Non meat protein
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No wonder people have trouble losing weight. Swapping out meat for protein powder and beans?0
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wilson10102018 wrote: »No wonder people have trouble losing weight. Swapping out meat for protein powder and beans?
Funny. The prevailing myth is that vegetarians/vegans are generally underweight because of the lack of meat in their diet. I think this is the first time I've seen someone making the opposite (and equally false!) claim.
I've been an obese vegetarian. Now I'm a slightly overweight one. And while I don't eat protein powder, I've got to say that beans (and peas and whole grains and soy) are basic staples of my diet and have neither helped nor hindered my weight loss.
I make an effort to get enough protein in my day, but as long as I pay attention to what I'm eating, it's really not that hard.5 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »No wonder people have trouble losing weight. Swapping out meat for protein powder and beans?
I currently eat no meat and have no problems maintaining my weight. I have lost more than 100 pounds and my meat intake was very low compared to the average omnivore.4 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »No wonder people have trouble losing weight. Swapping out meat for protein powder and beans?
Oh, good grief. People lose weight, or fail, with any and every dietary philosophy, including yours, whatever that may be (I don't care).
Protein powder is typically low calorie, and high protein. Many here rely on it, including meat-eaters. (I don't, personally, because I find it not tasty/satisfying).
Beans are a good, high nutrition food for their calories (though minimized by those restricting carbs). Healthy vegetarians and omnivores both benefit from eating them.
Vegetarians, vegans and omnivores can get enough protein, with or without protein powder or beans . . . or meat.5 -
Low fat peanut powder is pretty good - can add things to it, make a spread, use it in shakes or food. I like PBFit.2
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This was my attempt today. 20gr of protein. Hmpf.. I'd hoped for a bit more. Protein-rich in there are rice, feta, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas. On a normal day I get another 16 for breakfast and lunch each. *sigh*1 -
I get you with fresh fish - people I know have a lot of fish "rules" here in Massachusetts, a state with a big fishing industry - but there is also canned and frozen fish.makinemjellis wrote: »Yeah, meat is really the easiest way to get big protein hits easily. Eliminating soy removed another great option.
Do you eat fish? White fish, shrimp, canned tuna can all be lean options.
Do you eat dairy? Low fat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are good alternatives, not to mention some whey or casein protein powders.
Eggs can help.
I found adding beans and lentils a good way to increase both protein and fiber, and lentils a slightly lower cal option than beans.
Those are options that have helped me.
I don’t eat much fish since I live in a landlocked state but I’m hoping to do some good fishing this summer and hopefully stock up on some trout. And I do eat dairy but I’m trying to move away from it best I can. Yogurt is one of my go to foods for breakfast.
That's not entirely true, but plant based sources of protein do tend to have more carbs. I used to live in yoga retreat centers and knew lots of healthy and fit ethical vegans who probably upwards of 60% carbs.I’m finding that most of the typical veggie “protein” sources are primarily carbs or fats that have a slightly higher amount of protein.3 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »Seitan might work. It's high protein and comes from vital wheat gluten. And it's pretty easy to make from semi-scratch; you can find recipes online. (Ingredients are mainly the wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, a bit of oil, water, and spices—those are going to vary by recipe, but the one I use has salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder). The simmering liquid is soy sauce, water, and garlic. At least in my recipe.
I like this seitan recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241963/seitan-pepperoni/
I half the cayenne, keep the mustard the same, and double the rest of the spices. I like it for a snack with some banana, or scrambled with eggs and veggies.
I don't recommend it for people who don't already have most of these spices - there are much simpler recipes, including on the back of the Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten package.
https://smile.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Vital-Gluten/dp/B000EDK5LM/
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makinemjellis wrote: »
The bolded is correct. The more you choose to limit your diet, the more creative you need to get to have a nutritionally well rounded diet. If you want to rely on plant based proteins AND avoid soy, your bet best will be to find plant-based sources of protein you like and prioritize making them the foundation of your meals. It's also pretty normal for vegetarians/vegans to eat higher carb and/or fat diets, just make sure you are getting at least 0.6g of protein per lb of your ideal body weight (more if you are eating in a deficit).
