Getting enough protein...

[hollywood926]

I have not had any animal products for 2 weeks now - I feel great, but do seem to feel a bit weaker at the gym. I wonder if I am not getting enough protein. I eat some black beans now and then, but what else can I eat that will give me the adequate amount of daily protein?

I'm pretty sure I'm getting everything else I need. It has to be protein!

[smbolisnch]

1. I am glad you are doing well as a new veggie!

There are some people here that I KNOW can help you better than I, but here is a list of vegan protein sources that may help you out. You can work most of these into your diet pretty easily I hope! :D

Soy protein powder
Naturade soy-free protein powder
Seitan
Tofu
Veggie dog/burger
Tempeh
Soybeans
Texturized soy protein
Soymilk
Lentils
Peanut butter
Chickpeas
Refried beans
Oatmeal
Brown rice
Broccoli
Potato, baked
Walnuts
White rice
Almonds
Kale
Carrot

Good Luck!!

Meg

[hollywood926]

2. That's very helpful, thanks...I love tofu but

I have never actually prepared it on my own. I'm going to have to research that!

[Maru Kitteh]

3. Would like to add in nutritional yeast flakes too

Much yummier than it sounds. Great in soups and all kinds of stuff.

There are some vegan gymn rats here that should be very able to help you.

I would guess you are getting plenty of protien but may be lagging a bit in a couple of b-vitamins or some other nutrient that boosts energy levels.

There are vegetarian/vegan vitamins available at WalMart, if you can believe it. I would try taking one of those a day and see how that helps you out. Also make sure you get plenty of rest and water if your energy is low.

NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE! :grouphug:

[smbolisnch]

6. You're welcome!

I don't eat tofu very often, but once you get used to cooking with it, it's yummy! :)

[RebelOne]

4. Lots of soy products and take B-12 supplements.

[flvegan]

5. You're detoxing, that's all.

All the garbage is exiting your system and probably throwing off your bodily systems. Without knowing your day to day diet, that's all I can offer. I know junk-food vegans that live on cereal, Boca Burgers and tater tots. They aren't going to be moving any iron either.

Have you changed your pre-workout routine?

If you're not already supplementing with creatine, that might be an instant fix, as you certainly aren't taking in what you were when you were eating meat.

If you're convinced it's protein, then there are a couple very good veg protein powders. I like Nature's Life Super Green, seen here (I hope):

[Elad]

7. I agree, any major change in diet will temporarily throw your body

into a little chaos as it readjusts and/or detoxes. I'd suggest giving it several weeks and seeing how you feel. It's really quite difficult to not get enough protein in your diet (for most people with moderate activity levels), in general you have to actually work at it.

If you have high activity levels, you may need to plan a little more, but again I would suspect your sudden lack of energy at the gym is more just from your body adjusting than lack of protein.

Good protein sources include: whole grains, tofu, seitan, beans, imitation meat products, even fresh veggies have a decent amount of protein.

A good meal that I like to eat a couple times a week that is very high in protein is a grain mix (usually I'll mix 1/3 cup brown rice, 1/3 cup millet, and 1/3 cup amaranth or quinoa, and cook in 2 cups of vegetable broth until all the water is absorbed). While that's cooking, I'll stir-fry some broccoli, green beans, garlic, onion, and whatever other veggies I have laying around (season well with whatever seasonings you like), then when the veggies are almost cooked I'll add a package of Tofu Town Tamari tofu (which comes pre-cooked, it's delicious!), cook for a couple more minutes, then toss in some Bragg's Liquid Aminos for flavor/extra protein and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes.

Serve it over the grains and you have a super-protein packed, delicious stir-fry dish.

[hollywood926]

9. that sounds super yummy!

i'm going to try that this weekend!

[smbolisnch]

10. That does sound good Elad!

I am going to have to try that one too! :D

[hollywood926]

8. except for the tater tots, that is what I am eating!

i started on the boca burgers this week - they do give me a lot of energy. for breakfast i have wheat cereal w/soy milk and organic blueberries - for lunch i have a veggie wrap on a wheat pita (onions, tomatoes, avacado, green peppers with lite italian dressing) and black beans. for dinner i am having a boca burger.

i am probably going to need to come up with more food ideas before i get bored and start thinking about pizza. :-)

[smbolisnch]

11. Here is the link to our recipe thread!

Some REALLY good ones are in there! :)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=231&topic_id=497

[livinginphotographs]

12. I just recently went veggie...

But have had very little trouble adjusting. I was lactose intolerant for so long a few years ago, I got used to a faux-vegan diet anyway.

