Another question for vegetarians

[jennifermaria]

Hi guys,

Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure I'm going about this the right way .

As I've mentioned before, I'm training for a marathon and am generally following Nancy Clark's Food Guide For Marathoners. According to her book, I should be shooting for .5 to .75g of protein per pound I weigh (or the weight I'd like to be, which is 128). That would put my daily protein needs at ~64-96 grams.

Beans/nuts/dairy (I'm shooting to be a lacto-ovo) tend to have about 8g of protein per serving, vs. 30g or so of protein in a serving (4 oz) of lean meat--with that math, it seems as though I need to eat so much more to get the same amount of protein with non-meat sources as I would get from a meat source...

What ways do you sneak protein in? Do you find that you're able to get enough for your level of activity? I feel soooo much better and more energetic since phasing meat out of my diet and I'd hate to give up now, so I'd love to learn more about how to get the adequate amount of protein without having to go back to eating meat...

Thanks in advance!!

 

[SRP]

Hi Jennifer -
I've been a vegetarian since oh.... 1989. I've never really worried about protein, and haven't ever had any problems. Of course it might be harder if you're aiming for a certain amount, like you are.

First, watch the nuts and cheese, since they're also high in fat. Especially the cheese. You shouldn't depend on them as a primary source of protein.

I personally prefer the bean/legume approach, mixed with different grains. But like I said, it might be hard to get a higher amount that way.

You might consider trying egg whites. Very high in protein, and you don't have to worry about the fat and cholesterol in the yolks. I'm sure you've seen the egg whites in a carton in grocery stores. They're great!

I don't know you're thoughts on soy, but soy products are another good source of protein that you might consider. Also, try quinoa. It's a grain that you can buy in health food stores, and it has all the essential amino acids - I believe it's the only grain that does. It's expensive, but very good!

Good luck!

 

[JanetP1507]

I have at least 1/4 c. of egg beaters every morning (sometimes 1/2 c. depending on what else I'm eating). I need protein every morning or I'm no good. One of my favorite morning snacks is a tbspn. of organic PB on a slice whole wheat toast. There's also protein bars/shakes and as you already mentioned, nuts and beans. I also keep frozen veggie patties of different varieties around (I know, processed...but I"m too lazy to make them myself!). There's also tofu...sometimes I marinate it overnight in a soy ginger vinagrette and then spoon a couple of ounces on top of my salads for the next few days. I just checked my food log at thedailyplate.com and yesterday I got 69 grams of protein. I know that's the lower end of your needs but it is possible.

 

[hriacobacci]

Greek yogurt is also high in protein - just shoot for the low/no fat variety. Cottage cheese (again low/no fat) also has a lot of protein - just watch for high sodium.

I think the other posters have covered just about everything else.

Heather

 

[workoutaholic]

Try hemp! I think it has all the essential amino acids and I think the powder tastes great in smoothies. You can also mix into other things like pancakes and baked foods.

 

[jennifermaria]

You guys are awesome, thank you for the ideas!!

I went back and looked at my daily totals on Sparkpeople and I was surprised to learn that I am getting my recommended amount already--without even consciously trying! Yay!

Now I just gotta make sure my main protein sources are NOT cheese and whole eggs LOL. I don't mind the yolk, but I like to keep that to 1 per day, and cheese... oh my, I have a hard time giving that up, but I do try to keep it reasonable. Gotta just make sure I didn't unconsciously increase my intake since I phased meats out of my diet.

I'm so-so on tofu. I grew up eating it in "dessert"--in the Philippines, one of the best breakfasts (it's also eaten as a dessert) is taho, which is basically tofu topped with simple syrup and tapioca pearls (the kind used in bubble tea). It's soooooooo good. Not the healthiest with the syrup and all LOL, but YUMMY. Anyway, since I grew up eating tofu that way, it's weird for me to eat it in savory dishes. I don't mind it sometimes, but it really depends on how it was cooked and what the texture is. In general, I'm not crazy about its texture in savory foods.

