What are some good protein substitutes for vegetarians?

Question

I'm having a hard time finding foods that contain sufficient protein to compensate for my vegetarian diet. I'm not sure about what foods contain the most protein. What are my options?

Answer 1

Not trying to sound like a smart alec, but if you're worried about a protein deficiency, maybe you should reconsider your decision not to eat meat.

Otherwise, tofu is good.

Answer 2

Protein Substitutes For Vegetarians

Answer 3

First off realise more Americans eat far more protein than they need. Americans : you do not need 6-12 oz of meat every meal!

Most soy based products are very high in protein: tofu & bean curd are common soy products. Also look in the same section of your grocery store for tempeh.

You can also look for TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) in your better grocery or whole foods stores. It's a base for vegetarian burgers, sloppy joe, tacos, etc. It's also often an ingredient in frozen vegetarian "meats"

You can go to your freezer aisle and look for Morningstar Farms or Boca products. These come in a whole rainbow of flavors! And they're all high in protein.

A dish of rice & beans is also high in protein. This is a good choice because the foods compliment each other so you can get more nutrition then eating them seperately.

If you eat milk & dairy, eggs and real cheese also are higher in protein. I would avoid heavily processed cheeses (eg. "cheese food" singles) though; the more food is processed the less nutrition it has.

You may not like the taste of all of these products, but like any food you have to sample them to see which you prefer. Good luck!

Answer 4

Well, I am currently studying Nutrition/Dietetics, and I have a few options right off the top of my head. I would like to know what type of vegetarian you are, but assuming that you eat absolutely no animal products (vegans), I would say lots of various beans (legumes), seeds, whole grains and nuts. Soy is a very good source of protein. If you eat cheese (lactovegetarians), then that is a good source. Some vegetarians eat eggs (lacto-ovo-vegetarians), which are just about the best source of protein out there. I hope this helps!

Answer 5

For starters, human beings, whether vegetarian or not, need far less protein than is commonly believed. This is worth looking into. Protein can be found in almost all foods--from what I have gathered in the past during my vegetarian years--and so the question and the concern is probably moot. Tofu has more protein, pund for pund, than liver. Seitan--boiled, flavored wheat gluten cakes--make a good meat substitute when prepared properly and contain a lot of protein as well. Mixing any beans, legumes, chickpeas etc with rice, barley, buckwheat and so on, makes a complete protein. There you go: Lots of protein in vegetarian food.

Answer 6

There are great cookbooks out there that will out line recipes with sufficient protein content tables for you. Watch your protein levels too much will strain your kidneys and always check with your doctor.
protein tofu 5 grams per ounce
protein curd cheese 7 grams per 1/4 cup
protein soft cheese 3-4 grams per ounce
protein hard cheese 6-7 grams per ounce
protein eggs 6 grams whole or 4 grams white per egg
protein meat 7 grams per ounce (fish, pork, beef, poultry)

Understanding your bodies proper protein level verse activity level it more important for ideal body health. Even vegetarians can benefit from The Protein Power Plan. This has truly changed my life especially since I'm borderlined diabetic and homebound. I can't eat a lot of meats due to my Interstitinal Cystitis and have to watch everything I eat. This healthier eating way of life has truly helped me out a great deal. I don't work or nor represent them except being a consumer who believes that this will answer your protein question.
You can substitute beans, lintiles, and legums with brown rice for protein which is explaned in vegetarian cookbooks. They also help you to combine spinach, brocolli, asparagus and other vegetable that are also high in their own proteins to help you meet your protein needs.
A good replacement protein shake once meal a day is another alternative way to get 10 to 15 grams of protein in but unless you are working out watch those carbs some can be on the high side. Products that are low fat are usually higher in sugars so diabetics should watch for sugar levels. Splenda products are available now in most diet products but they too will convert into sugars to until you know how it reacts check your sugar levels often. Proteins break down in each of us differently so when starting to add protein most people aren't aware that you should increase or add potassium into your diet to preplace the what is lossed during your first stag of urinating excess water loss. This is why it is so important to check with your doctor before you add proteins into your diet. Take a good Vegetarian multivitamin that will disolve easily and drink a lot of water. High protein diets require more water consumption to help the kidney function keep it's sugar/protein levels maintained. Buy urine strips and test your urine a couple times a day if you are just starting off to make sure your acidity levels and sugar levels are within normal range. Being a vegetarian is great but follow safe sound principles by others who have been doing it for years. Book stores are a great place to start. Yahoo search has some great links here are a few I found. The Living & Raw Food Diet - Alissa Cohen total veggies ftom what I can tell so they would probably know first hand how to replace proteins without eating meats. Good luck. [e-mail] or at [e-mail] Lorraine

Answer 7

To compensate for meat (which is a complete protein with all of the essential amino acids) your diet must be a balance of legumes and grains, each of which complement one another to complete the protein. Soy beans are one choice that do provide a complete protein by themselves, and for this reason, tofu is a good choice. Warning: If you are going all Vegan, watch out for a B-12 deficiency -- this is essential for neural health, and may only be found in animal products.

Answer 8

Protein from meat is full protein.Vegetable proteins are not and need backing up with dairy products.Butter,milk and cheese added to vegetable protein make it a lot more usable.
Soya beans are highest.Mushrooms,lentils,peas and other legumes contain some proteins.Grains are useful if dairy products are added.(Bread and butter).But vegetarian foods tend to be fattening and short on protein.Not really suitable for lifestyles involving the need for stamina and strength.Most vegans use dairy and eggs to top up protein and are flabby rather than hard and solid.

Answer 9

Many foods have protein such as broccoli, spinach, potatoes, grains, peas, beans, nuts, soy, tofu, and veggie burger type products. Don't forget to supplement vitamins you may be lacking due to a meat free diet.



The link below has information on protein combining. This is important to a person living a vegetarian lifestyle.

Answer 10

I'm a vegetarian too, and I had the same question. I eat a lot of eggs, dairy products, tofu, beans, nuts, stuff like that. I also put some protein powder into some of my drinks (Whey Protein powder is the best, because it blends the easiest and doesn't taste like anything.) I also eat protein bars as well (Powerbar has started making a protein bar recently . . . something obvious like powerbar protein.)

For meat subtitutes at meals, I go for the original brand of Gardenburger called Gardenburger, lol. I am also a sworn lover of Quorn, which makes lots of different things, but my favorite thing of their's is their "chicken" patties. It tastes like chicken, and it's a lot better for you. When I became a vegetarian, I started eating it like crazy, and my little sister tried some. Now she won't eat anything else!!!! And she's v. picky, she's four.

Good luck!!!!!

Ooooh, and lentils and edamame are GREAT. Yummy!

Answer 11

I felt like I had to answer because some of the answers I read were pretty lame. What vegeterian doesn't already eat tofu and eggs?! LOL So for starters - I've been vegeterian for about 3 years and my hubby has been for about 10. We like to think we know a little about it.

Here are some ideas:
Lentils : these are VERY concentrated in protein, and pretty easy to cook. They go well in soups, curries, or dal (which is basically a lentil soup)

Chickpeas - good for stirfries, soups again, curries (haha can you tell I eat a lot of curry?), tomato sauces

Tofu of course - very versatile can go in just about anything. Yummy if you marinate it in a tamari/maplesyrup/garlic mix for a little while. You can also crumble it and put it into tomato sauces.

TVP- this is textured vegetable protein. It's soy i believe. goes well in tomato sauces.

There's also kidney beans, mung beans, navy beans, and others.

A vegeterian diet can be made to work! Sometimes takes extra cooking but it's worth it.:)