VEGETARIAN QUESTION
- Thread starter annie2867
- Start date
I eat a lot of tofu (soy protein) and vital wheat gluten. I also eat egg whites, although I know a lot of vegetarians don't do eggs. My favorite high-protein snack is a "cookie" made from vital wheat gluten, egg whites, and oatmeal. They've very filling and an easy way to get the protein in.
Shari
Shari
You need a healthy amount of protein in your diet, not animal protein. While most plant proteins are incomplete (they don't contain all 9 essential amino acids), one can combine plant proteins from different groups to form a complete protein.
Classic combinations of plant proteins are beans & rice, or peanut butter on whole wheat bread. Plant proteins don't need to be eaten at the same meal to form a complete protein. The oatmeal you eat at breakfast can be combined with the bean soup you have at lunch.
Vegetarians that eat dairy & eggs can easily get all of the protein they require. It takes a bit more effort for vegans but it is doable even for athletic vegans.
Debra
Classic combinations of plant proteins are beans & rice, or peanut butter on whole wheat bread. Plant proteins don't need to be eaten at the same meal to form a complete protein. The oatmeal you eat at breakfast can be combined with the bean soup you have at lunch.
Vegetarians that eat dairy & eggs can easily get all of the protein they require. It takes a bit more effort for vegans but it is doable even for athletic vegans.
Debra
harmonyd.com
Active Member
HI,
I have been a vegetarian for about a year and a half, and in the beginning I tracked all the foods I was eating to make sure I was getting enough protein and other essential vitamins and minerals. I always got enough protein if not more than the recommended daily allowance (and for six months I was a vegan and didn't eat any dairy). (BTW the RDA of protein for women is about 46g/day for men it's 55.5g/day for ages 19-50 years old). Dairy gives you a lot of protein, but there are many other sources if you don't eat it. I found a lot of useful information of the internet: www.goveg.com has a list of FAQ's and that is one of the questions; Don't vegetarians have difficulty getting enough protein? Here is the answer they gave: In the West, our problem is that we get too much protein, not too little. Most Americans get about seven times as much protein as they need. you can get enough protein from whole wheat bread, oatmeal, beans, corn, peas, mushrooms, or broccoli--almost every food contains protein. Unless you eat a great deal of junk food, it's almost impossible to eat as many calories as we need for good health without getting enough protein. The only vitamin I feel I lack is B12 because that is found mostly in meat sources. There are B12 fortified vegetarian foods and supplements however. I hope this helps.
Harmony
I have been a vegetarian for about a year and a half, and in the beginning I tracked all the foods I was eating to make sure I was getting enough protein and other essential vitamins and minerals. I always got enough protein if not more than the recommended daily allowance (and for six months I was a vegan and didn't eat any dairy). (BTW the RDA of protein for women is about 46g/day for men it's 55.5g/day for ages 19-50 years old). Dairy gives you a lot of protein, but there are many other sources if you don't eat it. I found a lot of useful information of the internet: www.goveg.com has a list of FAQ's and that is one of the questions; Don't vegetarians have difficulty getting enough protein? Here is the answer they gave: In the West, our problem is that we get too much protein, not too little. Most Americans get about seven times as much protein as they need. you can get enough protein from whole wheat bread, oatmeal, beans, corn, peas, mushrooms, or broccoli--almost every food contains protein. Unless you eat a great deal of junk food, it's almost impossible to eat as many calories as we need for good health without getting enough protein. The only vitamin I feel I lack is B12 because that is found mostly in meat sources. There are B12 fortified vegetarian foods and supplements however. I hope this helps.
Harmony
Thanks guys,
What kind of dairy? I could do a little cheese, I know yogurt only gives you 6 grams of protein, don't want to do eggs. I do have a lot of those Morningstar products, blackbean burger, sausage patties and links, do these count? I also have a container of whey protein drink, just have to dig it out of the cupboard. The tofu I can do in small amounts, not my favorite thing. On the complete proteins, do the rice and beans have to be eaten together?
