Vegetarians- where do you get your protein?

I'm a teenage girl and have been a vegetarian for over a year. At 5'11, how much protein should I shoot for in a day? Where do you get your protein?

I eat a lot of nuts, veggie burgers, and peanut butter: where else?

i eat a lot of nuts such as almonds, walnuts etc

Quorn also contains protein!

Protein isn't one of your bigger concerns if you're vegetarian (meaning you still eat eggs and dairy, right?).

If you're still eating dairy and eggs, your biggest concern would likely be iron, but DO NOT take an iron supplement unless you get a blood test that says you are deficient; getting too much iron over time can cause heart problems. A lot of people over estimate the amount they need and underestimate the amount they are getting.

But yeah, where proteins are concerned, almost all food contains some amount of protein, so we're usually covered there. Too much protein can cause acidosis of the blood, which is a precurser to a lot of conditions.

I do eat eggs and cheese but twice a week I follow a vegan diet because I am thinking about trying to transition.

Beans, lentils, tempeh, tofu.  I kind of view nuts as more in the fats category even though they do have protein.  If you're not gluten intolerant, wheat gluten has a lot of protein also.

Beans, lentils, yogurt, cottage cheese, egg whites, tofu.

Quinoa is higher in protein than many grains.

I also drink a lot of milk and soy milk.

Original Post by scrawnychubbchubb:

At 5'11, how much protein should I shoot for in a day?

Needs range from about 0.8 grams/kg of bodyweight for sedentary people eating at or above maintenance to 1.8 g/kg for active or dieting individuals.

As a vegetarian myself, I have never been anemic or lacked protein, even when I was pregnant. I agree with the other posters that beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains are all good sources of protein. The trick to getting enough complete protein involves eating complemetary proteins.

For those not of a scientific bent, it may seem too much, but really if you check out the diets of every non western culture, their traditional meals have mastered the art of protein combining, just think - beans and rice, corn torillas and refried beans, naan bread and dhal - the list goes on..

The following should answer your questions:

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein is 0.8 g per kg of body weight. For example, a 130 pound sedentary adult needs 47 g of protein per day. This requirement increases with activity, and an adult who exercises regularly needs about 70 g of protein per day.

What is the difference between animal and plant protein?

Animal foods such as meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, and fish are complete proteins because they contain sufficient levels of all essential amino acids.

Plant proteins come from foods such as beans, nuts, peas and soy products. Milk products and eggs are good sources for lacto-ovo vegetarians.

What is a complementary protein?

Plant proteins tend to be limited in one or more essential amino acids. For example, beans are low in the amino acid lysine, while rice is rich in lysine.

When the amino acids from two or more foods together make up a complete protein with sufficient levels of all the essential amino acids, these food pairings are called "complementary proteins".

Examples include grains and legumes or legumes and seeds and nuts.

People following a vegetarian diet must eat protein foods that have complementary proteins so that the essential amino acids missing from one protein food can be supplied by another.

What are some examples of complementary proteins?

I find my protein in tofu, beans/lentils, eggs and DEFINITELY peanut butter.

I can never get enough peanut butter.

Thank you, fattypants! My daughter is a vegetarian, which means I end up eating very little meat, also. That was some good information for me to keep in mind when planning meals. :)

im a vegetarian, ages ago at the doctors when i had first became a veggie, they told me i needed protein and to get it from cheese milk and instead of eating meat, quorn is a supplement, just like a fake meat, it actaully tastes really similar to meat, my dog didnt even notice the differene haa, :) x

i tried a veggie burger ages ago in a restaurant and in my opinion is tasted like rubber, go for quorn i say, u can get it in morrisons and asda etc, also you can get ready meals

Thanks so much! I'm a bit protein deficient because, even though I try to eat quite healthily, I don't get the best balance between protein sources and fruits and veggies.

Hopefully I can remedy this soon!