How to get enough protein when your a vegetarian/plant based eater

I'm new to wfpb/vegan diet too and mfp is really helpful for checking your dietary protein/iron/calcium levels so you can work on how to improve them by reviewing your own good/bad days. I've an open diary to friends if you want to add me. I'm trying to eat plenty of nuts/peas/lentils/beans for protein, but sometimes add a bit of pea protein powder in a shake/porridge for a boost

I add a plant based protein powder to smoothies, or even to muffins! I am not vegetarian/vegan, but I still struggle to get enough protein in my diet, and when I drink a protein smoothie I get closer to my protein goals. I think I use Vanilla Orgain? My personal trainer recommended it when I was doing more weight lifting.

Vegetarian for 48+ years, thin to obese and back to thin again.

I'm ovo-lacto, but the major plant-only protein sources I use most are:

Tofu
Tempeh
Seitan
All kinds of beans
Red lentil pasta
Soy pasta
Some veggies

The protein thread Lietchi linked was a big help for me, when I first started trying to reduce calories but keep nutrition high.

I don't think nuts are a great protein source. They're more a source of healthy fats and micros, relatively high calorie because of the fats, with a small amount of protein alongside.

I do recommend spreading protein through the day, with a good chunk of protein in each meal . . . to me, that's easier than trying to get a bucketload all in one meal. YMMV.

I'll add a suggestion that I always make to fellow vegetarians, but it works for non-veg folks, too: If short on protein, don't think only about the "one big protein per meal" things. In addition, think about pleasant ways to get little bits of protein from many different sources throughout the day. There are veggies with more protein than others, breads/grains/pastas with more protein, crunchy/salty snacks with protein, flavoring incredients with protein (like miso or nutritional yeast) . . . you get the idea. Those little bits of protein add up, by end of day.

Review your diary, look for foods that "cost" quite a few calories - more than seem worthwhile to you for the food's tastiness, nutrition or satiation. Reduce or eliminate those, substitute some other food that you enjoy eating that better helps you meet your goals. That will gradually move your nutrition in a positive direction.

When shopping, I read a lot of labels. You can make up your own rule of thumb, but for me, I consider something (i.e., single food ingredient/item) a good vegetarian protein food if it has around 10 or fewer calories (total from all macros) per gram of protein. I consider a whole commercial dish (like a frozen meal, say) to be a reasonable protein source if it has somewhere around 20 or so calories per gram of protein, maybe up to 30 depending on how appealing it is to me for other reasons. (No, I don't build my life around protein. It's just a way to roughly and quickly evaluate new foods for protein quality.)

I'm in maintenance now, and routinely exceed my (customized) 100g daily protein minimum, which is a bit above 1g per pound of my estimated lean body mass, and is about 0.8g per pound of my goal weight. I got a little less during loss because of lower calorie budget, but probably 80s-90s grams daily most days once I got a good routine going. I don't use protein powder, protein bars, or the modern commercial faux meats. (I don't think there's anything wrong with any of those, I just don't find them tasty or satisfying.)

I'm ovo-lacto, don't eat many eggs (way under a dozen a month), but do eat a lot of dairy, which my Northern European genes seem to like just fine. I think I could hit my goal fully plant based, based on pretty good knowledge of plant protein sources since I eat a lot of them, but I love my dairy.

If you want to see what I eat, I still log here most days, and my diary is open to friends: You can send me a friend request if that appeals to you. I'm not very active on the MFP friend side of things (more of a Community forum gal), but do answer DMs or questions on my wall about food or whatever.

Regardless, best wishes. I'm confident that you can up your protein using a diary review/habits revision process, if that's a priority for you.

Hi Liz,

You can for sure get all your essential amino acids from plants; however, I think you may be confusing buckwheat and bulgur. Wheat berries are not a complete protein, nor is bulgur. Buckwheat has all essential amino acids, but not wheat. You don't get lysine from wheat. If you mix it with legumes or seeds, then wheat is a complete protein, so some lentils or tahini with your bulgur will do it. Freekeh is also wheat, so it's not going to be a complete protein, but it does sure have a LOT of protein. You still need legumes or seeds to get the lysine.