Need protein!
Hi everyone,
I'm a 16 year old female vegetarian. I have been vegetarian for about 2-3 years now. I was diagnosed w/ anorexia over a year ago and still have regular doctor appointments. My doctor says my calorie intake is good, but I need more protein. My heart rate was 42 BPM at my doctor appointment yesturday, so now i have to go back in two weeks. I was wondering if any of you know of some ways i can get alot of protein without eating any meat. I do eat tofu, tempheh, and those alternatives, and I do eat eggs from my chickens at home and do eat organic milk products. I don't eat fish, poultry, meat, etc. Any extra advice would be helpful.... And if anyone has had a problem like this, i'd like to hear about it too, if youre willing to share.
Thank you very much!
Your richest sources of protein are going to be tofu, tempeh, seitan, etc.-- but if you can sneak a few beans into anything else you eat (for instance, they're great in salad, etc.) they'll give you a little boost. Pureed, they're a wonderful thickener for sauces and soups.
Try subbing in quinoa instead of grains with lower protein, too. It might get you a little extra.
Best of luck! :)
Fortified vanilla soymilk-I could drink it all day long. (There's chocolate too, but I have a few little ones so I can't seem to even get it into the fridge.) Peanut butter, or probably any nut butter, or just plain nuts!
temnpeh and beans all the way! don't be afraid to drink soymilk like it's going out of style. instead of using rice, try quinoa or whole grain teff.
Tofu and tempeh are not the only protein sources! Just plain good old soybeans made into a pate with seasoning are great. A cup of soybeans has 29 grams of protein, and that can be cooked or edamame (fresh soybeans often sold frozen).
I have gotten to eating some of the processed soy protein alternatives at healthy-eating.com and from Dixie Diner. They have more protein per ounce than tofu and resemble the texture of animal flesh (but none of the fat, cholesterol and God knows what else in meat). They taste nice and are chewy, something tofu often is not. For a point of reference, it takes 3 oz of tofu to equal the same amount of protein in 1 oz of animal flesh. I am not talking quality of protein (which is virtually the same), I am talking about grams of protein. So...9 oz of tofu gives you the same protein as 3 oz of animal flesh, and that is a lot of tofu. If you are having issues with eating enough quantity of food, tofu is not your wisest option.
Drinking soymilk throughout the day is a good plan because it is a fluid and the wonderful things in it are absorbed more quickly that way. Check out other recipes on this site and look specifically for higher protein snacks. You are a teen and having things handy that are already prepared and good for you will likely better suit your lifestyle and still growing body. You can graze.
HOORAH! for you in conquering a difficult problem with a shiny attitude.
Thanks for mentioning it, I was thinking it really hard, but it didn't come out, so, weelittlebuddy, I want to say also, "HOORAH!!"
Sounds to me that you're already aware of where the protein is and you eat them. You're just going to have to eat more of what you mentioned (in addition to the nuts and seeds mentioned) to up your intake to the MD's recommended level.
It's odd that your MD would say your caloric intake is adequate but your protein not, so is she/he suggesting you switch your calories around and eat less carbs for example.
Anyway, good luck to you in all that you do. Congrats and kudos to you for getting ahold of it now. :)
As secondbase said, soymilk and other soy products such as tofu are very protien and nutrient dense. Tofu lends itself to many, many recipes too. There are a lot of good ones on this site. You can cook regular dried soybeans like lentils, they may require a bit more seasoning but are very delicious.
Have you considered hemp protein? 15g of protein per 30g serving. It's delicious in smoothies, high in fibre, omega 3 & 6 and is 100% vegan. And there are a few certified organic varieties on the market if that's something that is important to you. I like North Coast Naturals.
Here's an article you might find interesting: www.manitobaharvest.com/nutrition/index.asp?itemID=172.
Good luck! :)
I am new to this site, and this topic is exactly what I was looking for.
My additional question would be: how can I get the added protein if I can't use soy products? I feel better on a vegetarian diet-but haven't made the complete move due to not knowing how to increase my protein levels. I also cannot tolerate most fats or dairy. That leaves problems with cheeses and milks.
Any advice would be of great help!
TIA,
cozysnana
Perhaps try getting a protein powder and add it to things? I never had that sort of problem. If you are avoiding soy, eat lots of beans and see which vegetables have protien. I know carrots have a little per serving. Every bit helps! Of course.. NUTS! peanut butter is great with a whole wheat bread, or on whole wheat noodles. Yummm.. Or try a protien enriched tortilla and spread peanutbutter, carrots, and raisins on it. Thats what I had for lunch!
