Tips for a new vegetarian, especially re: getting enough protein?

Question

I'm new the whole "no meat" thing, but I've finally decided it's the right thing to do. I'm also trying to lose fat and build muscle, so protein is key to my diet. Up till now I've been eating chicken and fish, but now I can't do that anymore. Any general tips on Vegetarian eating, and any tips especially on getting enough protein for a diet requiring quite a bit of it?

Answer 1

What I read most often is that you should consume 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean bodyweight while trying to increase muscle mass. My most common source of protein is from TVP (made from soy protein concentrate) which is 90% protein and vital wheat gluten flour which is 75-80% protein.

TVP works great for replacing ground beef in any recipe and wheat gluten can be used to make seitan and wheat roast which make excellent barbecue.

EVERYTHING has protein in it. =) Eating stuff like twinkies is the only way to miss out on protein. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds and even some pastas are VERY high in protein. If you eat a balanced diet and only eat junk food less than a couple times a week, you will never be deficient in protein. If you have a daily protein goal, keep an eye out for protein in anything that you eat. Whether it is one gram or twenty grams, it all adds up throughout the day.

Have you heard of Mike Mahler? He is vegan, a strength coach and a kettlebell instructor. He has been hired by the likes of ultimate fighter, Ken Shamrock and many others.
http://www.mikemahler.com/index.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler30.htm

There have been vegan Olympic gold medalists and a vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Lewis
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML_(Draft).htm

Here are some more veg people:
http://www.mikemahler.com/index.html
http://www.vegetarianbodybuilder.com/index2.html
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bios
http://www.andreascahling.com/andreas-about
http://www.billpearl.com/career.asp
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-23-27/Salim-Stoudamire-Runs-on-Broccoli.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Danzig
http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php
http://www.nfl.com/players/rickywilliams/profile?id=WIL271115
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/raceresults/index.html

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If you want to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, the transition should be quite simple. Almost all meats have widely available commercial replacements. All that you have to do is replace any flesh in your diet (beef, pork, poultry, seafood) with meat analogs or just leave it out altogether.

You should keep in mind that a journey such as this can be quite short but should just be the beginning of a longer one to a plant-based diet with no animal products. This is because of the reality of factory farming in which animals that are kept alive to produce milk, eggs, etc suffer much more and longer than animals that are raised to a certain weight and then slaughtered.http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://meat.org
Some people use the word "vegan" in reference to this idea, but be aware that applying that label to yourself should always come with the inclusion of wise activism and advocacy.http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/index.html
Two extremely important examples of this are that you should never speak to someone about vegetarianism/veganism without their consent and genuine interest or as a comment on what they are eating AND your dietary beliefs should never be used as an introduction or explanation of who you are as a person. Veg*ism should be something that comes up AFTER people get to know you and they offer you a situation that makes it confusing to withhold the information/discussion. Also, if you are presented something that you choose not to eat or you are
ordering food/eating together somewhere/picking the best place to eat.

When you you hold off on the subject until it's necessary and then act like it isn't a big deal at all, people are usually surprised and WAY more interested and curious than if you were to bring it up when someone's eating or just using it as a conversation starter.

A responsible vegan ALWAYS studies the subject of their own health and how to keep their body completely provided for in every sense. http://www.veganhealth.org/sh
To neglect their body is to define a plant-based diet as unhealthy and is the opposite of helping the animals.

Just to clear things up, the vegetarian/vegan diet is not composed of salads, vegetables, fruit and fake meat. Fruits and vegetables are always important but they DO NOT make up the largest portion of any healthy diet.
A balanced plant-based diet includes grains(breads, pasta, rice,cereal), legumes(soy, beans, peas, lentils), fruit and vegetables.
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_groups.html
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/eating.html
Being vegan can be an art, one whose challenge is to take things that involve the suffering of the innocent and change them into something free of cruelty.

A vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.

Technically the term "vegetarian" does imply that you don't consume anything that comes from the body of an animal that requires killing it. Many ingredients such as gelatin and glycerin are found in many candies, Fig-Newtons, and many of other foods as well as rennet found in many cheeses.
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html
The best thing to remember is to take your time so that for example: when you are comfortable not eating beef and pork you can then give up chicken when you are sure you can make the commitment permanently.
Depending on your age or reliance on parents or regional options, it may not be best to give yourself a label. The important thing is to do your best to make progress and be committed to your compassion towards animals. Never put your focus onto what you or other people use to describe yourself.

If you meet someone that talks down to people for eating meat, dairy, etc or to you because they think they are "more veg" than you, laugh in their face and tell them they are a disgrace to the entire philosophy. People like this only hurt the idea of veg*ism AND the animals. The point of all of this is to live compassionately and and as free from cruelty as you can, all the while maintaining your health and a positive attitude. People who don't maintain either, need not open their mouths and represent our beliefs.

If you actually choose to read all of this, I hope it helps. If not, feel free to e-mail me if you have questions.

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I'm vegan and these are some of my favorite things to eat:

Breakfast: bananas, cream of wheat or oatmeal with brown sugar and soy butter, cereal, pancakes or french toast with real maple syrup, vegan "sausage" patties, smoothies.

Snack: BRUSSEL SPROUTS =) no joke, peanut butter sandwich w/ground flax seeds

Lunch: vegan "sausage" sandwiches, sandwiches with vegan deli slices(Tofurkey is the only one that's kinda funky), fruit, dinner leftovers, couscous salad, vegan sushi, potato or pasta salad.

