Vegetarian needing (a lot) more protein + iron

Em_runs_away
Em_runs_away Posts: 194 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Any suggestions please? I really need some help. I've opened up my (frankly embarrassing) diary for help. I know there's lots of room for improvement but being honest about it is the way I'm being accountable.

Replies

  • alliecat40
    alliecat40 Posts: 31 Member
    I drink a daily vitamin shake from "Ideal Shape" it has 50% of your daily needs. I get the other 50% from the foods I intake such as beans and various greens.
  • Lillyeatslillies
    Lillyeatslillies Posts: 78
    Hi there I've been a pescatarian for over 14 years (vegetarian with fish once every week/ couple weeks). You can look at my diary if you'd like. I always go over protein. I usually always have a protein shake in the morning after my workout, usually cottage cheese and fruit for lunch, vegetables and grains. Usually that helps me exceed my goals.
  • Leo_Joy_HG
    Leo_Joy_HG Posts: 57 Member
    Hi,

    I'm vegan and i struggled with getting enough ion and protein at first.

    For protein: tofu, nuts, seeds, beans, pulses, hemp (i like Good Hemp protein powder http://www.goodhempnutrition.com/good-hemp-nutrition-range/10-good-hemp-protein-powder-natural-raw.html), fake meats, etc

    For ion: green veg, nuts, seeds, seaweed, fortified cereals (tbh i still don't get enough ion so take daily supplements)

    Hope this helps!
  • AmyBetty
    AmyBetty Posts: 18
    Hi, I'm a veggo too (sometimes I slip up). Thanks for being honest with your food diary. I'd be adding some great snacks like almonds (dry roasted taste awesome with nothing bad added), try adding some green leafy veg's to your stirfry's such as baby spinach. If you are having toast in the mornings, mushrooms and spinach are great, and if you eat eggs even better! And I'm also a big fan of protein shakes if you are working out - great to help you with your levels, get some energy, and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Just watch out for the sugars they add to make them taste better. I love the plain protein powders you can buy from the supermarket that don't have added sugars or flavours. Then you can add it to pretty much everything, and can make your own delicious smoothies. Good luck!
  • Seraaa92
    Seraaa92 Posts: 5
    Hello, my mum is vegetarian too - so I asked her about your query and she said; eggs, vegetarian cheese, lentils, chick peas, pulses in general
    The Vegetarian Society (UK) is full of useful information and recipes : )
    Hope this helps you xx
  • Vicki685
    Vicki685 Posts: 51 Member
    Pumpkin seeds are a source of iron too but quite high cals, apparently a quarter cup (32.25g) is 180 cals and contains 15% of your daily recommended iron and 19% of you daily protein and their high in other minerals such as zinc too.
  • rheelizabeth
    rheelizabeth Posts: 160 Member
    humous is good! and eggs for protein. Also Farleys rusks wholemeal have a lot of iron in them, I have them for breakfast with milk.
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member
    Try adding greek yoghurt or cottage cheese for good protein and lowish on calories. I think they have about 15 gm protein in 1/2 cup. If you don't like the taste of cottage cheese (cheaper than greek yoghurt), somebody recently posted a recipe for quiche that uses 2 eggs and 2 cups of cottage cheese. Tastes great and good for a few servings; easy to heat up.
  • kubyshechka
    kubyshechka Posts: 75 Member
    Beans and greens for iron, quinoa and buckweet have both protein and iron. Make quinoa salad and add eggs to it - perfect meal.
  • rprussell2004
    rprussell2004 Posts: 870 Member
    Try chia seeds. They're full of all kinds of good stuff.
  • christina_theresa
    christina_theresa Posts: 290 Member
    I am a vegetarian as well! My favorite protein foods are Greek yogurt, cheese, beans and morning star products!
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    I am vegetarian too and have had issues with iron in the past.

    For protein, don't be afraid to use a protein powder to bump it up. Personally I like Nutribiotic brown rice protein, plain, because it doesn't have any additional ingredients or taste. You can add it to soymilk, milk, yogurt, even soup etc and hardly know it's there. I don't use it much because I usually get lots of protein from greek yogurt, kefir, eggs and some soy.

    For iron, there is nothing wrong with a supplement either. I used to take a 45mg slow release iron tablet (Slow-Fe is supposed to be good). I don't take it anymore or track my iron but that is a good idea.

    Hope that helps.
  • RavenhairedWoman
    RavenhairedWoman Posts: 661 Member
    I don't have any insight as far as the veggie protein needs go. However, I can help with the iron. I give blood regularly and to do that you have to keep your iron up, a task that can be difficult for women in certain parts of their monthly cycle.

    What I usually do is make sure that I eat foods high in iron like broccoli, dark leafy greens (spinach, collards), dried fruit (prunes, raisins), Beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans and artichokes. (i left out the red meat and egg yolks since you are a vegetarian)

    However the most important part is to make sure that you are getting enough vitamin C. Vitamin C helps you to absorb the iron in the foods that you eat :).

