High protein *low carb* *low fat* vegan foods?

Hey all!  I read through the 'high protein vegan diet' thread, but it didn't quite have what I was looking for.  Here's what I know:

1) There are a lot of high-protein vegan foods.  Most of them (beans, lentils) are high in carbohydrates.  Others (nuts) are high in fat (yes, I know it's healthy fat).  In all natural vegetarian foods (non-powdered non-processed) that I know about, there are more calories from carbs or fat than from protein.

2) Powdered or processed protein additives exist, coming from various sources.

Here's what I don't know, and would like your input on:

1 - Did I miss any vegan foods that are naturally primarily protein?  I freely admit to being undereducated in the matter of vegetarianism.

2 - Where do you get these protein additives?  Are they available in grocery stores or do I need to order them online?

3 - Are *complete* protein additives available, or do you have to mix them to make complete proteins?

4 - Can anyone suggest a vegetarian or vegan patty that is high-protein, low-carb, low-fat, and tasty?  (I know, I'm asking a lot!)

Basically, I'm trying to follow a high-protein, relatively low-carb, low-fat diet (25% protein, 50% carb, 25% fat), on a busy schedule and a tight budget.  Cooking is an option for dinner but lunch foods need to be quick to prepare.  I think I have breakfast covered.  So far, looking into unprocessed foods, I found that the foods with the highest protein-to-calorie ratio are, in rough order: egg whites, fish, poultry and meat.  Only then do you get into vegetables.  :/

I'm especially interested in hearing from the guy who had 200g of protein in his diet - how many calories were you eating at the time?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

Tofu?

According to calorie counter, a little more than half of tofu's calories are from fat.  Is there low-fat or fat-free tofu?

You're on a hiding to nothing trying to follow a low-ish carb diet if you're vegan.  Because all the food-sources available to you are plant-based.... and all plants are in the 'carbohydrate' food group with varying amounts of fat contained within them.

Rather than trying to go against the grain (no pun intended) why not work with more reasonable percentages that fit the foods available?.... There is no single 'right way to eat' and every vegan alive will tell you that their chosen diet is the healthiest in the world  

As it happens, I am an omnivore, just trying to get as much vegetarianism into my diet as possible for health and financial reasons.  I know the perfect diet does not exist - I'm just looking for ways to create the more perfect diet for me.  :)  I appreciate your honesty, though.

Hi,

I think its unlikely that you will be able to achieve a high protein / low carb & fat vegan diet, sorry.

I am a vegetarian and even incorporating dairy protein, I have to plan hard to get 55g protein per day on 1500 kcals.

A suggestion however, if I may...you are calculating kcals from fat as a % of overall kcals, and that is misleading, because fats contain 9 kcals / g and protein 4kcals /g.  I think that it is a more accurate representation to calculate the weight of protein / fat as a percentage of the weight of the food.

I don't actually think a 50% carb 25% protein 25% fat diet is totally unreasonable for a veg*n.  I'm not one, but that's the ratio I eat and very little of my protein comes from the standard egg white/chicken breast protein recommendations.

The reality is that your protein is going to have to come from sources that have carbs and/or fat as well (except maybe TVP) - but getting to 25% protein isn't all that crazy.  What you need to do is replace some of your lower protein foods with higher protein equivalents.  So, instead of white rice, you have quinoa.  Instead of snacking on crackers, you have nuts.  Instead of pasta salad, you mix up black beans and salsa (delish!).  Any time you're consuming a food with more than 25% of its calories from protein, that's getting you closer to your target (which probably is as high protein as it's reasonable for a veg*n to get to).

Edited to add that, in particular, don't avoid the fat-protein combo.  On a veg*n diet, it's the carbs that'll come easy.  Getting up to 25% fat in your diet will likely be challenging too.

I make seitan cutlets that are very high in protein (23 g each), pretty low in carbs (9 g), and low in fat (1.4 g).  The recipe is here, although I'm not sure if the directions make sense to anyone but me.  The CC nutritional grader gives it a D+ (even if I strip out all of the sodium/consomme!), but I assure you that the base ingredients are not deadly.

If you want, as a treat, you can bread these cutlets and fry them for some awesome vegan fried 'chicken' that still ends up with about the same number of calories from protein and fat. :)

Thanks again to all who have responded.