If you aren't avoiding soy, just don't like specific soy based products, I'd suggest trying different brands/varieties of soy burgers, dairy substitutes, etc to see if you can find ones you like, as soy is a really versatile protein source for avoiding animal products.
I don't mind edamame, I just really don't care for tofu or tempeh. I figure if I'm going to eat soy, I'm gonna eat it like it comes off the plant.
Really, I'm just trying to be more intentional about where my food comes from, so it's not that I'm avoiding animal products, I just want them sourced locally and ethically. I try to do the same with veggies but until summer rolls around, I don't have that luxury.
Have you researched what's available in your area? While my vegan friends would say there is no such thing as ethically raised animal products (just speaking for people I know personally; not all vegans), I believe there is a spectrum between conventional CAFOs and not eating animal products at all. I buy more humanely raised meat and dairy mostly from the supermarket, but we get milk from a local dairy, sometimes I get eggs locally, and I've just found out about a local butcher. I'm sure if I put a little effort into it, I could find local chicken that met my standards as well.0 -
I’m vegetarian so most of my meals are stacked with beans, chick peas or lentils. A nutritionist once told me at lunchtime to try and get 3 proteins in my salad to fuel my day and then have a lighter dinner.0
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I don't think the OP's question has anything to do with vegan unless "cutting down on meat" is a new approach. /s
Point is that she said landlocked was a reason for not swapping in seafood which is the obvious choice for a non=vegan seeking to reduce meat consumption. And, flash frozen seafood products are safer and fresher than anything other than buying fish at the dock or catching it yourself.
I repeat, shrimp. Buy flash frozen, raw, tail on deveined. $11 per pound here, 110g protein/lb.0 -
angelexperiment wrote: »estherdragonbat wrote: »Seitan might work. It's high protein and comes from vital wheat gluten. And it's pretty easy to make from semi-scratch; you can find recipes online. (Ingredients are mainly the wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, a bit of oil, water, and spices—those are going to vary by recipe, but the one I use has salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder). The simmering liquid is soy sauce, water, and garlic. At least in my recipe.
Seitan is soy
Seitan is wheat gluten, not soy.1 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »No wonder people have trouble losing weight. Swapping out meat for protein powder and beans?
I've been easily maintaining my 40+ weight loss for years on a diet that includes a lot of beans and a bit of protein powder, along with no meat. Weight loss is created by a calorie deficit, not by chowing down on meat and avoiding beans (or vice versa).5 -
Seafood, dairy, protein shakes0
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Paying attention to high protein grains and veg can really make a huge difference. https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/grains-high-in-protein.php https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/vegetables-high-in-protein.php
If you would like to stick to least processed some easy options are farro (wheat), quinoa, tempeh (same process level as cheese) Seitan (similar process level to anything flour based), edamame, peas, tofu. Broccolli and brussel sprouts are high on the veg list for protein as well. Nuts and seed also help.
Fruit is going to be very low protein in general, so a focus on beans nuts grains and veg is the way to go if you are aiming for a low processed plant based diet. This type of diet tends to be higher volume.
Seitan for what it is worth is the closest think to meat level protein density and can be made in a variety of forms.2 -
Paying attention to high protein grains and veg can really make a huge difference. https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/grains-high-in-protein.php https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/vegetables-high-in-protein.php
On that topic, I really like this article: https://www.thefullhelping.com/15-simple-affordable-and-protein-rich-combinations-of-plant-foods/
It's written for a vegan/plant-based audience, but it can be useful for anyone who wants to investigate more non-meat sources of protein.2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »wilson10102018 wrote: »No wonder people have trouble losing weight. Swapping out meat for protein powder and beans?
I've been easily maintaining my 40+ weight loss for years on a diet that includes a lot of beans and a bit of protein powder, along with no meat. Weight loss is created by a calorie deficit, not by chowing down on meat and avoiding beans (or vice versa).