I'm going to give seitan a try. It's similar in texture to chicken, so I thought it would help ease the transition for me . I got some vital wheat gluten flour and was planning to use that on a homemade seitan recipe. It looked simple enough to try! Anyone have any experience with that?

As for beans, LOVE them, so I am eating a lot of those lately. I'm just trying to find more recipes so I don't get sick of eating them the same way day in and day out. Let's just say I'm enjoying my hummus quite a bit .

And nuts... well, I love my peanut butter, so no worries about not getting enough there LOL.

 

[hriacobacci]

You know, I was never a huge fan of tofu, but I read a tip that helps with the texture (in my opinion). This is not for the silken kind. But, freeze it for at least 3 days then thaw. It makes is sort of spongy and easier to squeeze out the excess liquid. In turn, it seems to soak up flavors easier. Not sure why, but freezing it just changes the texture and is far more appealing to me.

I too have to watch myself when it comes to cheese. I could eat my weight in it! I've been making a conscious effort to try new recipes that do not involved cheese. LOL.

Heather

You guys are awesome, thank you for the ideas!!

I went back and looked at my daily totals on Sparkpeople and I was surprised to learn that I am getting my recommended amount already--without even consciously trying! Yay!

Now I just gotta make sure my main protein sources are NOT cheese and whole eggs LOL. I don't mind the yolk, but I like to keep that to 1 per day, and cheese... oh my, I have a hard time giving that up, but I do try to keep it reasonable. Gotta just make sure I didn't unconsciously increase my intake since I phased meats out of my diet.

I'm so-so on tofu. I grew up eating it in "dessert"--in the Philippines, one of the best breakfasts (it's also eaten as a dessert) is taho, which is basically tofu topped with simple syrup and tapioca pearls (the kind used in bubble tea). It's soooooooo good. Not the healthiest with the syrup and all LOL, but YUMMY. Anyway, since I grew up eating tofu that way, it's weird for me to eat it in savory dishes. I don't mind it sometimes, but it really depends on how it was cooked and what the texture is. In general, I'm not crazy about its texture in savory foods.

I'm going to give seitan a try. It's similar in texture to chicken, so I thought it would help ease the transition for me . I got some vital wheat gluten flour and was planning to use that on a homemade seitan recipe. It looked simple enough to try! Anyone have any experience with that?

As for beans, LOVE them, so I am eating a lot of those lately. I'm just trying to find more recipes so I don't get sick of eating them the same way day in and day out. Let's just say I'm enjoying my hummus quite a bit .

And nuts... well, I love my peanut butter, so no worries about not getting enough there LOL.

 

[kathryn]

Try hemp! I think it has all the essential amino acids and I think the powder tastes great in smoothies. You can also mix into other things like pancakes and baked foods.

I agree, hemp is an excellent protein source.
Another bonus, it is raw. Studies have shown that cooked protein is only 50% assimilable (usable by our bodies), while raw protein is close to 100%.

 

[kathryn]

Lentils are good protein sources.
Think lentil soup and lentil loaf (yeah, the latter is very 70's vegetarian, but I like it!).

Also, while you may eat a lot of meat analogs, soy and seitan while transitiioning, IMO it's better to limit them on a long-term basis. The analogs (soy/seitan 'chicken', burgers, etc) are pretty processed. And seitan is all wheat gluten (something that many people are sentitive to, if not allergic to, because Americans eat so much wheat).

 

[jennifermaria]

If I'm making my own seitan, would it still be considered processed? The ingredients are wheat gluten (which I'm able to tolerate) and water, salt, and some other flavorings (most of which seem to involve ginger, which I'm not a fan of, so I will be eliminating that ).

Good point about soy, Kathryn--that's also the reason I'm not fond of eating it too often.

I LOVE lentils. Those are my favorite beans . I'm a big Indian food fan, so I love eating daal!

 

[kathryn]

If I'm making my own seitan, would it still be considered processed?

The gluten itself is not at all a whole food (it's the starchy part of the grain, with the bran and germ lacking). IMO, it's fine as a transitional food, or as an occasional food, but it's easy to eat too much of it.