Veg*ns, where do you get your protein?

I am a vegetarian but I'm not very good at eating right, I know one thing I lack in my diet is protein. I heard that your supposed to have something like 25% protein in a day and I know I don't get anywhere near that. Today, I used the analysis thing on CC and it said my protein was like 9%, and that's on a rare good day where I ate peanut butter or some kind of nuts at every meal, nuts have protein right? Which I don't eat much of normally so I am pretty sure that my normal amount for protein is much lower. And it is so annoying when people tell me I'm not getting enough but I must admit they're right. Soo does anybody have any suggestions on how to get more protein into my diet. Thanks. Oh, and another thing, I'm not exactly sure what protein does for your body, like I think it has something to do with building muscle and stuff like that, and I have noticed lately that I have been very weak and tired and I have like these random bruises all over my body that I have no idea where they came from, so I was wondering if lack of protein could have anything to do with it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks everybody.

there are many threads discussing protein if you scroll down:D

Hey, I'm also a vegetarian, and I can't tell you how much I'm harped at by my friends and family about protein! Most non-veggies don't realize how many foods actually are good sources of protein. I pay very close attention to how much I get and probably get as much as they do.

Meat substitutes are an obvious choice; they're pretty much pure soy protein. They make substituates for vertually anything you could want! From Boca burgers, to "steak" strips, to "chicken" fingers, to lunch "meats" and veggie dogs, they got it all. It's a little pricey, but that's to be expected.

Peanut butter is a big one for me. Or just nuts in general, like almonds or trail mix.

And then there are beans. I make a rice and black beans as a dinner entree, but there are TONS of bean receipes. Things like hummus (made with chick peas) are a good source as well.

Then there's dairy and eggs. If you're a vegetarian but not vegan, you can still eat these as a good source of protein. But, if you don't eat any animal products, they make substitutes for them as well!

How this helps! Happy eating :)

k thanks

it did help, thank you

beans, rice, pasta, all nuts, protein shakes, protein bars, kashi cereal, ezekiel bread.

i'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian and I actually sometimes get too much protein haha.

It's not hard at all to get protein and be a vegetarian. There are various foods out there like the posters above mentioned, such as beans, whole grains, tofu, seitan, eggs, cheese, nuts, vegetables and soy products that can provide you with the amount you need :)

Usually though, if you make sure your diet is healthy and you're eating a balanced amount of foods, then you shouldn't worry about it...

I would suggest the soy products.  Such as soy sausage, soy burgers, pasta, beans, nuts, and etc.  When you go out read food labels and find stuff that is high in protein.  There is also protein shakes, and protein bars. 

Good luck,

 

David

be careful with your soy intake.
i'm a veggie too and with the convenience of soy based meat subsitutes, soy milk, etc, it's easy to get too much soy.  too much of anything is not good, and soy can play with your hormone levels so watch out. maybe one serving a day.
instead of soy milk, u can try rice or almond milk.
definitely agree with everyone on beans and nuts.
do you eat eggs? if so, then definitely eggs, i like the organic liquid egg whites, no fat, ALL protein.
also, i'd recommend ground flaxseed, u can sprinkle it on anything and is full of healthy fats and protein. 
ALSO, i havent tried this because i find it's almost impossible to find in the supermarket, but my vegan friends have recommended nutritional yeast.  if you can find it, treat it kind of like grated cheese, sprinkle it on popcorn, add it to your favorite recipes.
OH! and in reference to you brusing easily, since ur a veggie its possible ur lacking iron. take a multi-vitamin or eat some more eggs/drink milk (if ur not vegan).
hope this helps.

Plants, I get my protein from plants. I don't think people realize that all fruits, vegetables, legues, grains, etc. have protein. If you eat a well balanced diet protein need not be a concern nor does it need to come from any animal products. You should read the book "Becoming Vegan" it is invaluable nutrition resource.

Just a quick fact: calorie for calorie (not gram for gram) romaine lettuce has MORE protein than meat.

Just a quick fact: calorie for calorie (not gram for gram) romaine lettuce has MORE protein than meat.

As does broccoli!  Most people don't believe this, though, since we are all taught from an early age that protein = meat.

