Potential Vegetarian has Protein Question

I don't run, but I cycle almost everyday for between 1 and 3 hours, including hills.
I don't have an issue really, there is so much protein in eggs and beans, and also a very good source is Quinoa, which those on low carb diets use as an alternative to rice, pasta etc, and is supposedly a complete protein.
There is also tofu and tempeh, I try and avoid things like quorn and soya products as many say they are highly processed and not very healthy.
Dairy, of course is also protein rich.
I eat fish nowadays however, which helps with my protein so I suppose I am now a pescetarian, but I used to be a vegan when a teenager.

some links.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=21710&PageNum=1

http://www.vegetarianrunner.com/vegetarianism/vegetarian-protein-sources

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportsnutrition/a/VegetarianTips.htm

hi! i've been vegetarian for 20 years and honestly find that with beans and soy, i get adequate protein without ever needing to supplement. HOWEVER, trying to get my protein in AND keep my sodium and calories in check, i drink protein shakes and love them. there are so many varieties on the market, i'm not sure what you're looking for exactly, but genisoy is a pretty simple, basic and inexpensive one packed with nutrients that shakes up in a jar with milk (i use almond milk, soy milk, etc) or if you don't want to overdo the soy thing, there are other protein source shakes, like rice protein, whey, pea protein, etc.

for general cooking, i most love the cookbook "appetite for reduction" by isa chandra moskowitz. it has vegan recipes loaded with all kinds of nutrients, most of which are extremely easy to prepare and are delicious.

for books on the subject of vegetarianism, it's been a long time since i've read anything on the subject - but maybe something like this would be helpful to you:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570671443/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1570671036&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1JPRC2RDEZVN9SBDPCSE

Also, check out the "groups" tab here on MFP - there's one for "happy herbivores" which may be the kind of supportive community you're looking for

im recently switching but i still eat fish so i get prptein there. also i eat tofu now. i have had shakes but Im getting most from fish now.

And peanut butter is fantastic too as a source, I get the whole earth brand as it doesn't have the added sugar.

You should be fine on protein if you make sure you're eating beans and whole grains. Nuts, seeds, and eggs are good too. I'm no good with cookbooks or recipes, so I would suggest looking at foods you already eat and seeing what is already veggie and figuring out where you would be able to easily swap out the meat for beans or tofu (things like tacos and stir frys).

Vegan runner here! Well, I'm a long-time unhealthy vegetarian who's only recently gone vegan and started really caring about what she puts in her body, and I've been running since the fall.

There are tons of non-meat sources for protein, including tofu, tempeh, beans, legumes, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, soy milk, nut butters, nutritional yeast, etc. (and of course milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, etc. if you're doing lacto-ovo veg). Depending on the day, without any sort of protein supplement, I usually get between 60 and 80g. of protein.

I'm just getting into where I do longer runs on the weekend, and so I've started doing protein shakes right after those. At the moment I'm using Vega brand (http://myvega.com/products/vega-sport-performance-system ), but I want to experiment a bit and would love to know if others have suggestions! I also use Vega gels for my long runs so far.

For cookbooks, Appetite for Reduction and Veganomicon are my bibles, both by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, who has a great food blog here: http://www.theppk.com/ This is vegan stuff, but add some cheese and you're vegetarian and have a little more protein

I haven't read many books about being vegetarian - I mostly have talked with my doctor and am experimenting on my own to see how I feel, but I gather the books put out by the Forks Over Knives folks are pretty good (http://www.forksoverknives.com/ )

Hope this helps! :drinker:

Hi - I have been a vegetarian for my whole life (so going on 31 years now), and although I do have to be more concious of my protein than most meat eaters that I know, I have always been able to meet my protein requirements, even at times when I have been running or cycling a lot. I do not eat a lot of the fake meat products - I just don't like them. I do eat a lot of beans, nonfat yogurt (the recent upsurge in greek yogurt means there are a lot of options for high-protein yogurts out there), lentils, edamame, nuts, etc. If you decide to keep fish in your diet -- which I think is probably a really healthy choice -- then you really should have no problem at all in terms of getting enough protein.