As far as the fat content of my diet goes (kcal % vs. gram %) I'm going by CC's percentage counter, which uses calories.  And if I can't do it, I can't do it - I'm not going to obsess over it too much.  :)

What's quinoa?  Oh, and a friend of mine introduced me to bean/salsa/corn dip - YUM!

The seitan cutlets sound pretty good, I'll definitely have to try them.  They sound like a good 'toss in a ziplock and bring with you to lunch' kind of thing.  Gotta figure out where to get the stuff.  Where do you shop?

CC's grader goes by vitamin & mineral content for increasing the grade (and to a certain extent, low fat, low saturated fat, low sugar, low cholesterol) but high protein content doesn't affect your grade one way or the other.  I wish it did.  :)

WHY would you want to eat a high protein diet? most americans get MORE than enough protein. there is no reason you can't eat a healthy diet and lose weight on a low fat, vegan diet, even one that is high in carbohydrates.

take a look at this website for meal/diet ideas for low-fat, vegan eating:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/weightloss.html

carbs are AWESOME!! and GOOD for you!! ;)

More protein than your body can digest in a day (which isn't that much) is quite literally gone to waste, so to speak. There's no sense in a high-protein diet - and carbs, as acarr said, are good for you too. =)

Original Post by acarr:

WHY would you want to eat a high protein diet? most americans get MORE than enough protein.

Most americans are also not vegan.

Protien is important, and 25% is not that high of an amount really.

I reccomend textured vegetable protien, which you can buy at bulk barn. it's high protein, high fibre, and high in iron. Buy a little at first, some of my veggie friends find it upsets their stomachs. It tastes like shredded wheat on it's own, but mixed in with tomato sauce it's reminiscent of a carbonara sauce, or it makes a good filler in veggie chilis (try simmering together a small jar of medium salsa, mixed with two cans of rinsed beans, some chopped veggies and TVP to thicken it up)

also hempseeds are about 50% protein, they're about 90 cals per 10g of protein, which is about 2 tablespoons.

Original Post by k_cool:

Original Post by acarr:

WHY would you want to eat a high protein diet? most americans get MORE than enough protein.

Most americans are also not vegan.

Protien is important, and 25% is not that high of an amount really.

I reccomend textured vegetable protien, which you can buy at bulk barn. it's high protein, high fibre, and high in iron. Buy a little at first, some of my veggie friends find it upsets their stomachs. It tastes like shredded wheat on it's own, but mixed in with tomato sauce it's reminiscent of a carbonara sauce, or it makes a good filler in veggie chilis (try simmering together a small jar of medium salsa, mixed with two cans of rinsed beans, some chopped veggies and TVP to thicken it up)

also hempseeds are about 50% protein, they're about 90 cals per 10g of protein, which is about 2 tablespoons.

 

the op isn't vegan, either!

i'm not saying protein isn't important, i'm just saying that most ppl spend far too much time worried they aren't getting enough. embedded below is part of an about.com article that allows you to calculate your daily protein needs. the formula here is on the HIGH end of daily protein need estimates... i've seen other sites with formulas recommending about 30% less protein, and some suggesting that women can thrive on as little as 20g of protein a day!

How to Calculate Your Protein Needs:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary. Use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are under stress, are pregnant, are recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

Example: 154 lb male who is a regular exerciser and lifts weights
154 lbs/2.2 = 70kg
70kg x 1.5 = 105 gm protein/day

bottom line, in my opinion, is that as long as you are eating a variety of foods, meeting your calorie needs, and feeling sated/energetic, you are likely fine and getting all your nutrients!

If the OP wants to get as much protein as possible, that's fine. There are many differing opinions on the subject of protein requirements. Considering she hasn't shared her stats or workout routine, it's impossible for you to determine what you think her needs are. Also, for all you know her doctor told her she needs to eat a high protein diet. Plus, there's nothing wrong with eating more protein than you need, so why worry about someone eating more than neccessary?

Also, I don't think people easily eat enough protein. I have to make a conscious effort just to eat 60 grams a day and I'm aiming for at LEAST 105. Plus, people on low calorie diets need to get plenty of protein so they don't lose as much muscle (it's easier for your body to burn muscle rather than fat, so often a good portion of the weight you lose while only eating a low cal diet is muscle).

