Vegetarian Protein

travelchicky · 05-05-2007, 12:16 AM

Hi all, I am getting banded in August and am concerned about getting enough protein considering how little I will be able to eat. Could you give me some ideas of what to eat/drink and how many grams you get a day?

Thanks!

WASaBubbleButt · 05-05-2007, 01:46 AM

One thing is you are going to have to check out protein supplements well. For example, the test tube type (New Whey, for one) is made of jello (cow gristle).

Might want to go to Unjury.com and ask what their clear protein is made of.

Otherwise, it will be similar proteins to what you consume now. A variety of veggies/beans to get the full amino acid chain, etc.

maltomeel · 05-05-2007, 09:18 AM

I love the Morningstar Farms products which I grind up currently to add some flavor & protein to my meals. The crumbles are quite low in fat and calories and have a nice protein count. 2/3 cup=10 g protein, 2.5 g fat, 80 cals. I heat them with rotel-type tomtoes & diced chilis and spices. Recently I added white beans blended as well. Packed with protein!

I also use silken tofu and blend that into soups and fruit drinks. It's also great scrambled with a bit of tamari (wheat free soy).

I add Bolthouse Protein Power to my one caffinated coffee in the am. It's a Chai Latte....adds some sweetness, creaminess & protein. If I'm really "low on pro" for the day, I'll ice some decaf and add more Bolthouse. It adds up!

Oh yeah! I made a very runny hummus on Wednesday. It was delicious with lots of fresh lemon juice, a bit of garlic & fresh mint. I used olive oil and some water to thin down. I ate it like a cool soup. Really yummy. ! cup beans=apx 12-1 grams of proetin. ***TAKE YOUR BEANO FIRST***

Good Luck to you!

Wasabubble-love your posts, you have inspired and educated me from day one, thank you.

Lucy · 05-05-2007, 11:27 PM

Also, if you have a Whole Foods near you, they sell a lot of great protein powders that are vegetarian and vegan. I've been buying most of my food there (primarily because I hate synthetic sweeteners and all the weird chemicals that are used in conventional protein powders). They sell soy protein and hemp protein, among other things. Just read the labels, because a lot of the non-animal supplements have fewer grams of protein in a serving.

Evilah · 05-12-2007, 08:07 PM

"Vega"

and

"Ultimate Meal"

Both tasty, and mostly sustainable, organice, kosher, and both all vegan.

Baltic · 05-12-2007, 08:22 PM

Pure Advantage Natural Pea Protein - 2.2 lb. Jug
http://www.veganessentials.com
High in protein - low in sugar (sweetened with stevia(

I am vegan and use this to supplement protein.

insubordination · 05-13-2007, 03:07 AM

Ooh, I'm a long-term vegan too. Surprised there are other fat vegans. I thought it was just me. I'm on the pre-op diet and as I don't want to eat soy (thyroid issue), I found a rice-protein powder made by Ladybird. It's inexpensive and has the same number of carbs/calories/vitamins/minerals as everyone else is taking.

I've never tried Vega because it's very expensive but I much prefer its natural ingredients to synthetic stuff.

Evilah · 05-13-2007, 03:15 AM

I've found vega and ultimate meal to be very filling and energizing. ultimate meal is about half the price of vega. I'm actually not a vegan but whey and soy protein are GROSSS! And they seem poisonous. Soy estrogens and god knows what in conventional whey. I only consume organic dairy products, and mostly from organic valley.

Baltic, insubordination, how is pure advantage and ladybird? Does it give you lots of energy?

Lucy · 05-13-2007, 12:06 PM

I do have some concerns about ingesting too much soy protein. And all the commercial whey proteins are full of things I have never herad of/can't pronounce, which I usually avoid putting in my body. But isn't soy good for you in small amounts? I've been using the Whole Foods brand soy protein powder, but maybe I should incorporate other types of protein in my diet so it's not soy soy soy all the time....