Well, I know from reading your posts before that you have, let us say, a "tolerant" palate. Lucky you. For my part, I really like food in my meals as opposed to protein powder. Hence, the recommendation of shrimp. I try to eat a pound of lump crab and a pound of shrimp every week. Plus a little halibut and cod and every now and then some lobster. And, as you said an occasional chowing down on some steak. As for beans, they give me gas. And, my cat does not like that at all.0 -
Paying attention to high protein grains and veg can really make a huge difference. https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/grains-high-in-protein.php https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/vegetables-high-in-protein.php
If you would like to stick to least processed some easy options are farro (wheat), quinoa, tempeh (same process level as cheese) Seitan (similar process level to anything flour based), edamame, peas, tofu. Broccolli and brussel sprouts are high on the veg list for protein as well. Nuts and seed also help.
Fruit is going to be very low protein in general, so a focus on beans nuts grains and veg is the way to go if you are aiming for a low processed plant based diet. This type of diet tends to be higher volume.
Seitan for what it is worth is the closest think to meat level protein density and can be made in a variety of forms.
Bolded, true . . . but guavas, at 2.6g P per 100g at 68 calories - pretty good for a fruit, close to some of the things in that veggie list.
Guavas aren't going to solve anybody's protein problem, but they do contribute a tiny bit, and they're tasty. They're in that spreadsheet described by the thread I linked upthread. 1 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »wilson10102018 wrote: »No wonder people have trouble losing weight. Swapping out meat for protein powder and beans?
I've been easily maintaining my 40+ weight loss for years on a diet that includes a lot of beans and a bit of protein powder, along with no meat. Weight loss is created by a calorie deficit, not by chowing down on meat and avoiding beans (or vice versa).
Well, I know from reading your posts before that you have, let us say, a "tolerant" palate. Lucky you. For my part, I really like food in my meals as opposed to protein powder. Hence, the recommendation of shrimp. I try to eat a pound of lump crab and a pound of shrimp every week. Plus a little halibut and cod and every now and then some lobster. And, as you said an occasional chowing down on some steak. As for beans, they give me gas. And, my cat does not like that at all.
What do you mean by "tolerant"? Do you mean I enjoy a wide variety of foods? Guilty as charged.
I also prefer to eat solid food for the majority of my calories, but I'll also enjoy an occasional smoothie with fruit and protein powder or throw some protein powder in a baked good like scones or biscuits. I guess I don't see why it has to be an all-or-nothing thing.
At the end of the day, weight management is about calories. You can hit your calorie goal by eating pounds of crab and shrimp, you can hit your calorie goal with beans.5 -
Beans - soy, Navy, white, black,pinto, you name it - are a food HIGH in protein. Tofu, another dish high in protein, is made from soy beans. Plus, they are high in fiber, which some blame for intestinal gas after consuming them. However, regularly adding them to your diet - as a dish by themselves or in recipes where they play a less prominent part - eliminates the gas in just a couple days. Or starting with minimal amounts each day and working up to full serving sizes prevents the gas from the git-go.
Mild in flavor, one of the great things about tofu, and beans in general, is that they pick up the flavors of the ingredients they are prepared with. One doesn't have to enjoy the taste of beans to enjoy them in dishes other than beans. One of my all-time favorite dishes is Navy or Great White Northern beans cooked with smoked hamhocks.
Some trivia concerning beans. We all know who the gladiators were. I used to think they were one of the few classes of people in those times who ate meat, but it turns out they ate little or none. Their protein came from beans, not T-bones.
Dried green peas is another.
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Beans are a poor source of protein for weight loss objectives. The calories per gram of protein are multiples of seafood. Cost is the only reason to look to beans for protein.0
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wilson10102018 wrote: »Beans are a poor source of protein for weight loss objectives. The calories per gram of protein are multiples of seafood. Cost is the only reason to look to beans for protein.
I meet my protein needs with beans and a variety of plant foods. I'm not sure why you think one must choose a food that looks optimal on paper in order to have success with weight management.
What the meaningful difference between someone who meets their weight management goals getting protein from plant foods (or a variety of plants and meat) and someone who meets their weight management goals with meat and seafood? Assuming both individuals like their diet, find it easy to adhere to, and have met their weight management goals while staying within their food budget, why should the first person switch to the second person's diet?7 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »Beans are a poor source of protein for weight loss objectives. The calories per gram of protein are multiples of seafood. Cost is the only reason to look to beans for protein.