Original Post by acarr:

How to Calculate Your Protein Needs:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

This 0.8 g/kg formula is intended for people who don't exercise and aren't on a calorie deficit.  If you're dieting and/or working out your potein needs are more like 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight (1.8g/kg).  And more protein than that won't hurt (assuming you don't have some pre-existing kidney disease). 

it's true that there's nothing wrong with going over your protein requirement in theory. but if your protein intake is coming from animal products, along with it you're also getting excess cholesterol and saturated fat, and little to no fiber for the effort!

it's difficult to eat a high-protein, low-fat vegan diet because many veg sources of protein also contain a fairly good amount of fat (the "good" kind ;p). you just have to pay really close attention to everything you eat.

i want to apologize if i seemed flippant in my earlier posts... as a vegan i just get tired of being asked nearly constantly, "where do you get your protein?" and i've done a fair amount of reading about high-protein fad diets (ie atkins) which are full of BALONEY in more ways than one ;p. of course it's always important to research any decision you make about dietary choices thoroughly and on your own, but from what i understand, there is no scientific basis for the claim that a high-protein diet like atkins is healthy. what IS proven to be a healthy lifestyle is a low-fat, plant-based diet! veg 4 life haha ;) !!

Original Post by acarr:

it's true that there's nothing wrong with going over your protein requirement in theory. but if your protein intake is coming from animal products, along with it you're also getting excess cholesterol and saturated fat, and little to no fiber for the effort!

it's difficult to eat a high-protein, low-fat vegan diet because many veg sources of protein also contain a fairly good amount of fat (the "good" kind ;p). you just have to pay really close attention to everything you eat.

i want to apologize if i seemed flippant in my earlier posts... as a vegan i just get tired of being asked nearly constantly, "where do you get your protein?" and i've done a fair amount of reading about high-protein fad diets (ie atkins) which are full of BALONEY in more ways than one ;p. of course it's always important to research any decision you make about dietary choices thoroughly and on your own, but from what i understand, there is no scientific basis for the claim that a high-protein diet like atkins is healthy. what IS proven to be a healthy lifestyle is a low-fat, plant-based diet! veg 4 life haha ;) !!

Exactly.

I did not mean any offense by my post either - it's just that it's my understanding that your body can only utilize x amount of protein a day. Anything else is quite literally passed through your system.

As vegetarians/vegans, we all know that legumes are a great source of protein for us.  As far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong), the only two legumes that don't have a lot of starch are soybeans and peanuts.  And of course these have a lot of fat.

Legumes?  Yes I'm a fan.  Depending on what I've eaten that day, or what else is in that meal, I'll choose my legume accordingly:  ask myself if I need more fats or carbs with my protein.  I guess I just try to go for balance. 

Probably doesn't help the OP much though :)

Check out Eat to Live - greens are approximately 50% protein.  Granted you have to eat a large amount of them but that is also the point.  Fill up on greens!

1 - Did I miss any vegan foods that are naturally primarily protein?  I freely admit to being undereducated in the matter of vegetarianism.

I think most people have already hit on the fact that most vegan foods that are high protein are also either high in fat (nuts) or carbs (beans).  Quinoa is a nice high protein grain, which someone else mentioned.  I find this at specialty grocery stores such as Whole Foods - both in the bulk section and in a box on the rice aisle.  Not to say regular grocery stores don't have it, but I've never seen it at mine.  I am not vegan, and I find that cottage cheese also gives me a lot of bang for my buck as far as the calorie to protein ratio.

2 - Where do you get these protein additives?  Are they available in grocery stores or do I need to order them online?

Don't do it~

3 - Are *complete* protein additives available, or do you have to mix them to make complete proteins?

Complete proteins are a myth...  your body makes them from the combinations of proteins you eat; you don't have to make sure your meals contain complete proteins.

4 - Can anyone suggest a vegetarian or vegan patty that is high-protein, low-carb, low-fat, and tasty?  (I know, I'm asking a lot!)

Maybe if you made it yourself, using beans/quinoa, etc.

veg protein sources low carb