If anyone can recommend a good easy book that would be a big help.
Thank you.
What kind of dairy? I could do a little cheese, I know yogurt only gives you 6 grams of protein, don't want to do eggs. I do have a lot of those Morningstar products, blackbean burger, sausage patties and links, do these count? I also have a container of whey protein drink, just have to dig it out of the cupboard. The tofu I can do in small amounts, not my favorite thing. On the complete proteins, do the rice and beans have to be eaten together?
If anyone can recommend a good easy book that would be a big help.
Thank you.
kathryn
Cathlete
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet (unless I missed it), but soy is also a complete protein, and it is available in many different forms: black soybeans for salads and chilis, tofu, tempeh, soyburgers, etc. With the current interest in "low carbohydrate/high protein" diets, I think people often go crazy and get too much protein (the average American diet has more than enough protein in it, and vegetarians and vegans--unless they go heavy on the fruits and/or junk food--get plenty of protein).
Re: rice and beans and other complimentary proteins: it was once thought (ie: Francis Moore Lappé's original version of "Diet for a Small Planet") that complimentary protein sources had to be eaten at the same time in order to function as a complete protein. It has since been shown (ie: the revised edition of "Diet for a Small Planet") that they only need to be eaten within the same day or so, as the "unmatched" amino acids are stored for sometime, and wait around to be joined by the complmentary amino acids they need in order to make a complete protein. In any case, many "complimentary protein" combinations are pretty natural, and occur in many foods: beans and rice in burritos; legumes and grains in lentil soup with pita bread, etc.
About tofu: as I believe most people who hate tofu or don't like it much are of that opinion because they may not be using it correctly, here's my tofu spiel!
First, think of tofu as a raw ingredient, much like flour or raw meat, neither of which you would use "as is." In order to make tofu more appealing, you need to use some kind of preparation method or seasoning.
There are two types of tofu, which are best for different purposes. The asceptically packaged tofu (comes in a wax-coated container that doesn't need refrigeration) is best for blending and making smooth things like puddings (add some cocoa, sweetener like maple syrup, vanilla, a pinch of salt), dips, soup bases. It is rather wretched (IMO) when used for stir fries or baking or broiling, as it has more of a "cooked egg white" texture in those situations.
For scrambled tofu (crumble tofu and add to sautéd onions, red peppers, celery,etc. and sauté a bit longer. Sprinkle in some nutritional yeast and tumeric, salt and pepper), baked tofu, broiled tofu, crumbled tofu used in lasagne, etc., use the water packed tofu that has to be refrigerated. It has a firmer texture. To make it firmer for baking, slice into 1/2 inch pieces and place them on a kitchen towel on a plate, then cover with another plate and weight it down to squeeze out excess liquid.
For an even firmer textured tofu, that soaks up marinades really well, drain the tofu and freeze. Thaw, then squeeze out excess liquid, and soak in marinade (any kind of steak sauce, stirfry sauce, etc.). YOu can use frozen/thawed/squeezed tofu crumbled in chili or spaghetti sauce, sliced and marinated and baked.
By the way, building muscle depends more on the amount of work you do (weight training) and rest (recovery which allows for building) than on eating lots of protein. So keep up a good weight training program, go heavy, vary types of workouts (a "Slow and Heavy" vs. PH, for example).
Re: rice and beans and other complimentary proteins: it was once thought (ie: Francis Moore Lappé's original version of "Diet for a Small Planet") that complimentary protein sources had to be eaten at the same time in order to function as a complete protein. It has since been shown (ie: the revised edition of "Diet for a Small Planet") that they only need to be eaten within the same day or so, as the "unmatched" amino acids are stored for sometime, and wait around to be joined by the complmentary amino acids they need in order to make a complete protein. In any case, many "complimentary protein" combinations are pretty natural, and occur in many foods: beans and rice in burritos; legumes and grains in lentil soup with pita bread, etc.