Another Elad was so nice to point out to me when I first posed this question was that the fatigue may not just be protein. You need to make sure you're getting a variety of other nutrients such as B12 and especially iron to keep your energy level up.

I've had no problem with Boca Burgers and lots of beans. Just make sure you take a supplement, at least until you get a little more used to the diet change. I've also noticed that making sure you are eating enough carbohydrates (pasta and/or rice) is very helpful.

[dogindia]

13. kick.

Something done on political threads when one thinks this is important.

Thank you all. I have been veg for a number of years and I drink a simple tofu shake in am. Soft tofu and fruit juice usually apricot. I love it and it is simple but am thinking I want to add some powders and other stuff. Also have not been watchful enough with getting more protein in evening.

[Dob Bole]

14. Try a powerbar...

I'm a new veghead too. Powerbars seem to help with the energy.

[Kolesar]

17. Al Franken, Lying Liar

Interesting that you linked the Dean image from a right wing website.
http://www.littletinylies.com/
Boycott Hollywood
New Duds for Clueless Liberals

[Dob Bole]

18. Actually, I linked it from Google Image search....

oh well...I like it anyway, or I wouldn't have put it as my sig.

[Maru Kitteh]

15. The whole energy = protein thing is A MYTH, a very powerful one brought to

you by people who want to sell you things and gobbled up by way too many trainers who may be good at devising routines but don't usually know dip about nutrition that they don't read in their trade magazines. Guess who funds those trade mags with all the advertisements............. that's right. We're back to someone trying to sell you something again.

The human infant doubles it's birth weight in about 180 days. At no time could there possibly be a higher protein requirement than when an animal doubles it's weight in such a limited time. Human breast milk gets 5% of its calories from protein. Even if your protein requirements were twice that of an infant set about doubling it's body weight you would still get all the protein you need with nothing more than the common potato. (11% protein)

Here's a list of plant foods containing adequate protein for humans.

Asparagus 32
Bamboo shoots 31
Beets 14
Broccoli 36!
Cabbage 18
Cauliflower 34!
Sweet Corn 11
Cucumbers 20
Lettuce 29
Okra 22
Onions 15
Bell Peppers 20
Peas 30!
Hot Peppers 14
Potatoes 11
Spinach 40!
Tomatoes (my fave) 17
Zucchini 26

Oatmeal 15
Spaghetti 14
White flour 12
Wheat flour 14
Wheat germ (sweet nutty flavor great on salads and cereal) 29
Wild rice mixes 16

Kidney Beans 26
Lima Beans 25
Green Beans 21
Tofu 40!
White beans 26
Pinto Beans 26

Almonds 11
Chashews 12
Peanuts 18
Pumpkin seeds 20
Sunflower seeds 17



Here's a really good article on Vegetarian Athletes/Body builders.

http://www.andrews.edu/NUFS/vegathletes.htm

And here's a group on Yahoo for Vegan Weightlifters, I bet they would be VERY helpful!

http://bodybuilding.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=bodybuilding&zu=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VeganWeightlifting

All that being said, try Boca's Spicy Chic'n style sandwiches. I swear my husband could eat those every day. Also, tacos with refried beans (no lard) instead of meat, soymilk in your cereal or mashed potatoes, and TVP sloppy joes. TVP is a soy protein granule product that you can use for tons of things, available at your health food store or online.

And. let me say WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME to the Veg side. :grouphug:

[Stuckinthebush]

16. A common misconception is that vegs don't get enough protein

Look at this list:

Ostrich..........10 grams/ounce
Beef..............7 grams/ounce
Poultry...........7 grams/ounce
Fish..............7 grams/ounce
Large Egg.........7 grams/egg
Milk..............8 grams/cup
Cheese............7 grams/ounce
Bread.............4 grams/slice
Cereal............4 grams/1/2 cup
Vegetables........2 grams/ 1/2 cup
Soybeans (dry)...10 grams/ounce
Peanuts...........7 grams/ounce
Lentils (dry).....6.5 grams/ounce
Red beans.........6 grams/ounce
Baked potato......9 grams/8 ounces
Cashews...........5 grams/ounce

Guidelines indicate that an adult should get about .8 grams of protein per 2.2 pounds of ideal body weight. So, a 154 pound man should have about 56 grams of protein per day.

Looking at the chart above, if you are vegetarian, then eggs, milk and cheese are loaded with protein. If you are vegan, then concentrate on the beens and nuts. I'd encourage you to concentrate on the beans and nuts as opposed to the cheese, eggs, and milk anyway due to the cholesterol and fat in those items.

I keep a can of cashews on the counter and have a handful every now and then.

Good luck!