Protein (soy, breakfast, dinner, food)

[bjh]

What are your main sources of protein?

[Wicked Felina]

In short: grains, hemp, soy, vegetables, nuts and legumes.

For my weight (about 125lbs), the Recommended Dietary Allowance is approximately 45 grams of protein, depending upon how active one wants to be. That's not hard to achieve at all.

I eat hot cereal (not instant) - oatmeal, pin oats, cream of rice, etc. I use hemp, rice or soy milk. One serving of the hemp milk I use is 5 grams, one serving of soy milk is 6.5 grams. Hemp seed nuts (sprinkle in cereal, salad, on baked potatoes) are extremely high in protein: 2 Tbsp equals 11 grams. I eat vegetables (spinach, broccoli, peppers), raw or cooked.

Here's an easy chart. I think one would have to work hard to not eat well and healthy.

Black beans, boiled (1 cup) 15.2
Broccoli (1 cup) 4.6
Bulgur, cooked (1 cup) 5.6
Chickpeas, boiled (1 cup) 14.5
Lentils, boiled (1 cup) 17.9
Peanut butter (2 tbsp) 8.0
Quinoa, cooked (1 cup) 11.0
Seitan (4 oz) 24.0
Spinach, boiled (1 cup) 5.4
Tempeh (1/2 cup) 15.7
Tofu, firm (1/2 cup) 19.9
Whole wheat bread (1 slice) 2.7

[katzenfreund]

Most Americans get too much protein
Too Much Protein

SeeBee gave some great examples on how to get protein in a vegan diet... basically grains, nuts and legumes. I like to eat a handful of nuts each day and like to eat tempeh, as it is a healthier, less processed form of soy which is easier digested than tofu. Eat whole grains, they are full of protein, oats and whole wheat are both high in protein.

[Davachka]

I work out heavily and lift weights 4 times a week so I supplement with protein powders.

IMO, most vegetarians dont get enough protein and should pay more attention to that.

Other than protein powder or low sugar protein bars (the bars I eat rarely):

Soymilk or reg milk (I only drink soy)
yogurt (be careful not to get the ones high in sugar, Greek is best)
cottage cheese (very high in protein)
Cheeses
Tofu
Beans (kidney, black, white, refried, the list is long)
Quinoa (high protein grain)
Soy products such as veggie burgers, veggie meat, etc
Texturized Vegetable Protein (make your own veggie meat loaf or meatballs, et)
Seitan or Tempeh (dont eat it much cause daughter doesnt prefer it)
Nuts or Peanut Butter (high in healthy fats, so eat it but dont over do it)
Cereals (there are many high protein cereals out there, careful with the sugar content)
Whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta (only eat whole wheat pasta, its so much better for you!)
You can also bake your own protein muffins, protein bars, protein pancakes, that are delicious and healthy, just google the recipes!

[crazyme4878]

I know this is weird, but I concentrate each meal on either grains, protein, or vegetables. All three are present at every meal, but I find it easier--especially with young, picky kids--to make one meal our "grain" meal (currently breakfast with oatmeal or millet), one our "protein" meal (currently lunch, lately focussing on cheese, nonaiyse, and veggie meat, because the meat is on sale), and one our "veggie" meal (usually dinner--I have lots of recipes that really load up on the vegetables). But even doing that, I usually am more concern with our vegetable intake rather than our protein. It is literally in everything we eat. I use to concentrate on making complimentary proteins, but I found that they tend to naturally happen anyhow.

I have a feeling that this doesn't really answer the question, but it is what I started thinking about after reading the posts.

[tkdmom]

For us it's -

TVP
Tofu
Legumes
Nuts- almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, brazilian nuts, chestnuts (raw)
Broccoli and Asparagus ( I'm a broccoli freak...I juice it and eat it raw )
Flax seed
Oatmeal

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by katzenfreund

Most Americans get too much protein
Too Much Protein

SeeBee gave some great examples on how to get protein in a vegan diet... basically grains, nuts and legumes. I like to eat a handful of nuts each day and like to eat tempeh, as it is a healthier, less processed form of soy which is easier digested than tofu. Eat whole grains, they are full of protein, oats and whole wheat are both high in protein.

Protein is not protein, tough. Protein is made up amino acids and depending on the type of protein the amino chain is going to be different. It's like saying that sewer water and spring water are the same. Well they are both water, right?

So, as davachka said, you need to check your source or take an amino supplement (or just use Braggs).

Protein is found in most foods, anyways.

I generally get mine from:

Eggs.
Soy products (usually milk).
Various nuts.
Various beans.
Fish.
Red meat.

[Davachka]

I actually read that vegetarians need a higher protein intake than meat eaters. Something about the type of protein, meat vs. plant sources. It all depends on an individual's body type and many other factors, but I personally feel and perform (athletically) the best on a med/high protein vegetarian diet.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Davachka

I actually read that vegetarians need a higher protein intake than meat eaters. Something about the type of protein, meat vs. plant sources. It all depends on an individual's body type and many other factors, but I personally feel and perform (athletically) the best on a med/high protein vegetarian diet.

Yeah proteins are different and there is some good evidence that suggests that individuals do better/worse with certain proteins and/or overall amount of protein (like in how some people can do really well on the Atkins diet while others respond in a dramatically adverse way health-wise). This is related to how the individual body breaks down/processes/uses the material that is brought. The most known is the blood-type diet.

I felt and looked horrible while I was a vegan. I begin to feel great when I quit. Thinking about giving the vegetarian diet a try.

[crazyme4878]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

....I felt and looked horrible while I was a vegan. I begin to feel great when I quit. Thinking about giving the vegetarian diet a try.

I think this is key for anyone's diet. My friend is the other way. She recently started to go dairy-free, but only a few weeks into, she went home for the holidays, which includes all those tempting Christmas treats filled with milk and butter. She feels horrible and is breaking out while she is having her little dairy relapse.

Way too many Americans say that they can't live without meat, but for some, I think that is probably correct. I'm learning the differences myself with my two boys. The oldest, 6 y.o., has never liked beans and it is torture trying to get him to eat some. At the same time, he is fully committed to not eating land animals, but likes to eat fish sometimes. Moreover, he loves his vegetables, especially spinach. And of course, he is healthy as can be. I am beginning to think that his body--at least right now--thrives on a plant-based protein diet. Meanwhile, my 2 y.o. is constantly eating/wanting to eat large amounts of protein: eggs, cheese, yogurt, and of course tofu. Makes me wonder what his future choices in food will be.