Thanks everyone for taking time out and writing back some replies! I appreciate it all every much!
Thanks again! :) ;)
BTW mushrooms are packed with protien. I had almost forgotten that. And they're delicious, and you can use them in many, many recipes.
Hi! This is my favorite snack, which I am eating as I type this reply: 1/2 cup canned refried beans (7 g) spread over one whole wheat tortilla (4 g) - microwave for about a minute and top with salsa, and roll up and eat. I am a chubby middle aged lady (OMG - lady???) but if I weren't I'd have added a slice of cheese and half an avocado (for an extra 6-7 g protein) and a little more refried beans.
For me this has to be a meal, but I think it qualifies as a snack. My tummy thinks it was a snack as well because it's asking for another right now! (Sorry, tummy).
Good luck to you!
Wow, I was totally surprised to know that mushrooms have a lot of protein! I'm glad I eat those! :-)
I also love to make those quick burritos like you JKL! Those are so tasty.
Thanks for taking time out to write some replies everyone! I really appreciate it! ;D
BTW mushrooms are packed with protien. I had almost forgotten that. And they're delicious, and you can use them in many, many recipes.
Yes! I eat mushrooms all the time. You can mince them up and put them in anything. I do the same with tofu, mince it up and put it in things like bread, salads, sauces, everything pretty much. Mushrooms have a wonderful taste to them. At the moment I am making a gralic, mushroom, tofu roll for my lunch and dinner. I am eating it with some tomato sauce and a nice salad. :) Perfect.
edamame was mentioned earlier, but i just wanted to say it again. this is an awesome snack food, especially when you're watching tv or something and get those salty french fries/chips cravings. you can buy them in packages in most big grocery stores, also asian foods stores will carry them. microwave or steam them, toss with a little salt and munch away! most people only eat the beens, but i like the shells (spit out the tough parts) as well. these pack a protien punch, plus all the green you're getting from the shells (if you like them).
p.s. not for me to judge, but you might want to double check your doctor's motives on informing you that you need more protein. I'm not saying he's wrong, and you're recovering from a dangerous disease, so you do need to be extra careful with nutrition, but I've found a lot of doctors to be particularily uninformed about vegetarianism in general. After I switched, my family doctor practically informed me that I was going to die of malnutrition if i didn't go back to eating a hunk of meat every night. Since you've demonstrated your knowledge of veg protiens, and if you're sure you're actually eating them consistently, I might look into getting a second opinion from a veggie-friendly doctor or dietitian.
Hello,
Here's a link to a page with good vegan food and the protein in each type per serving.
It looks like legumes are your best bet. I like mixed, salted nuts. Yum. :)
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm
Hope this helps,
Jason
Thanks for your replies!
Rachandra, I might look into getting another doctor's opinion. I am literally so sick of going to these doctors appointments because they are a waste of my time and money. I really do love nutrition and learning about it. I know how to get my complete protein and I eat tons of beans, garbanzo's, tempheh, tofu, legumes, nuts, veggies, fruits, whole wheat bread's/tortillas/brown rice/pitas/etc., flax, nutritional yeast and also have good fats like extra virgin olive oil and avocado's. My weight has been pretty stable for a while now too (about 126-128 lbs, and I'm 5'5"). At my last appointment, my doctor was like "It has been noticed now that much more vegetarians and vegans are developing eating disorders". And he was like pushing me to eat meat and I was like "no, I don't want to kill animals, I can get protein from other sources!!". . .It just gets really frustrating at times.
Thank you all so much for your replies!! By the way, that edamame sounds so interesting and I'm going to try that! Peace and love.
Hey weelittlebuddy! Its nice to ehar that your doing better. It sounds to me that you eat very well and that you have a veggie- phobic doc... people that have eating disorders come from all walks of life. Definitely get another opinion!
Congratulations! We really sound so much similar.
I just recently gained 20 pounds taking my 5'3'' frame up to 107 lbs. My nutritional therapist who I no longer see said the same thing about veganism and all of her other eating disordered patients. Sure, the diet made it a bit easier, but it's not the cause of the disease.
Sorry, but I just really had to share that; I really think we're alike. Can't really add much more to what everyone else said about protein.
Stay healthy! You can do it;; we can do it!
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