Vegan/Vegetarian Proteins

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Leesseebee
Leesseebee Posts: 216
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there friends!
So I eat fish and eggs occasionally, but I, by and large, follow a diet that consists of vegan and veg foods, like lentils, nuts, etc.
I am trying not to eat much tofu as it is not the best thing for you in light of recent studies and the reality of family heritage and it being a phyto-estrogen (and a constipator).
Ok...rambling aside, I see that a lot of what I eat is carb heavy and by the end of the day I am consistently low in protein. I mean, I eat things I know have a lot of carbs, like certain fruits and well bread.. Also, I am not into a low carb diet, but I would like to amp up protein (not with powders and NO dairy) and healthy fats too (especially in light of the heavy workouts a typically do), so please make suggestions!
Gracias and happy dieting/life changing!

Replies

  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    bump
    b/c i want to be vegan
    but scared of not getting enough proteins!
  • thetrishwarp
    thetrishwarp Posts: 838 Member
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    greek yogurt has fairly high protein, however it's dairy..
    i supplement my diet with 100% whey protein powder though.
    as far as non-dairy, non-powder, non-tofu protein sources.... ummmm. i can't think of much else outside of meat and eggs and yogurt and powder.
  • sundancer1966
    sundancer1966 Posts: 478 Member
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    i have no trouble getting lots of protein, beans are great, red kidney, black beans etc. Also try Tempeh. Some veggies have natural proteins, califlower, spinach, kale, broccoli. Quorn makes good mushroom based meat subs, great chicken substitutes.
    Quiona is also a great plant based protein.

    hope this helps!
  • skinnywellfed
    skinnywellfed Posts: 6 Member
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    First I have to say there are a lot of misconceptions and there is a lot of inaccurate information out there about soy. Look eat Asian counties that have a very high intake of soy products yet have a significantly lower incidence of breast or other 'female' cancers than Western countries. However, that aside, you can also meet your protein needs without soy by eating seitan (wheat gluten products) which are minimal processed (look for WestSoy products), beans, nuts and nut butters, quinoa and amarath. Also, if you'd like to use non-dairy milks, almond & hemp milk are good sources of protein, and calcium (fortified).

    VRG.org is a great resource of information on transitioning to a vegan diet.
  • mangorabbit
    mangorabbit Posts: 219 Member
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    Nuts and seeds have some pretty decent protein profiles, though they are often calorically dense foods.

    If you really don't want to do the eggs or dairy and you have already dropped meat, keep an eye on it, it may be that a protein powder is the way to go to keep you at a reasonable level. I know it is what you don't want, I am with you there, but I had to add pea protein powder to my world to ensure I was getting what I needed in that realm. It is not awesome, but it does blend reasonably with other things and is not totally vile.

    Best of luck on your quest!
  • midonhau
    midonhau Posts: 108 Member
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    Peanut butter/ almond butter is a great source of protein and healthy fats.

    Morning Star, Veggie Patch, Grace Earth Chef and Light life Smart Deli are great brands to check out. They have great vegan alternatives that are chock full of protein

