Protein on vegan

[TypsTrycks]

I turned vegan around 10 yrs ago and have put on a considerable amount of weight since then. I now realise it's because I loaded up on carbs (pasta, rice, bread) to feel full and salads/veggies/other light meals were just not filling enough.

I am now on a high protein diet which can hopefully help shed my excess weight and am struggling with finding protein options in my budget. I need to take around 100g of protein a day and most of that now comes from protein shakes, protein bars, quorn steaks, tofu takeaways etc. These are also very expensive and I spend around £300-£400 just on food.

Can anyone share some ideas to eat vegan protein (and feel full) on a budget? Is there anything other than tofu, tempeh and quorn I can eat?

Seitan is a good source of protein. To get cheap seitan and tofu try a Chinese supermarket. Also soya mince is a cheap high protein option. Nutritional yeast and pb2 (defatted peanut butter) are vegan high protein essentials as are spinach, broccoli, kale etc. Edamame, lentils, kidney beans and chickpeas are all reasonably high.

You can also buy high protein pasta made with lentils or beans, I’ve seen it in the free from section of Asda.

Beans, lentils, peanuts and chickpeas are good for protein. More info here:

www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/nutrients/protein

Thanks, am going to try chinese supermarkets - never seen seitan or tempeh in regular stores yet. I assumed lentils and chickpeas were also high in carb - have you found that to be a problem?

Not at all. Both are very filling. Lentils are much lower than beans in carbs. Carbs are an important part of a balanced diet.

You can make your own seitan. These are dead easy: www.baked-in.com/2014/06/30/vegan-barbecue-ribs/

Using nut butter or coconut milk in curries adds extra protein, and quinoa rather than rice. Soy yoghurt, by itself with fruit or mixed with tahini to make a dressing for veggies.

100g protein a day though, isn't a lot of that protein just going to be excreted out via urine? Most people's bodies can't use that much protein.

0.8g per kg of weight per day is what's needed. So 51g if you're 64kg/10 stone - ish

100g of protein a day is A LOT of protein!

I think that would be tricky if your cutting carbs too as so much vegan protein is carb heavy.

What’s your diet like now?

Thanks for the ideas! The only time I ever really lost weight was when I was on a high protein diet having 100g a day. I lost 10kg then. But most of that was processed stuff and protein powder and hated it! Now I have 50-60g a day, no carbs, and I still put on 0.1kg a week like clockwork :) It’s doing my head in and no idea what to do next.

Portion size and cakes/sweets/biscuits/crisps are the things I'd look at

Oh how irritating!

Are you able to do exercise instead? Maybe a power walk/jog/run.

I know what you mean about not feeling full without carbs but maybe swap them out for different kinds, so cannelloni beans or chick peas. I also like the microwavable grains you get from Tesco. And obviously use the whole grain kind if you’re eating pasta etc.

I do weights in the gym 2-3 times a week and intervals twice. I eat no carbs from grains, so no rice, pasta or quinoa etc. I don’t remember the last time I ate any cakes, sweets or crisps. In fact I hate anything that comes in packets (except chocolate bars :) but I also swapped them for protein bars!). I just don’t get it!

Why don’t you eat carbs from grains? You must be starving! And also you need the energy for strength training.

YY to needing energy from carbs

If you're after weight loss on a vegan diet I can strongly recommend watching Forks Over Knives and getting their cookbook.

It's a whole food plant-based diet, so although you do eat carbs, it's all whole grain. Wholegrain pasta, brown rice etc. No oil, salt or refined sugar at all.

It's much easier than it sounds. I did it for health not weight loss, but lost 12kg anyway. www.forksoverknives.com

I don't do it quite so strictly now - I do eat bread and I will use a tbsp of oil for cooking - and my weight has stayed stable.

Thanks Posy just looking into that now.

You won’t be getting all your amino acids if you cut out carbs, unless you live on soya.

I find old fashioned combining helps stop me feeling hungry. I’ve got a BMI of 20. At every meal I combine carb with a protein or 2 and veg/fruit. So my day might look like this...basic ingredient wise.

Breakfast- oats, tablespoon seeds, plant milk, fruit.
Lunch- whole meal bread, homemade soup made with veg, chickpeas etc.
Dinner Quinoa, tofu, veg, seeds.

I tend to have a lot of the protein and veg, and smaller amounts of the carbs rather than the other way around. But not always.

I eat puddings too...mainly fruit/yoghurt, but that’s the kind of main meal bare bones. I find meals are filling enough. I went through a bit of carb fear a while ago, and as a vegan my energy levels plummeted. I thought I’d end up fat when I went back on them...didn’t happen. Carbs are not the enemy.

Potatoes are a complete protein (all amino acids humans need) & you can get all your protein from them & have room for lots else in diet.

I find seitan foul. Blech.

...potatoes are not a complete protein- levels of amino acids are not enough.

Quinoa is also high in protein, and I also believe good source of iron..

We are all different, potatoes are not good for everyone, they give me arthritis. They have a high amount of acid forming solanine, being a member of the deadly nightshade family of plants.

Yes Quinoa is good.

TypesTrycks Have a look a Paul Mackenna way of eating Also the Blood Type Diet which can help you find your way round the very confusing world of weight loss!!

What will help you lose weight is reducing calories. Use an app like MyFitnessPal to track your calories- if you don’t lose weight then reduce calories the next week until you’re losing around half a kilo a week.

100 is massive. My ideal amount is 42gr.
I like tempeh, chickpeas, lentils