    I never have low iron now that I take care to do these things a few days before going in to give blood. :)

    Best of luck to you! I love veggies but I personally can't imagine giving up meat.
  • carysj
    carysj Posts: 22
    I'm a long time vegetarian too and have recently started taking protein shakes. I'm using the choc mint flavour of instant whey from myprotein and it tastes amazing with about 18g of protein per shake (only 98 cals too). Good luck upping your intake.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    hi ems..I too am a veggie, my whole life and have a shocking diet. my only hope is protein supplements in the form of protein shakes...they taste disgusting but are a very necessary evil. i also tend to snack on low fat baby bel cheeses. I also try and eat a LOT of beans and chick peas, all high in protein and low in calories.

    I don't really monitor my iron intake, but dark leafy greens will help. I am relieved people haven't suggested peanut butter as a means of boosting protein. you might as well eat peanut M&m's.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    I am vegan and I get around 70-100g protein per day. Look into food options like tofu, tempeh, seitan and legumes for your primary protein sources. I also drink a shake with 1-2 scoops of vegan protein powder per day, and add almond milk, peanut butter, leafy greens and frozen banana - it's delicious and I look forward to it all day!

    Also, lots of people have talked about iron sources, but quinoa, white beans, tomato paste, pumpkin seeds, cooked spinach and lentils are also great sources of iron!
  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 833 Member
    I'm a veggie on a high protein diet. I eat a lot of tofu, edenema, eggs, nuts, chia seeds, cottage cheese, and protein powder. For the Iron try dried fruits, beans, spinach and kale.

    My diary is open to friends, if you want to add me and you can take a look at how I eat.
  • spikefoot
    spikefoot Posts: 419
    check out brewers yeast. I hate the flavour but it has worked wonders for me.
  • Sharmender
    Sharmender Posts: 133 Member
    I'm a vegetarian too, it was really hard for me at first to get enough protein. Now I have protein shakes and greek yoghurt a lot, which make the macros fine :)
  • 2kidzlater
    2kidzlater Posts: 134 Member
    orgain shake, kefir, quina, barley, cook in a cast iron skillet (good for iron), millet,
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    bump
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
    bump
  • Dayquasar
    Dayquasar Posts: 182 Member
    Hi there! I worry about those as well and since I try to stay away from processed foods I'm not too excited about powders and supplements, also we may not need a ton of protein check out the video on my blog- http://girlwholovestheworld.blogspot.com/2012/06/foods-that-kill-healthy-eating.html , I try to eat spinach, and lentils/beans are high iron and protein as well as nuts and nut butters, keep in mind they are better if sprouted and all U.S almonds are no longer raw, they have been pasturized, a good website is the top 10, it has lists of food that are highest in whatever nutrient your looking for- http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-iron.php , hope this helps, add me if you like, I share my diary and it might give you some ideas.
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
    You have received a lot of great advice on upping your protein level from others.

    As for iron, I suggest Floradix iron + herbs supplement. It gives you a gentle boost of iron, along with B vitamins, including the very vital vitamin B12 many veg*ns can lack.

    After 4 months of calorie restriction, a mostly well-selected veg*n diet still left me iron-depleted and lethargic. I suspected this and had a ferritin level (blood work) done. Sure enough, my iron level was in the basement. It's taken a couple of months of mega-doses of iron, but I'm finally feeling more myself again. I strongly agree with your plan to be proactive. Iron deficiency stinks!
  • livestar
    livestar Posts: 140 Member
    Can anyone recommend a protien powder that is vegan and not chalky?
  • hollyk57
    hollyk57 Posts: 520 Member
    I've been a vegetarian for just under two years now. At first, I was afraid I wasn't going to get enough protein - especially when its so easy to become a 'starchatarian' and fill in the missing animal proteins with heavy pastas and breads. For me, discovering products like Seitan (a wheat gluten based meat substitute); tempeh (made from soy beans) and a whole new world of tofu preparations, getting protein wasn't an issue. Sometimes when I need a boost, I add in Gensoy or Spirutein protein shakes which are also a great source of vitamins and iron. Like others suggested, I also include lots of dark leafy greens and veggies, nuts and seeds. I also love rennetless or vegetable rennet cheeses, cottage cheese, milk and Greek yogurt (just stay away from products like Dannon Oikos which contain Carmine - a non vegetarian colorant).
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Can anyone recommend a protien powder that is vegan and not chalky?

    Like I mentioned above, my favorite is Nutribiotic's brown rice protein -- I like the plain version but they also make vanilla and chocolate. I don't find it to have much taste at all especially if you blend it with something flavorful like almond milk, fruit, cocoa powder, carob powder, etc, or add it to cereal. Not a huge fan of the pea protein I have tried and can't stomach hemp protein, personally.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    I am the same way!!! I supplement with a whey protein to hit my goals and take Viva Vitamins Super iron complex- 50. It's combined with vitamin c, folic acid, and b vitamins. AND it doesn't upset my stomache.
  • holleysings
    holleysings Posts: 664 Member
    I eat mostly vegetarian and usually get between 75-100g of protein in one day just from fish, dairy, and a protein shake. You definitely need to find a protein shake or powder that you can incorporate into your diet! I think most are supplemented with iron.

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