Tips for getting more protein?

[badger]

I may be wrong on this, but I understood that there's no such thing as an "incomplete" protein. All foods have protein, and nobody's ever lacking protein in the developing countries.

[OakLeaf]

nobody's ever lacking protein in the developing countries.

you're not serious, are you?!


As for "complete" protein, what that means is that the human body needs eight amino acids in a certain balance to be able to repair tissues. Those are called "essential" amino acids. Only meat contains all those amino acids in that balance (because basically, our bodies need to be able to make meat out of our food). The concept of complementary proteins means combining foods like beans and grains which together provide all eight amino acids in roughly the balance the human body needs. That's why historically people learned to combine those foods in traditional diets.

In traditional cultures, where people are able to raise and hunt the food they've learned to eat for millennia, it's true that they don't usually have a protein deficit without a corresponding calorie deficit (but crops do fail and hunger is very common). In "developing" countries, where people have been forced out of subsistence farming and into either cash-cropping or non-agricultural work, protein deficits are EXTREMELY common.

[badger]

you're not serious, are you?!

sorry, I had meant to say "developed", not "developing".

[OakLeaf]

I prefer amaranth plain if I'm going to have it, just because it is so gooey. It doesn't seem to play well with other ingredients IMO. I do like the flavor, but it's a PITA to clean up.

[kjay]

I must share a product that I've found to be perfect for me, especially since I have weight to lose. I checked with Whole Foods about a good meal replacement drink because I didn't want only whey protein by itself; I wanted a drink that would not only provide protein but as much nutrition as possible. More bang for the buck, so to speak.

Well, I found "Vega — Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer" that is an "all-in-one, natural plant-based formula" made by Sequel. You wouldn't believe how many nutrients it contains, plus 15 grams of fiber and 26 grams of protein (in one serving). With the optimum amount of fiber being roughly 35 grams/day, this goes a long way toward fulfilling that.

I'm not affiliated with this product in any way; am simply a consumer.

Web site is www.myvega.com

[derailed]

I had dietary issues and went to a registered dietician/RN nutritionist.
Her information helped me tremendously. If it's possible to consider a nutritionist for assistance, I suggest it.

If you have a specific need, and can find a cultural diet which addresses it, that helps take the sting out of the changes. I have found that for myself eating a lot of Japanese style food, within my understanding of it, has allowed me to eat within my restricted parameters but not feel deprived. A friend chose to eat more of an Indian diet, being more dairy oriented and meatless.

Be careful of the protein powders out there, some of them have strange additives.
If you eat eggs, hard boil a dozen once a week, just to have available to you.

I hope you find a great solution for your system.

[cylegoddess]

Im a vegetarian who is allergic to soy,nuts, egg whites, most beans and grain so I get protein from ;
spirulina( tastes yuck to me so I take tablets but partner loves the taste)
whey protein drinks
broccoli
cheese

You need to be spare with animal proteins, as they are ACIDIC( as are soy, sugars, meats, dairy and alcohol). This can leach your body of calcium, as your blood becomes acid and takes it from you, to make up. A good tablespoon of apple cider vinegar , in warm water in mornings is good for this!

I started taking more calcium once I reintroduced dairy into diet. I know it sound s odd, as we are told dairy is a good source of calcium from day one, but Ive done extensive study's on this, over the years.
Ill try to find the book it came from!

[Drtgirl]

I am a diehard potato chip fan, and yesterday my coworker challenged me to eat some dry roasted edamame (soybeans?). After a few samples I'm hooked...I even went out bought a small bag today at the grocery store. 14 grams of protein per serving and a ton of fiber.

[cylegoddess]

I love those!! But I found out that eating them 24 -7 made me a little fat!( deep fried isnt a good constant snack!)

I eat quinoa, as its a non grain( it a berry) ,Im allergic to grain. Its a specific taste, nutty. I like it flaked in cookies, or for porridge. I also eat it whole, in boiled form,for winter porridge.

[cylegoddess]

whoops! I meant, broad beans! They are tasty too. Just dont eat raw soybeans, as they have nastys in them, that need tp be cooked out.

[Crankin]

No matter how many times I have tried, whenever I try to make a recipe with quinoa, it comes out terrible. The stuff just doesn't cook, it feels hard and kind of tasteless. am following all of the instructions.
What am I doing wrong?