    Soy yogurt
  • Leesseebee
    Leesseebee Posts: 216
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    Thanks everyone.
    Re. the tofu situation...yes, like everything else, there exists misinformation. Please know, however, that there is a difference between fermented soys and what we eat, which tends to be over-processed non-fermented soy products.
    Furthermore, it is not contested that it is a phyto (plant-based) estrogen. What is contested is whether estrogen is inherently bad for you.
    If you have a history of breast cancer, you could look into it.
    Also, it is constipating, sooooo that one is up to y'all
    I should say, I have a gluten intolerance, that is another issue.
    Thanks again for the advice!
    I really only started to notice the protein discrepancy when I started myfitness pal
  • lisasays
    lisasays Posts: 142 Member
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    Beans, nuts, quinoa (which is a seed and not a grain), chickpeas, nutritional yeast (used for fake mac and cheese or sprinkled on popcorn) peanut butter, hummus and vegetables :-)
  • iheartyarn
    iheartyarn Posts: 141 Member
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    the only animal product i eat is eggs. other than that i eat a ton of beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, quinoa.. i also make my own almond milk and have a great recipe for dehydrated "meatloaf" nut loaf things.. for me most of it comes from peanut/almond butter and lentils/beans.. i made lentil soup last week and each serving had like 13 grams in it! i think there is a lot of mis information about how much protein we actually need! i don't really do soy because two of my kids are allergic.. but when i do i try to stick with fermented foods like tempeh.
  • iheartyarn
    iheartyarn Posts: 141 Member
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    oh yes! like previous poster said.. chickpeas have a ton of protein in them! i love eating hummus sandwiches! and i put nutritional yeast on *almost* everything
  • brookepenni
    brookepenni Posts: 787 Member
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    You're just SO fussy Leesseebee :tongue:
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
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    I just quorn for the first time last night. It was awesome.
  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
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    I used to be vegetarian, mostly vegan, and never had a problem with getting enough protein. I highly suggest staying away from the pre-packaged meat substitutes like morning star patties and light smart meats, they're mostly processed crap like their meat containing counterparts. They're great to have around in a pinch though and certainly aren't horrible for you in moderation.

    The American diet concentrates way too much on protein intake, if you are eating enough calories from a well balanced diet you are probably getting more than adequate amounts of protein. Well balanced is the important part here, you need enough grains, vegetables, and fruits. If you are breastfeeding or exceptionally active, you need more than more sedentary people but it's still hard to not get enough while meeting your daily caloric intake. I eat some meat now, but I still eat a rather low protein diet. I try to make sure I get at least 55 grams a day, but it's a very rare occasion that I have to worry about that.

    I know a lot of people on this site will disagree with me, and that's fine. But I did a lot of research on this when I began my vegan/vegetarian diet, and have done even more since. I was a teenager when I started and my mom was very concerned about my health, so I logged everything I ate for 2 weeks and she showed it to a nutritionist friend of hers who said I ate better than he did (if only I'd kept that up I probably wouldn't need to be using MFP today).

    Some helpful links:
    http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=251
    http://vegetarian.about.com/od/healthnutrition/tp/protein.htm
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/top-ten-protein-sources/
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vegetarian-protein-sources.html

    Also the book 'Diet for a New America' is a really helpful resource for lots of things. Or any book by its author, John Robbins.
  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
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    One really great vegan cookbook is The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook, it does focus mostly on soy but has some other really tasty recipes. Also, I personally never had any problems with constipation when consuming soy products.

    http://www.amazon.com/New-Farm-Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/0913990604
  • kandrews24
    kandrews24 Posts: 610 Member
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    i come very close to my protien quota quite often and sometimes exceed it. i rarely eat tofu (though i did today). frankly there is a ton of protien in a variety of fruits and veggies, but hummus and protien bread are two of my staples as well as rice and beans. my food diary is public. i have been a vegetarian all my life. i'm not vegan but dont eat a large amount of dairy anyway.
  • subela
    subela Posts: 76
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    Quorn garlic/herb chix cutlets are awesome. I am vegetarian, cutting down on dairy and heading towards vegan, also studied raw food nutrition. The societies that have the most Centurians generally only consume about 40g of protein a day and eat what they grow, ie no processed foods. So, although I like some of the fake meats, I generally look for whole food sources, such as other posters have mentioned. Don't forget seeds like hemp and chia which are great sources for Omega 3/6's.
    Everyone agrees breast milk is an excellent food for infants, yet it is only 6% protein and yet they are thriving and doubling their size rapidly on this nutrition. We've been sold a lot of misinformation because the beef and dairy industry are very powerful, while are bodies are not really compatible with dairy from cows, which have a higher protein content. Google Vegan athletes to see what their diet is.
    Sun Warrior makes a good raw vegan protein powder.
    I agree with Havalinna and have likewise done my research as well. Joel Furhman MD has a webiste promoting healthy vegan diet.
    Great question and discussion.

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