I'm every bit as able to meet my deficit calorie and protein objectives eating beans and tofu as my primary sources of protein (supplemented with a variety of plant-based sources) as I am eating seafood and other meat. So it's not inherently a poor source of protein "for weight loss purposes."5 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »Beans are a poor source of protein for weight loss objectives. The calories per gram of protein are multiples of seafood. Cost is the only reason to look to beans for protein.
Yes, seafood has more protein than beans, but I've met dozens of healthy and fit vegans whose primary source of protein was beans.
I lost weight in Costa Rico without even trying, with the bulk of my calories coming from rice and beans, and the bulk of my protein coming from beans.6 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »Beans are a poor source of protein for weight loss objectives. The calories per gram of protein are multiples of seafood. Cost is the only reason to look to beans for protein.
When looking at the calories, it's important to note that beans provide more volume and other macros and fiber for those calories. If I eat some cod, I'm also going to eat some additional carbs and fat, which have calories.
In other words, I can make a 500 cal meal with fish and rice and veggies to reach my protein goal, or I can make 500 calorie meal with lentils, tofu, and veggies to do the same.
So I'd say the reasons to look to beans for protein would be cost, volume, fiber, and ethical concerns, not to mention personal taste (I know a lot of people can't stand most seafood).8 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »Beans are a poor source of protein for weight loss objectives. The calories per gram of protein are multiples of seafood. Cost is the only reason to look to beans for protein.
Dropped 108lbs with beans and other legumes among my staples.5 -
Without wishing to single anything out, there are points where - in my opinion as a long-term vegetarian - this thread is getting a little inaccurate in spots, and quibble-y in others.
OP, I'm wondering if a thread I'll like below would be helpful to you. It references a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods in order by protein efficiency, most protein for fewest calories. Of course, most of the things near the top of the list are meaty/fishy, but as you scroll down the spreadsheet, more plant-based sources are there. Perhaps you can use that to find some sources that would help you, and that are foods you might enjoy.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also
As an admittedly slightly cranky observation, I feel like you're idealistically wanting the best of many worlds, with your preferences: Not meat, but as protein dense as meat; but not soy, unless it's right off the plant; and moving away from dairy besides. (I don't really understand why no tempeh, frankly: It's just actual beans, plus a culture, in kind of the same way yogurt is milk, plus a culture. It even looks like beans. And humans have been eating the stuff for centuries, maybe millennia.)
There are going to be trade-offs. It's possible to get enough protein from plants alone, and even from primarily whole foods that are plants. But the per-food macro mix, and how you portion/combine food to meet nutritional requirements, is likely to be different, overall. It's a re-thin, IMO.
There's no good way, IMO, to just unplug meat and plug in an equivalent substitute (that's not soy or fake meat) in a similar portion size, and be all set. Getting protein from plants, IMO, works best with a little different way of thinking about getting ones protein . . . unless you like protein powders and bars, I guess (I don't care for them, or actual faux meats that try to taste like meat). I don't know what you're aiming at, but I have no trouble getting 100g minimum protein per day as an ovo-lacto veg, with very few eggs. But I rely on quite a few foods you've ruled out, so I'm at a loss for specific suggestions.
whoops kinda forgot I started this thread so I'm just getting back to it.
I'm not against meats, I just don't want to participate in the meat industry. I'm working my way towards all meat I consume being something I have harvested myself. I'm not there yet, so in the mean time I'm trying to find other sources. Was really just curious if there was a food out there I was missing that had a higher protein-to-carb ratio.
And I did not know that about tempeh, so perhaps I'll have to give that a shot. Thanks for your input!2 -
I take breaks from meat sometimes. I like to pan-sear tofu in coconut oil and drizzle a lil' bit of soy sauce or tamari on top when out of the pan. I swear, I could easily eat a whole block of tofu that way. Makes a great topping for salads alongside carrots, snow peas, and/or red bell peppers topped with Kewpie toasted sesame dressing.2
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