There's also decent evidence that more than the RDA is beneficial for those who are losing weight (to preserve muscle), those who are active (to repair more muscle), and those who are aging (because we tend to utilize it less efficiently).

    You're correct about the RDA, but, personally, I like to hedge my bets. It's not that hard to get more - even on reduced calories, even as a veg - and it doesn't require shortcutting other essential nutrition to do so.
  • clarehod1
    clarehod1 Posts: 3 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I found it helpful to plan each meal by deciding what protein-rich food I was going to eat first and then adding other things to it. So instead of deciding to have, say, a baked potato for dinner, I'd begin by deciding to have baked tofu or chili or whatever and then adding the potato if I had additional calories leftover for it.

    If you haven't already, it also helps to make sure you've tried the full range of plant-based high protein foods that are available to you -- are you regularly eating beans, tofu, tempeh, and seitan? If you haven't tried some of these, give them a try and see how you like them. If you're regularly consuming a lower protein plant milk, it may also help to switch to soy (it's higher in protein than most other plant milks).

  • clarehod1
    clarehod1 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your ideas I will look into them there are a few things I’ve not tried that you’ve all suggested

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