Good luck!

Eat Quinoa it's very high in protein.

OP - I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but have been listening to some running podcasts by vegans...and have recently learned a iittle about vegan protein powders.

They are rather pricey, but there are vegan powers available with non-whey protein: soy, rice, pea, hemp.

If you forego the protein powders, you will want to pay attention to the combinations of foods you eat, in terms of getting all the amino acids. You will also want to make sure you are getting B12. I think brewer's yeast has B12, but you'll want to do the research.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

I was vegetarian all my life until I switched to vegan, protein was never a huge problem even being a cross country running through high school. Protein powder, eggs, morning star veggie meat, boca veggie meat, veggie shreds cheese, various cereals.

Protein isn't too hard to come by =]

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but the blog No Meat Athlete (nomeatathlete.com) is a great site for runners and other active people who are veg*n. The author went vegetarian while trying to qualify for Boston, and is now vegan. Also, the book Becoming Vegan was written by two vegan nutritionists. Even if you're not interested in going vegan, it might be a good resource.

As for protein powder, it's not necessary, but I do find it useful personally, especially since my diet isn't always as great as I might like for it to be. I use a combination of unsweetened pea and rice protein (brand doesn't seem to matter much to me). It doesn't taste good straight, but I use it in fruit/green smoothies, as well as in baked goods and mixed with dates and nuts to make little nuggets.

I'm a Vegan and I have no problem meeting my protein requierments. Quinoa and Soy are the only plant based complete proteins. I eat a lot of quinoa but also try to avoid soy products since they are often gentically modified and full of additives.
I do usually eat tofu or tempeh about once a week, you can find non-GMO and also look for organic.
Other grains and beans are good sources of protein but make sure you eat them together. A bean plus a grain equals a complete protein. I eat a lot of lentils, chickpeas and black beans along with brown rice.
Steel cut oats are a good source of protein in the morning, along with things like nut and seed butter (peanut butter, almond butter, pumpkin seed butter)
I snack on things like almonds, cashews and edamame beans for added protein.
If your not allergic to gluten or wheat there is also wheat gluten which is a meat replacement and high source of protein.
As for protein powders, I like Vega because its soy and dairy free but there's also a lot of good whey protein powders.
If you feel your not getting enough make a smoothie.
Once you get used to being a vegetarian, you'll get enough protein without having to think about it.
Look for a recipe for Protein Cocoa Orbs.
They're a super healthy delicious treat using a protein powder to add protein content.

I'm Ovo-veggie trying to grow muscle so I probably need more protein and less calories than you. Even still it's doable with whole, veggie foods. There's more protein than you think in veggies and you really don't need as much as you may think. The real issue is that most veggie protein sources aren't complete proteins i.e. they don't have all the amino acids you need. Because of that you need to get protein from many different veggie sources throughout the day. Eat lots of beans, lentils, leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, & nuts. Quinoa was mentioned. It's a complete protein but relatively high in calories for each gram of protein. Probably fine for you as a runner. I believe brewers yeast is a pretty complete protein. The ratio of protein to total calories is very similar to protein powders. I believe Amaranth is also a complete protein (need to check). I still do eggs & egg whites right now to boost complete protein. Of course soy products are obvious but shouldn't be your main protein source. You don't need protein powders but it's nice to have as a convenience. I prefer powders that are fine and mix easily and use multiple veggie sources. Although Hemp seed protein, for example, is pretty complete.

With a little bit of planning I can get 100g protein for every 1500-1700cals. I try to pack my day with things that have 7-10g protein for every 100 cals. Don't have one specific source to recommend but take a look at the vegan and vegetarian bodybuilding sites. They have many different kinds of example menus to guide you. From there it's easy to tweak for more carbs or less protein or whatever you need.