Protein for veggie teenage girl?

[interestingbiscuit]

Wondering if anyone has a good shorthand for what constitutes an adequate amount of protein for a non-meat-eating teen? She does eat fish. I don't mean number of grams, but rather what that translates to in actual food! Sorry – I know I'm capable of googling and working it all out myself but ..... brain frazzle. Just in case anyone has a good rule of thumb? Such as:

• 2 eggs + one peanut butter sandwich + one glass of milk (or similar; I have no idea if this is too little/too much or what!

I'm hoping someone who's done the maths might kindly share their work with me! Thank you :-)

We aim for 1-2 eggs in a day plus veggie sausages (sometimes), nuts, pulses, lentils, cheese etc.

vegan household here, we look at tofu 3-4 times a week, lentils, chickpeas most days. Peanut butter in smoothies or on toast. Faux meat a few times a week and plenty of veg. Spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes etc. I drink a lot of soy milk each week in coffees or on cereal, in smoothies etc along with soya yogurt which is high protein.

Google quinoa recipes and benefits. It contains your essential 9 amino acids, high in fibre and slow release carbs.

Thanks for all these tips. So as a quick "hack", would you say two eggs a day is NOT enough protein? I do totally understand that variety is important and we need protein from lots of different sources – but just looking for a basic baseline in terms of protein quantity?

You definitely need more than 2x eggs. Circa 100g of protein for a teenage girl on average is needed.

does she like edamame beans? They have 14g per portion so easily boost the daily protein

2 eggs would be great for breakfast, plus a coffee/tea/juice

Peanut butter sandwich + milk would be a great afternoon snack

Then what is she eating for lunch/dinner?

I would expect something like tofu with noodles for lunch and veg/salad or chickpea salad on a roll with crisps, fruit

Then for dinner a bean burger with salad/chips or salmon with mash and veg, maybe some greek yoghurt for pudding. Basically a source of protein/fat at every meal, same as with people who eat meat.

She'd eat edamame, yep. I will stock up the freezer! Peanut butter is a big thing – we spread it thickly – I just have no idea how much a sandwich gives her...

We don't eat tofu... I will look at some recipes. Salmon is tricky as I won't buy the farmed stuff, which is 95% of what's available – it has to be wild – so it's only once in a while.

Lunch she has at school, maybe a cheese toastie or similar, and big afterschool snack of something like potato waffles with grated cheese or a cream cheese & avocado bagel. We do try and think about protein at each meal, just not sure it's enough. Porridge is usual breakfast, for instance, and I don't think there's much in that ....

As a rule of thumb, make sure that each meal is protein based. Greek yoghurt (or Arla protein yoghurt) cereal with nuts and seeds (try Surreal for high protein cereal) eggs, veggie sausages/bacon, cheese on toast/beans on toast/nut butters on toast - for breakfast.

I love lentil soup and a sandwich/wrap for lunch. She could have hummus, cottage cheese, cheese, quorn as well etc

Then tofu, beans, legumes based meal for dinner.

If she eats lots of fresh veg and fruit as well then she'll be nutritionally sound. If you need an occasional cheat to boost protein, then I sometimes pop a scoop of protein powder in my porridge or soups, or there are vegan protein bars which are handy now and then.

Oats are actually a decent source of protein but you could also try adding chia or other seeds to increase the protein. Aldi and Lidl are really good for bags of mixed milled seeds which are good for adding to porridge or smoothies.

Chick peas, lentils, other beans and pulses

Humous (made from chick peas) and peas
Mushrooms

Yoghurt and cottage cheese
Tofu and quorn

A five bean chilli is a great one. Can have it with rice, potato wedges, jacket potato, In wraps with cheese.

nuts if she’ll eat them.

Nutritional yeast flakes are amazing at chucking in everything to boost protein.

The best and easiest option is to ensure she's eating plenty of eggs, dairy, pulses and nuts. Here's a useful summary https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/protein/how-to-get-protein-without-the-meat

Lentils, chickpeas, beans etc can be added to salads, casseroles, curries, soups etc and combined with rice as a base for stir fries and other foods (I often add a pack of pre-cooked lentils to rice, for example).

Nuts and seeds as snacks or as toppings are good (peanut butter is good up to a point, but overall protein is relatively low and fat is high). Dairy - cheese, yoghurt, milk etc are all good choices too. I believe oats actually have more protein than often realised too.

And if she eats fish, I'd be getting at least 2 portions of fish into her a week. Any fish is good and you can choose to buy the best quality you can afford. Hake, cod, pollock, salmon, sea bream, sole, sea bass, mackerel etc for fresh fish. But also tinned fish can be a good option - tuna, salmon, mackerel etc.

There’s nothing wrong with nuts/peanut butter but when you look at the protein to calories ratio it’s not a great source of protein. I’m not saying don’t include it in her diet, I’m just saying don’t rely to heavily on it.