(Which, by the way, that kills me. I have so many skinny friends who live on trans fat- and chemical- filled junk food. And then here we are -- vegans and organic eaters and we are fat. I mean, yeah, the organic tortilla chips are really great, but I happen to eat pretty well most of the time!)

insubordination · 05-14-2007, 06:47 AM

My doctor told me not to eat too much soy as it impedes the absorption of iodine, which let to the development of my several thyroid lumps. I only have soy occasionally. The condition is very rare I think. I was just having too much soy (by trying to go high protein) and not enough iodine. The LadyBird rice protein is crap with artificial vitamins. I would much prefer something natural like Vega but it's prohibitively expensive to order online and it's not available in my country. Still, it's better than the whey/soy protein isolate alternatives.   People must laugh and laugh when I talk about healthy food, nutrients and artificial sweeteners/additives and the like. I can't say I blame them because obviously, my weight has always been a huge problem. I eat 95% good food, just thrice the amountnecessary. That's why I'm hoping the band will help restrict the quantity I can eat.

ETA: After a quick search, I found some pea protein powder which wasn't too expensive. I ordered 1kg. I'll see how it goes. Thanks for the tip.

Betsyjane · 05-15-2007, 06:49 PM

I'm wanting to be at least vegetarian at this point, but need some help getting started. I don't care for processed food, so I'm hesitant about vege burgers and the like, but I guess I'll need them for the protein. The protein is what has me stumped because I don't like beans.

How does this sound for a start, and please rip it apart if it isn't a good plan:
Breakfast: Protein shake sweetened with Stevia and fruit
Lunch: Veges and ?
Dinner Veges and ?

See where I'm stuck?

Evilah · 05-16-2007, 02:49 PM

a friend drank tons of soy milk while she was pregnant and her son was born with a malformed penis (the hole was on the side) and he had to have surgery to correct it. Her son's doctor asked her if she consumed alot of soy, and told her that soy estrogens cause that type of malformation in baby boys.

Lucy · 05-17-2007, 09:22 PM

As long as it's not all soy all the time, it's OK. I'm not pregnant, so I'm not worried about having deformed children, at least right now.

Anything in excess is bad for you -- water is even bad for you if you have too much of it. I'm not a vegetarian, so I also eat a lot of chicken and fish, which balances out the soy (of which I only have one shake a day).

Not to mention the fact that cow's milk really isn't that much better -- even if it's organic, it's still full of cow hormones.

And I simply loathe the taste and smell of milk. Whey protein makes me want to puke.

insubordination · 05-18-2007, 06:07 AM

There's a lot of soy scare-mongering by the dairy industry. Asians have been eating it for centuries. However, I don't think excessive intake is a good idea. 1-3 serves a week is plenty in my opinion.

Thank you so much Baltic for the suggestion of the pea protein powder. I ordered a huge container and was afraid it would be gross but it has a mild inoffensive taste and is such a relief to have after the awful artificially vanilla sweetened powders I have been having. Now increasing my protein is no problem at all. No carbs either! I added some to the vegie soup after it had cooled in my bowl and it blended in beautifully and made it wonderfully creamy and thick. I'm glad I found it this early on. It doesn't have added vitamins but I have fresh wheatgrass juice and/or a multi to compensate.

Betsy-Jane, it's a tough one if you don't like beans (Have you tried all beans? Red beans, black beans, broad beans, kidney beans, lima beans, aduki beans, mung beans, garbanzos, red lentils, green lentils, brown lentils?) as they form the basis of many vegan meals. Have you tried falafel or hummus? I think the processed stuff is gross and unhealthy too and never eat it.

What about tofu, tempeh, all nuts and nut butters (peanut, almond, hazelnut etc.) Seeds like sunflower can be blended with vegies into an awesome spread...ditto tahini.

Split peas, seitan, gluten, Red clover sprouts, cress sprouts, radish sprouts, mung/adzuki bean sprouts or other protein rich sprouts.

Seaweed, kelp

The best idea would be adding high-protein grains (Quinoa is a complete protein). Quinoa, amaranth, wild rice, hulled millet, oats etc.)

Vegan cooking is amazing when you get the hang of it. Good luck!

Betsyjane · 05-18-2007, 09:15 AM

Wow! Thanks for the list, Insub. I'm printing it, and I'm going to try it all a bit at a time and find my favorites. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!