About tofu: as I believe most people who hate tofu or don't like it much are of that opinion because they may not be using it correctly, here's my tofu spiel!
First, think of tofu as a raw ingredient, much like flour or raw meat, neither of which you would use "as is." In order to make tofu more appealing, you need to use some kind of preparation method or seasoning.
There are two types of tofu, which are best for different purposes. The asceptically packaged tofu (comes in a wax-coated container that doesn't need refrigeration) is best for blending and making smooth things like puddings (add some cocoa, sweetener like maple syrup, vanilla, a pinch of salt), dips, soup bases. It is rather wretched (IMO) when used for stir fries or baking or broiling, as it has more of a "cooked egg white" texture in those situations.
For scrambled tofu (crumble tofu and add to sautéd onions, red peppers, celery,etc. and sauté a bit longer. Sprinkle in some nutritional yeast and tumeric, salt and pepper), baked tofu, broiled tofu, crumbled tofu used in lasagne, etc., use the water packed tofu that has to be refrigerated. It has a firmer texture. To make it firmer for baking, slice into 1/2 inch pieces and place them on a kitchen towel on a plate, then cover with another plate and weight it down to squeeze out excess liquid.
For an even firmer textured tofu, that soaks up marinades really well, drain the tofu and freeze. Thaw, then squeeze out excess liquid, and soak in marinade (any kind of steak sauce, stirfry sauce, etc.). YOu can use frozen/thawed/squeezed tofu crumbled in chili or spaghetti sauce, sliced and marinated and baked.
By the way, building muscle depends more on the amount of work you do (weight training) and rest (recovery which allows for building) than on eating lots of protein. So keep up a good weight training program, go heavy, vary types of workouts (a "Slow and Heavy" vs. PH, for example).
Portable Protein Cookies
P/C/F Ratio: 52/44/4
1/4 C Old Fashioned Quaker Oats
4 Egg Whites
4 Splenda Packets
1 T Brown Sugar Twin (omit if unavailable)
4 T Vital Wheat Gluten (Arrowhead Mills)
Pam Canola Spray
Preparation Instructions
Mix all ingredients together, then spoon into 5 equal mounds on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with Pam. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes or "fry" in Pam in a covered skillet until brown on both sides.
Nutrition Information Per Cookie (recipe makes 5 cookies)
Calories: 57
Protein: 7 grams
Total Carbs: 6 grams
Sugar: 0 grams
Fat: .3 grams
I adjust this recipe to fit whatever I need that day protein-wise. I often use the following proportions (but don't have the nutritional info on hand right now): 4-6 egg whites, 1/2 C vital wheat gluten, 1/2 C oats, water as needed, and 3-4 Splenda packets. I usually save the Splenda for afterward, then put the cookies in a bag to take to work and shake it to coat them on the outside with the Splenda.
Shari
P/C/F Ratio: 52/44/4
1/4 C Old Fashioned Quaker Oats
4 Egg Whites
4 Splenda Packets
1 T Brown Sugar Twin (omit if unavailable)
4 T Vital Wheat Gluten (Arrowhead Mills)
Pam Canola Spray
Preparation Instructions
Mix all ingredients together, then spoon into 5 equal mounds on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with Pam. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes or "fry" in Pam in a covered skillet until brown on both sides.
Nutrition Information Per Cookie (recipe makes 5 cookies)
Calories: 57
Protein: 7 grams
Total Carbs: 6 grams
Sugar: 0 grams
Fat: .3 grams
I adjust this recipe to fit whatever I need that day protein-wise. I often use the following proportions (but don't have the nutritional info on hand right now): 4-6 egg whites, 1/2 C vital wheat gluten, 1/2 C oats, water as needed, and 3-4 Splenda packets. I usually save the Splenda for afterward, then put the cookies in a bag to take to work and shake it to coat them on the outside with the Splenda.
Shari