Help to up protein for vegetarians

I am not eating my exercise calories - but i dont feel hungry. Maybe i will have a crack at eating them and see if it gets better

You know, I think hunger is really over-rated as a tool for knowing how much to eat. For so many of us (well, me anyway!) we've spent years eating too much or not enough or not healthy stuff and I don't think our bodies have a clue as to what they really need.

I would take the "not having any energy now I'm exercising" factor as a big clue that you aren't feeding your body enough. Calories are literally energy. No matter the quality of what you are eating, if there isn't enough, your body will suffer.

Try eating back most or all of your exercise cals for a month and see how you feel at the end of it.

(Note that every single calorie calculator I've ever seen suggests that you eat more when you exercise, its not just some freaky idea that the MFP guys came up with!)

I posted a recipe for a veggie burger did you see it?

Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise
adapted from All Recipes
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 burger w/ mayo bun + avocado • Old Points: 8 pts • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 362.6 • Fat: 14.0 g • Protein: 18.1 g • Carb: 50 g • Fiber: 15.1 g • Sugar: 7.1 g
Sodium: 786.4 mg (without salt)
Patty alone, no bun, no avocado, no mayo: 4 pts plus


Ingredients:

For the Spicy Chipotle Mayo:
3 1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise (Hellman's)
1 tbsp canned chipotle in adobo sauce

For the Black Bean Burgers:

16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped scallions
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 jumbo egg
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup quick oats (use gf oats for gluten free)
4 whole wheat 100 calorie buns (Martin's)*
1 small hass avocado, sliced thin

Directions:

Combine mayonnaise and chipotle, set aside.



Dry the beans well after washing, extra moisture keep the burgers from sticking. In a medium bowl, mash beans with a fork until thick and pasty.



In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, cilantro, onion, and garlic, then add oats, then eggs and spices. Then stir into mashed beans.

Divide mixture into four patties (using slightly oiled hands helps) and place them onto a flat surface covered with wax paper. (If it's too wet, chill the mixture 30 minutes in the refrigerator or add another tablespoon of oats)



Freeze at least 2 hours before cooking or keep frozen until ready to cook.

Heat a lightly sprayed skillet to medium heat and cook frozen burgers about 7 minutes on each side.



If grilling, preheat grill over medium heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil; grill 7-8 minutes on each side or you can bake in the oven at 375° on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

*Nutritional value will vary slightly depending on buns. Look for low calorie whole wheat buns.
As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received Glad FreezerWare Containers to review. All opinions are my own.

I still need protein tips too and I eat meat!

Quinoa

Make sure you are getting enough B-12. B-12 plays a critical role in our energy reserves. It is primarily found in red meats, organ meats, and some fish (salmon, tuna). It does not occur naturally in vegetables or other non meat foods. Many manufacturers are adding it to things like soy milk and cereal.

A few years ago, I ran into this problem. I was not vegetarian but I did cut out red meats and egg yolks. My doctor ran some blood tests and I had a form of anemia called B-12 deficiency. I was so low I needed B-12 shots and a supplement. Now I eat red meat once a week and enjoy my egg yolks!

Vegetarians should take a B-12 supplement since they are not eating foods that have B-12 in them.

I would say to start eating meat again. But since you probably don't want to do that, take a look at my buddy Rich Roll's cookbook. http://www.richroll.com/uncategorized/jai-seed-cookbook-now-available/

I'm a vegetarian and a distance runner — just here to lend moral support and accountability to my husband. And I enjoy reading the forums.

Anyway, agree with the lower instance of B vitamins in a vegetarian/vegan diet — but it's not just B12. I'd suggest taking a vegetarian B-vitamin supplement. There are B-vitamins in eggs and some dark leafy greens, but not enough to easily meet RDA.

As for protein, it's not as large of a problem as many Americans make it out to be. The RDA for women ages 19-70 is 46 grams (or .36g per pound of body weight). <b>That's 59.4g protein for a 165-pound woman.</b> For runners/endurance athletes the ISSN recommends 75-120g protein for endurance athletes (or .45-.72g per pound). That's 74.25-118.8g for a 165-pound woman.

I find it rather easy to meet both the RDA and (higher) ISSN recommendations without supplementing. This doesn't include other staples like loose nuts, tofu, and tempeh:

1 oz cheddar 6.9g protein
1 egg 5.5g protein
1 cup black beans 41.9g protein (and 662 calories)
1 cup quinoa 22.6g protein (and 589 calories)
1 cup steel cut oats 10.8g protein
6 oz. avocado 3.4g protein
1 cup garbanzo beans 38.6g protein (and 728 calories)
4 oz. greek yogurt 11.8g protein
1 cup skim milk 8.3g protein
1 cup black beluga lentils 48g protein (and 608 calories)
4 tbsp peanut butter 9.4g protein
1 slice whole grain bread 6g protein (depends on your bread)

I know I didn't post the question but thank you all for the suggestions....going to start eating back my exercise calories (at least 1/2 of them) and get some vitamin B, and iron supplements! I see my doctor for an annual check up...maybe have some bloodwork done to see if I am deficient! Thank you all again!

If you're tired a lot, check your iron intake. I'm vegetarian too and found out I wasn't getting near enough iron, and started taking a women's multivitamin every day.

That being said, I drink a double-scoop protein shake every single day after my workout. 52g of protein, sometimes more if I add in peanut butter or other goodies!

Other favorite foods that are high in protein and healthy:
Almonds
Lentils
Black beans
Greek yogurt
Eggs

^I eat at least one of the above every single day, usually more!

Bump

The suggestions thus far are great, and I'm definitely stealing that black bean burger recipe! You could put tofu in anything, really. Even desserts! I've had some amazing tofu cheesecake, and I recently stumbled upon a chocolate chip cookie dough recipe using chickpeas. You could change different textures of things and experiment.

In my experience (over 20 yrs as a vegetarian - and a healthy one at that - I am here to lose my pregnancy weight from my three kids) It is probably not protein that your body needs... check your B vitamin levels. Most americans eat WAY too much protein and it is actually iron veg. lacks... not protein. good luck!

I use veganaise rather tha mayonaise. I would also like to find an alternative for the egg. Have you any suggestions. I really appreciate the recipe SOunds really yummy!

chickpeas are pretty high protien I think.

yea I eat chick peas and spinach veggies burgers I'm also looking for more protein as well

Almonds and beans and oats?
I have oats every other day (approx) for breakfast. I have beans pretty much every day (chickpeas mostly ... also romano beans, black beans, etc). I've made bean tacos, rice with beans, eggplant and chickpeas. Beans go in soup.
Almonds are high in calorie, but I usually have about 5 a day.