About broccoli and romaine: I've heard this before, but when I look it up, it doesn't match up! For about 100 calories of broccoli, you get 7 g of protein. For 100 calories of romaine lettuce, you get 5 g. But for 100 calories of grilled chicken breast, you get 19 g!

I know this is off topic, but why do I keep seeing posts with an "*" to replace the "a" in the word vegan?

to include Vegans and Vegetarians

Oh, I see. Thanks. ^_^

At first I thought people were censoring the word "vegan." I was like "What? Why would they do that?" :p

It seems like it would make more sense to put an apostrophe there instead (like veg'n) because that's normally what you use to leave part of a word out, but oh well.

How about veg(itari)an? haha

Nutritional yeast- I put it on my popcorn and it can be snuck in anywhere where a cheese flavor would be appreciated

Ground Flax seed in my fruit smoothies

 

I get most of my protein from  whole grains, rice, beans. I eat very few nuts or soy for protein.

 

I still come up to about 40-70 grams of protein a day without trying. I wouldn't worry so much about protein. It's just there.

 

EDIT:

Example of what I ate today. (I'm vegan)

Bfast:
Oroweat 100% whole wheat with peanut butter generously slathered on

Snack- cup of Lentil rice with spinach soup

Lunch - Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

Snack -  1 1/2 cup spinach with salsa and cherry tomatos with 2 handfuls of corn chips

Dinner - 1 cup 55% whole wheat spaghetti with liberal amount of Mushroom tomato Sauce (probably a cup)

Couple squares of chocolate

 

Report form Calorie Count?

Fat - 23.5% (43 grams)
Protein - 14.8% (61 grams)
Carbohydrates - 61.6% (255 grams)
Alcohol - 0%
Other - 0%

Daily Sodium Intake - 2,845 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 36 grams
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 10 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 52 grams

 

61 grams of protein. under 1600 calories. Grade of A.

I wasn't counting. I'm losing weight without exercise or calorie counting. and I don't worry about Protein AT ALL. For all the other worries, I take vitamins and just let it go.

Quinoa is a "complete protein" and so are Ezekiel 4:9 tortillas.

Beef has protein right? So what animals do cows eat? You already know. We are taught that meat is the place to get protein but that's only part of the story.

Do a Google search for "complimentary protein" and you'll find that getting protein into your diet is easy. The combination of rice and beans in Latin meals is a good example. And I just read an article recently that said that the foods to be combined only have to be eaten in the same day, not necessarily in the same meal.

I'd worry more about the salt, fat, and sugar in your diet than the protein.

Also check out the Mediterranean diet, I'm starting to think it may be superior to pure veganism.

ABOVE ALL, DO YOUR RESEARCH AND HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF DISHES THAT YOU CAN RELY ON. BOREDOM WILL KILL YOUR VEGANISM FASTER THAN ANYTHING.

Good luck to you.

 

 

 

I heard that Quinoa being a complete protein was a myth :/

Original Post by phoray:

I heard that Quinoa being a complete protein was a myth :/

 I don't think so. But between that, legumes, brown rice and vegetables, Protein is not an issue. I have easily hit 90-100 g protien in a day.

I eat essentially vegan. I may use a little honey now and then. I do not eat much tofu, or processed  soy, because it is high in fat. I try to keep my fat intake around 10%. Doing this, I don't bother to count calories, because it doesn't matter. I try to minimize calorie dense foods. So I also minimize nuts. And I use no cooking oil. Not even olive oil.

Plant based whole foods are the ticket:)

I'm vegan and average about 12% of my calories per day from protein, usually in the neighborhood of 80 grams a day. Doesn't keep me from being a competitive triathlete or having visible, and substantial, muscle development from head to toe (I'm a woman, btw). I've never seen a reputable source say you need 25% of your calories from protein, everything I've read says 10-20% is more than adequate for healthy human function.

I get protein from nuts and nut butters, seeds (flax, hemp, sesame, sunflower), beans and legumes, and whole grains, particularly quinoa.

 

ETA: the tiredness and bruising is more likely a result of inadequate iron intake than lack of protein (although I'm not a doctor and am certainly not diagnosing you!). You can get lots of good iron from leafy greens and beans, especially if you combine them with a food source of vitamin C, which aids iron absorption.