[Karma007]

Being veg, I get asked this all the time. Other sources of protien (excluding the obvious soymilk and tofu)-
edamame
almond milk
beans
lentils
quinoa
textured vegetable protien
nuts
broccoli (add sesame seeds!)
spinach
poatoes
almond butter
tempeh

[Karma007]

oh! And Vega is really good mixed in smoothies (I use 2c spinach, 1c kale, 1c blueberries, I banana and Ic soymilk or almond milk. I use a dark glass b/c the color is a little much, but it's yummy!

[Pedal Wench]

Does almond milk contain all that much protein? I thought it was pretty low.

[Karma007]

The almond milk isn't loaded with it, but I've found that small amounts add up by the end of the day. I think the key to it is variety. You can easily limit soy and meat and dairy, and still get plenty of protien.

This info is taken straight from the Vegetarian Resouce Group.

FOOD AMOUNT PROTEIN(gm) PROTEIN(gm/100 cal)
Tempeh 1 cup 41 9.3
Seitan 3 ounces 31 22.1
Soybeans, cooked 1 cup 29 9.6
Lentils, cooked 1 cup 18 7.8
Black beans, cooked 1 cup 15 6.7
Kidney beans, cooked 1 cup 13 6.4
Veggie burger 1 patty 13 13.0
Chickpeas, cooked 1 cup 12 4.2
Veggie baked beans 1 cup 12 5.0
Pinto beans, cooked 1 cup 12 5.7
Black-eyed peas, cooked 1 cup 11 6.2
Tofu, firm 4 ounces 11 11.7
Lima beans, cooked 1 cup 10 5.7
Quinoa, cooked 1 cup 9 3.5
Tofu, regular 4 ounces 9 10.6
Bagel 1 med.
(3 oz) 9 3.9
Peas, cooked 1 cup 9 6.4
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), cooked 1/2 cup 8 8.4
Peanut butter 2 Tbsp 8 4.3
Veggie dog 1 link 8 13.3
Spaghetti, cooked 1 cup 8 3.7
Almonds 1/4 cup 8 3.7
Soy milk, commercial, plain 1 cup 7 7.0
Soy yogurt, plain 6 ounces 6 4.0
Bulgur, cooked 1 cup 6 3.7
Sunflower seeds 1/4 cup 6 3.3
Whole wheat bread 2 slices 5 3.9
Cashews 1/4 cup 5 2.7
Almond butter 2 Tbsp 5 2.4
Brown rice, cooked 1 cup 5 2.1
Spinach, cooked 1 cup 5 13.0
Broccoli, cooked 1 cup 4 6.8
Potato 1 med.
(6 oz) 4 2.7
Sources: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18, 2005 and manufacturers' information.

The recommendation for protein for adult males vegans is around 56-70 grams per day; for adult female vegans it is around 46-58 grams per day (see text).



It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for protein. Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some, and often much, protein. Fruits, sugars, fats, and alcohol do not provide much protein, so a diet based only on these foods would have a good chance of being too low in protein. However, not many vegans we know live on only bananas, hard candy, margarine, and beer. Vegans eating varied diets containing vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds rarely have any difficulty getting enough protein as long as their diet contains enough energy (calories) to maintain weight. [See the sections on Pregnancy, Lactation, and Infants and Children (pages 176-197 in Simply Vegan, 4th edition) for details about protein needs during these special times.]

What about combining or complementing protein? Doesn't that make the protein issue much more complex? Let's look at a little background on the myth of complementing proteins. Protein is made up of amino acids, often described as its building blocks. We actually have a biological requirement for amino acids, not for protein. Humans cannot make nine of the twenty common amino acids, so these amino acids are considered to be essential. In other words, we must get these amino acids from our diets. We need all nine of these amino acids for our body to make protein.

Some people say that eggs, cow's milk, meat, and fish are high quality protein. This means that they have large amounts of all the essential amino acids. Soybeans, quinoa (a grain), and spinach also are considered high quality protein. Other protein sources of non-animal origin usually have all of the essential amino acids, but the amounts of one or two of these amino acids may be low. For example, grains are lower in lysine (an essential amino acid) and legumes are lower in methionine (another essential amino acid) than those protein sources designated as high quality protein.

Frances Moore Lappe, in her book Diet for a Small Planet 6 advocated the combining of a food low in one amino acid with another food containing large amounts of that amino acid. This got to be a very complicated process, with each meal having specific amounts of certain foods in order to be certain of getting a favorable amino acid mix. Many people got discouraged with the complexity of this approach. Actually, Lappe was being overly conservative to avoid criticism from the "Nutrition Establishment." She has since repudiated strict protein combining, saying, "In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high quality protein, I reinforced another myth. I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually it is much easier than I thought" 7.