Dinner: homemade veggie burgers, sloppy joes, "sausage" and gravy with homemade biscuits, Spaghetti and Trader Joe's "meatballs" or TVP, lasagna, Thai pad see ew, pad khi mao(drunkard's noodles), pad prig king, tofu+eggplant with basil sauce, yellow thai curry with tofu or vegan chikn and veggies and jasmine rice, Indian dal with homemade roti or dosai, channa masala, aloo gobi, vegetable or minestrone soup, pizza, STEAMED "PORK" BUNS with potstickers or spring rolls, sweet&sour/orange/lemon chikn, vegan pho or wonton soup, baked tofu, BBQ homemade seitan (tastes like BBQ'd ribs), kabobs, COLLARD GREENS,

Dessert(is evil): Ube(purple yam) with vanilla soy cream, apple pie, pumpkin "cheezcake"

I use these sites to find recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com
http://vegweb.com
http://www.recipezaar.com

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There is a Japanese analogy/proverb that goes like this, "The nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down". People are like this everywhere. When you tell your family that it is your personal belief that animals should not be eaten, they take a look at themselves and it can be subconsciously translated into, "What you do is wrong and I choose to be right."

Your parents have probably been taught a huge amount of misinformation by their parents and their teachers while growing up. You really need to research vegetarian diets and health before you even think about saying the "V-word" in front of your parents or anyone else.

When you have gathered enough information and feel confident in a vegetarian diet's ability to maintain or even improve health, you may mention to them that you have made the decision. They may be shocked, angry, worried, curious or many other things, but you must NEVER react to their behavior and always stay calm. If they are able to speak to you and respect your choice, please tell them everything and answer all questions. If they are rude, inconsiderate, judgmental, violent, or verbally abusive, refuse to continue any conversation until they can speak to you with respect.

The best advice is to study everything that you can about a healthy vegetarian diet and keep yourself in good shape (better than most people your age or than your friends/family if possible). If nobody that you know shows a genuine, positive interest in your choice, don't give them the privilege of the knowledge that you have gathered. Work your way around any attempts they make to trivialize your beliefs and if possible, go shopping with your parents and buy things that aren't obvious veggie fare. Instead of trying to sneak fake meat into the cart, toss in lentil soup, peanut butter, pasta, fruits & veggies or anything else that you have learned is needed to fill any gaps in your diet.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

There are many sources of protein - beans, tofu, vegetables, nuts and various meat substitutes (like seitan) have loads of protein.
The Standard American Diet (I know, it's SAD! lol) actually has too much protein in it overall. Eating all that meat, coupled with food that contains a lot of animal by-products (like cheese, yogurt and drinking milk) means that Americans consume way too much animal protein.
Since you are becoming a vegetarian, you will cut down on those sources of protein that are often hard for our bodies to digest and you will not only have the right amount of protein, but you will also have the right type.
My simple advice is to vary your diet and you will be just fine.

Answer 4

Good for you!!! I went vegie about 9 months ago. I too am into lifting and building muscle. There are a lot of good answers, and the link provided to vegan bodybuilding is a good site. I drink a protein shake 3 times a day to get additional protein for muscle building. A lot of people over estimate how much your body truly needs. Eating a vegetarian diet by itself will provide your body with enough protein. If you're concerned you are not getting enough protein any good protein shake will help out.

Answer 5

First off, you don't have to take in a whole bunch of protein. Some authorities even believe that taking in too much concentrated protein can be harmful. Also consider cows....from what do they build all the protein on their body?

I would make sure you are getting a good variety of fruits and vegetables so that you are getting all the amino acids needed since they are the building blocks of protein.

You cans supplement with nuts, legumes and whole grains to get extra protein and calories.

You will also probably need to supplement with something like a barley green drink (I use BarleyMax) and some extra vitamins.

Hope this helps you some.

Answer 6

Get nutritional yeast, for protein. It tastes good and you can fling a handful into anything you eat. Also get brewer's yeast for B12. Prune juice is tremendously good for you. Remember that you get your protein by combining any 2 or more vegetable proteins - legumes, grains. For example, whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce with lentils added. If you use beans, lentils, etc. from cans, dump them into a sieve and rinse with water until it stops making bubbles. You might want to ease into being vegan - I've always found that changing everything all at once can be overwhelming.

Answer 7

Sorry but my tip is to go back to eating meat, putting on muscle on a vegetarian diet is near impossible. Eggs, cheeses, nuts, tofu are your best bets but for gaining muscle if you are going to stay vegetarian then you will need to look at adding protein shakes to your diet.

Answer 8

Spinach, broccoli and various nuts have a good amount of protein. Of course with the ones that everyone knows, milk, cheese (cottage cheese especially) and tofu. The combinations of these foods will keep your proteins levels better than when you were eating meat.

Answer 9

I've recently discovered quinoa which is a grain that is also a complete protein. I found it at my local Whole Foods, but maybe some other specialty food stores might carry it as well. And farro, also a grain is high in protein and tastes sooo good! You should try them both!

Answer 10

Tofu contains a lot of protein. So does yogurt (if you're not going vegan.)

A handful of peanuts can also be a good source of protein. Lentil soup works well too.

Answer 11

The Meat and Dairy Industry may as well have been called "The Protein falacy pushers"