How should I get my protein?

I havent eaten meat since the summer, and I dont plan to.

I dont consume any form of meat- no fish, no chicken, no eggs.

I dont really like tofu.

So how should I get the protien I need with out compromising my limits?

if you eat dairy, you can get a lot of protein from cottage cheese and lowfat yogurt.   and there are lots of soy products besides tofu, like boca burgers and so on.   check the freezer case at the grocery for vegetarian alternatives!

weevils! lol (see 'the Weevil Diet' in the Weight Loss forum hehe)

ewwwwwwww lol

Whole grains
beans/lentils
soy milk/yogurt
nuts/nut butters
etc.

It's actually much easier than it seems!

people don't need a lot of protein, about .33 * weight in lbs. so mine is like 45g a day. that's not too bad considering most meals i eat are beans/ lentils, soy milk and yogurt, nuts, etc. i also don't know how to cook, so the tofu is out for me as well. but if you are still having trouble, you can try adding soy protein powders into your soy milk daily and that adds a lot of protein. the powders are vegan, too which is amazing and usually contain like 60g/ svg (i use like 1/5 of the serving tho).

I love tofu, why do so many ppl not like it?

Me too Dharma. Sometimes I season slabs of it with nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper and bake them and eat them with my dinner like one would eat a steak. And in stir frys and with curry vegetables. YUM. I recently made a tofu pie which tasted just like lemon creme cheesecake with blueberries on top. I also love it as a scramble like scrambled eggs with some hashbrowns on the side.

I have a friend who has been vegetarian for the past couple years and has never tried tofu! He was scared it would be gross and we recently went out to eat at this vegan restaurant in portland and he had a tofu dish and loved it.

Sorry I got off the subject...For protein I like beans, peanut butter, nuts, veggie meat like boca burgers are pretty filling and high in protein too.

no to derail again, but I'm wondering, for ppl who don't like tofu, it's that they haven't had it cooked properly?

Yes, tofu cheesecake is really good

I think you're right dharma_bum.  When I went vegetarian I tried cooking with tofu and hated it, mostly because of the consistency.  But when I ordered it in restaurants I always enjoyed it.  I've since learned to prepare it better.  There's one tofu I really like at Whole Foods that has a very dense consistency and has a real smokey flavor (can't remember the name). 

dharma_bum: I like tofu, but I don't eat it because i don't know how to cook. I think if I knew how to and had the time, I would really love it! I don't mind the texture at all.

hmm maybe thats why I dont like it. someone made me something tofu once and it was so disgusting I pretty much ran to the bathroom (although politely as to not let the person notice I thought it was disgusting, then kinda hid it under some potatoes on my plate til I could throw it out discreetly)
Since then Ive avoided tofu like the plague... but maybe they just didnt know how to cook it. in fact, I swear I can still smell it. Does tofu usually have a weird smell when you cook it?

Maybe if I go to a restaurant somewhere that has tofu dishes Ill get brave and try it. but til then...

Tofu shouldn't smell. It was probably whatever the person was cooking it in.

I most often cook with firm tofu. I put in the freezer. Then, whenever I want to use it, I take it out, let it thaw and press it.

This generally makes it best for cooking.

Eat plenty of nuts. I really need to cut out walnuts because they are slowing my weight loss progress.

I actually had a tofu scramble this morning, it was good!

MMM I made a tofu stir fry last night! sooo good.

It definitely matters how you cook it. When I first started trying to cook it I sucked but I KNEW I could make it taste good because I had had it many times at restaurants and stuff and so I practised and now I love it and am going to try to make a tofu pumpkin creation for thanksgiving!

Long terrible sentence, sorry!

I am not a big tofu person.  I simply have not had the need to learn how to cook it.  I lean toward a *raw* diet, though I am far from a purist on that. 

I did attend a community education class that gave me an interesting overview on its options.  Tofu is like a sponge to whatever you decide to flavor it with.  The instructor had us cooking it with a wide variety of other sauces.  Its a food that is so easily masqued within the taste of whatever it is cooked with.

I myself used to turn up my nose at Tofu also.  When that big block of white was cut into, I initially associated it visually with cutting into a big block of fatty cheese.  Its not appetizing to look at when you are not used to it.  But in reality it is an incredibly diverse food and so great nutritionally.

The things I took away from that class were that if I wanted to start using Tofu in my diet, I could start very small.  Just add a bit at first, to other recipes.  It can be a bit like mushrooms, absorbing the spices and / or sweetness of the dish and losing its own taste.  Tofu also ranges from solid chunks to cut into blocks, to creamy thick sour cream like consistency, down to liquid. (called soy milk)  So if you get the wrong consistency its a **bleep** to work with.  Read the labels carefully until you learn which is which.

And finally....  I rediscovered how much I like sauces that are intended for meats.  Yes, ok you can laugh.  Sauces are not condusive to dieting, but when used in moderation they can wet the pallate.  When we give up meat, often we give up BBQ sauce, ketchup, etc...  They can still be options for adding taste to a veggie diet when a bit is added for flavor.  I dont miss fried pork at all, but I do like a dash of sweet and sour, for instance.

~ Lost Artist
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