Vegetarian + High Protein Diet
alexaskhan
Posts: 3 Member
Hi, if anyone is vegetarian/vegan but also maintains a high protein/low carb diet I would love some recommendations. I no longer desire eggs, and I don’t eat the fake meats anymore because I don’t understand what exactly they’re made of. Thx xo
2
Replies
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I have a hard time with this too. I don’t eat much meat and beans and nuts have protein but then I end up going way over on fat and carbs. I pretty much eat yogurt and cottage cheese but am usually still under on protein. I think the only way to do it is protein powder 😥1
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is there a specific reason you want to eat low carb vegetarian? It can likely be done, but would be a very limited diet.3
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I've been vegetarian for 45+ years, thin to fat to obese and back to thin. I do eat the occasional egg (not lots), and quite a bit of dairy (I have the genes to digest it just fine; my ancestors have been consuming it for centuries, at least, and staying healthy at least long enough to successfully reproduce ). I don't know what you consider "high protein": My protein goal is 100g minimum (in maintenance) for a bodyweight currently in the low 130s at 5'5". (It was lower on fewer calories while losing weight, probably 80g or so most of the time).
However, I don't do low carb, and personally wouldn't consider it. (If it helps other people, that's great, but it's not for me: Carbs don't spark my appetite, I'm not insulin resistant or diabetic, and some of my favorite protein sources, like legumes, are higher in carbs, so I see no reason to reduce carbs.) So, I eat 200g-plus of carbs most days, on 1850-2400 or so daily calories most of the time, depending on exercise. I ate probably 150g-ish of carbs while losing weight, most of 50 pounds lost at 1400-1600 plus all exercise calories (so 1600-1900 gross calories most days).
I don't much eat actual fake meat (I don't think it's evil, I just don't think it's tasty - never much liked meat - and most types don't fill me up). I do eat some meat-alternates, like plain tempeh (season it myself, don't like the fake-bacon flavored ones, etc.) and tofu, occasionally seitan. I also don't use protein powder: Same deal, see nothing wtong with it, just don't personally find it tasty or satisfying. I prefer getting nutrients from food, as much as possible. I like food.
If I tend to be under on any macro, it's fat: Some days I get toward the end of the day a little short on my 50g minimum, so need to top up with some nuts or cheese or something.
Any spare calories I have after hitting my nutritional minimums, including plenty of varied/colorful veggies/fruits, I spend on whatever I feel like eating, including some craft beer or wine now and then.
So, I can't give you many suggestions for low carb veg protein sources, except maybe seitan, which is kind of moderate carb (but it's gluten, if you also avoid that). I eat a fair amount of dairy (plain nonfat Greek yogurt, skim milk, lowfat cottage cheese, other cheese). Nuts and seeds are high calorie (high fat) but have a little protein, really more a fat source than protein source. I eat tempeh and tofu regularly, edamame, other legumes (those are high in carbs but also diversely nutritious); and I do like chickpea, pea, black bean or edamame pasta or "rice". While I don't have protein powder around, I do use peanut butter powder to make peanut sauces for stir fries and such. Nutritional yeast has some protein. So does marmite, but that's not really a thing to eat enough quantity to be meaninful! Some grains or grain-substitutes have more protein than others (e.g., quinoa), but are carb-y. A few veggies (broccoli, for one), and even fruits (guava) have some protein, but it tends not to be as amino-acid complete.
Best wishes!5 -
I just want to add that there are all kinds of faux meats, from the relatively simple (homemade seitan, for example) to the relatively complex (commercial products like the Impossible Burger). If there is one you're interested in eating, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what is in it so that you feel more comfortable including it in your meal planning.3
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Not to discourage you but I stopped veganism (I did it for over a decade) for similar reasons: I wanted a high protein, lower carb eating regime but couldn't manage to find options within my preferences. I was long distance running and lifting at the time so carbs are helpful just, like, whoa...not that much 🤣
At the time, I was avoiding soy, I didn't like seitan or beans, and preferred non-processed vegan food.
Seven or eight years on, perhaps there's more options now for vegans. I prefer, however, to eat along the lines of @AnnPT77 because I didn't remember how good soft-boiled eggs were lol That said, seitan and tempeh somehow taste better to me now so they're on heavy rotation in my house. Tofu? Meh...maybe once month.
I'd rather avoid soy as much as possible (with the exception of the occasional brick of tofu), so Vega brand still is my protein powder of choice to this day.
What I miss most about being vegan? Hitting 40g+ fiber easily [insert long monologue about the benefits of fiber intake here].
As you can see from the replies so far, it's a process to see what works for you. Continue being patient while exploring your palette and personal nutrition needs: you'll find the balance you need @alexaskhan5 -
I've been vegetarian about 25 years. My favorite low carb/high protein foods are low fat cottage cheese and edamame. Not together If you're not worried about fat, adding a slice of avocado with a little salt to your cottage cheese is amazeballs.1
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So many great suggestions in here - thank you all! I’m wondering what a day of high protein vegetarian eating (no portions, just which foods/meals) might look like for losing weight. I’m getting the picture that maybe eggs, low fat cottage cheese, and low fat plain Greek yogurt are going to make a return to my diet... I was vegetarian for years, then mostly vegan for a few, and this past year has had a smattering of attempts to stay full/satisfied while maintaining a calorie deficit. I’m realizing the high protein intake really does it for me but I would like to eat vegetarian... any help and suggestions are very much appreciated! 😁0
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Sample ovo-lacto veg days for reasonable protein**, not including some side fruit/veg:
Breakfast: Peanut butter on Ezekiel pita, kefir.
Lunch: Scrambled egg with hummus, tempeh, salsa; cabbage salad.
Dinner: Green salad with cashews, green beans, sheep feta; Nonfat refried beans + black bean tortilla chips
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Greek yogurt, berries, walnuts. Coffee with hot skim milk.
Lunch: Smoked tofu on Ezekiel tortilla with melted mozzarella, onions, sauerkraut, mustard.
Dinner: Edamame fettucine and green peas, PB2 + gochujang chile paste + rice vinegar sauce, finely chopped sweet onions on top. Sliced tomatoes side.
Snacks: 2% milk string cheese; dry-roasted soybeans; crispy chickpeas; hard-boiled egg with seasoned salt ( <= not all at once , just examples).
** I'm not all that big, so some variation on those themes would get me to around the 100g I target in maintenance (roughly 1g/lb of lean body mass), or the slightly less than that that I got while on reduced calories, depending on portion sizes.1
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