Fatty vegetarian protein

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yirara
yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I’m edging closer to a more vegetarian diet for ethical reasons. I’m trying to find veggy proteins that contain natural fats.

I have a couple of reflux triggers: eggs in all shapes and forms, and lean protein. Chicken breast can be problematic, pulses can be, as same as other proteins with little fat (no, chicken breast with lots of cooking oil doesn’t work). Often I’m fine, at other times I’m not though. Low fat cow and all vegan dairy is problematic as well, with exception of skyr for some reason.

I don’t eat mushrooms, peanut butter and molten cheese.

Any idea, other than industrial products like artificial meat, which I reject for price, not really natural and trying to imitate meat.
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Replies

  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
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    Nuts. They are tasty, vegan, fat and protein
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
    edited March 2020
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    amtyrell wrote: »
    Nuts. They are tasty, vegan, fat and protein

    Oh gosh, I should have added that I'm a volume eater. Thus a few nuts would completely blow my calorie budget. Argh! So difficult. But good one. I do add a bit of nuts or seeds to my meals every now and then. I do need something more substantial as cooking ingredient though among the large amount of rice/pasta/etc and veggies that I eat.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
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    So I'm a volume eater! Something like chicken thigh is generally fine. More fatty fish as well. Looking for vegetarian things that add bulk, protein, but are not lean.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
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    Would full fat dairy work? Full fat yogurt or things like full fat quark, cheese? And then bulk with veggies to get necessary volume?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
    edited March 2020
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    Only hard cheese, and skyr. All other cow dairy doesn't work for me. And as I don't eat molten cheese I can't cook anything with it. Yes, bit of feta, halloumi, high fat goats cheese or similar things are fine, but they are not bulky as they are so high in calorie. *facepalm*

    Hmm.. been wondering... chickpeas and other pulses are fairly high in fat, yet often don't work. Maybe it's the fairly hard texture, or something else. I really don't know.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Is making your own seitan an option? I know you said you don't want anything that is "trying to imitate meat," but it's been in use since the 6th century by people with a religious/ethical objection to meat and is very high protein. You can make your own, which allows you to add more fat (you can also heat it up in additional fat if that is desired). Depending on your location, the price of making your own is very affordable and it freezes well (so you can make it in batches and just take some out when you're ready to eat it).
  • Sakura_Tree
    Sakura_Tree Posts: 142 Member
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    Buy animal foods from a local farm that practices pasture raised and fed their natural diet.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Sakura_Tree wrote: »
    Buy animal foods from a local farm that practices pasture raised and fed their natural diet.

    This doesn't really address ethical objections to ending an animal's life for food (which I am assuming is OP's concern).
  • harper16
    harper16 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Sakura_Tree wrote: »
    Buy animal foods from a local farm that practices pasture raised and fed their natural diet.

    This doesn't really address ethical objections to ending an animal's life for food (which I am assuming is OP's concern).

    She eats fish and chicken, so she seems okay with ending an animals life.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
    edited March 2020
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    harper16 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Sakura_Tree wrote: »
    Buy animal foods from a local farm that practices pasture raised and fed their natural diet.

    This doesn't really address ethical objections to ending an animal's life for food (which I am assuming is OP's concern).

    She eats fish and chicken, so she seems okay with ending an animals life.

    I was basing this on the fact they said they were looking to go more vegetarian for ethical reasons. They want more vegetarian sources of protein so they can do less of what they find problematic, although I could be wrong.

    It's not that uncommon for people to use a slower transition to a diet that is more in line with their ethics, especially if they have digestive/health issues that mean they have to be more careful about food selections, like OP.

    Exactly! My protein intake is already low. I use the standard settings and hardly ever reach the minimum protein goal because I never eat more than 100gr of meat/fish (usually less) and because especially protein-rich food is a massive reflux trigger for me.

    The fat is just a theory, maybe a red herring. Lean chicken breast can be super problematic, but chicken thigh never has. Pulses are quite fatty. Maybe it’s the density, rather than the fat content. But low fat milk is always problematic. Over 3.5% fat usually works, but many countries only sell 3% max. There’s something about yoghurt though, as it often doesn’t work for me, regardless of fat content. Eggs are out as those are my worst reflux trigger together with vegetarian milk. And most goat/sheep/camel dairy, which works better for me is ridiculously expensive
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Is making your own seitan an option? I know you said you don't want anything that is "trying to imitate meat," but it's been in use since the 6th century by people with a religious/ethical objection to meat and is very high protein. You can make your own, which allows you to add more fat (you can also heat it up in additional fat if that is desired). Depending on your location, the price of making your own is very affordable and it freezes well (so you can make it in batches and just take some out when you're ready to eat it).

    I don’t know to be honest. Supermarkets don’t sell it and gluten is not something readily available either. It does sound quite disgusting though. Nothing I’d eat regularly ;) Tempeh is something I should try. I can’t make it, but asia shops well it. Can I eat it? No idea.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited March 2020
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    Can you mix and match? I mean it doesn't have to be high protein + high fat + high volume. You could create meals/snacks that combine an item of each group or just include them in different meals/snacks. Nuts for fat, some source of protein you can tolerate, and something to bulk up the volume. I'm currently doing just that (100% plant based for lent). I eat 3 types of snacks every day: vegetables, beans that can be eaten as finger food (mostly lupins because they're high in protein, but also edamame when I can find it), and whole seeds in shell (sunflower, pumpkin, watermelon) because they're higher in fat and they take longer to eat when you have to shell each one individually. I can't do nuts because I'm never satisfied with a small amount, which makes things stressful.

    ETA:
    How do you react to hummus, by the way? It's high in fat, has a little bit of protein, and can be high volume if you use vegetable sticks. One thing I learned when I'm eating plant-based is that every little bit of protein adds up. You don't have to have a concentrated animal source if you don't want to. 2 grams here 3 grams there, and if you pick things that are slightly higher protein than others it adds up.

    Examples:
    Grains: oats
    Beans: lupin
    Vegetables: asparagus
    Fat source: sunflower seeds
    Fruits: mulberries
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
    edited March 2020
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    Can you mix and match? I mean it doesn't have to be high protein + high fat + high volume. You could create meals/snacks that combine an item of each group or just include them in different meals/snacks. Nuts for fat, some source of protein you can tolerate, and something to bulk up the volume. I'm currently doing just that (100% plant based for lent). I eat 3 types of snacks every day: vegetables, beans that can be eaten as finger food (mostly lupins because they're high in protein, but also edamame when I can find it), and whole seeds in shell (sunflower, pumpkin, watermelon) because they're higher in fat and they take longer to eat when you have to shell each one individually. I can't do nuts because I'm never satisfied with a small amount, which makes things stressful.

    ETA:
    How do you react to hummus, by the way? It's high in fat, has a little bit of protein, and can be high volume if you use vegetable sticks. One thing I learned when I'm eating plant-based is that every little bit of protein adds up. You don't have to have a concentrated animal source if you don't want to. 2 grams here 3 grams there, and if you pick things that are slightly higher protein than others it adds up.

    Examples:
    Grains: oats
    Beans: lupin
    Vegetables: asparagus
    Fat source: sunflower seeds
    Fruits: mulberries

    I used to eat small bits of hummus, as a kind of condiment for ovendishes with breaded fish, potatoes and veggies. I still miss something that I could add to this oven dish. Just potato and veggies would not fill me enough. Which brings me back to the problem of having a protein. This might also be cultural, or just the way I like to eat: For me a dinner consists of potatoes/rice/etc, veggies and a protein. A veggy soup at 600kcal doesn't fill me up like the same calories that include more protein, and the same would be true for this oven dish. Likewise, a pile of veggies, with a big handfull of nuts or a bowl of hummus at 600kcal would leave me hungry very quickly. It's like eating a bag of crisps instead of dinner, and then still wanting dinner and hour later even if that would double the calories.

    I've tried chicken breast with lots of cooking oil before. Still got rather bad reflux. Thus that doesn't seem to work. I can eat fatty food, and cooking oil by the spoons without problem, mind. It just doesn't fill me up as carbs and protein does.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Have you experimented with bread with your meals? Like you, I would be hungry 10 minutes later if I try to eat hummus without bread, but 200 calories of bread (usually pita), 150 calories of hummus, 2 large tomatoes, 2 cucumbers (I eat them like apples, something about biting into a whole veggie makes the meal more satisfying), and that's a light meal that fills me up really well. I left bread out in my previous examples because I know many people don't feel it's worth the calories. It's worth every calorie for me because of how filling it is.

    I also eat soups with bread and they fill me up better. Yesterday we made blended lentil soup (has potatoes and carrots blended into it for texture and thickness), I added a splash of olive oil for taste and I ate that with bread, green onions, and radishes. Another relatively light meal.

    Try experimenting with textures, too. Blended soups fill me up better than brothy soups, and the texture of overcooked beans feels more satisfying. If I want a brothy soup I add rice, wheat berries, or barley to the soup and it makes a difference for my satiety (trust me, it's not as weird as it sounds). Keep experimenting, and maybe you'll find certain textures work better for you.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
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    Yes, I totally need to experiment more. I usually have bread with soup. Besides, a soup is always a good reason to eat more bread as I’m a bit of a breadjunky ❤️ Thanks for your thoughts.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Aquafaba?
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Fats would be : nuts walnuts, macadamia, pecan Brazil etc avacado any kind of olives seeds like sesame ( tahini is basically sesame butter) flaxseed, chia, hempseed, oils like olive oilavacado oil macadamia oil ) These have protein as well. Why not get yourself a vegetarian/ vegan books and for a beginner so you know what you need and where it comes from
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,418 Member
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    angelexperiment wrote: »
    Fats would be : nuts walnuts, macadamia, pecan Brazil etc avacado any kind of olives seeds like sesame ( tahini is basically sesame butter) flaxseed, chia, hempseed, oils like olive oilavacado oil macadamia oil ) These have protein as well. Why not get yourself a vegetarian/ vegan books and for a beginner so you know what you need and where it comes from

    I’ve looked for veggy cookbooks but found nothing that appealed to me as most dishes seem to be sandwiches, salads, buddhabowls with rice, veggies, and salad, or dishes with mushrooms. And local ones contain crap such as fake sausages, quorn and other convenience food. It looks like cookbook authors lack ideas as well.

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