Needs protein, Help!

[cheesedip1]

My guides say as a vegan I need more protein.

Does Tofu have some? What about nuts?

Idk, part of me doubts that the Frito Lay cooked nuts have some protein, if any,but I guess it's better than nothing, right?

I'm not really sure what has protein. Could some of you guys help me out here?
A list of protein sources would help.

[CoolBee]

Protein in the Vegan Diet -- The Vegetarian Resource Group

[JamesKnochel]

The best vegetarian source of protein are potatoes and milk. Eggs are good too.

While these items have more protein by weight than potatoes, they also have potent digestion inhibitors, that are partially deactivated by sprouting. Sprouting beans and seeds (wheat, etc) makes their proteins much easier to assimilate.

-James

[lycan]

Good sources of protein:

Meat
Egg whites
Fat-free natural yogurt

[CoolBee]

erm... vegans don't eat meat, dairy or any animal products!

[firenexx]

I lol'd at a couple of the above responses. Perhaps they tl;dr'd the OP.

Anyways, your guides are incorrect. Most people get way too much protein, and that includes vegans. Here is an interesting article.
Even if you don't eat legumes, things like broccoli, various sprouted seeds (alfalfa, radish, broccoli, etc), nuts, spinach, etc, provide plenty of protein.

The thing you should be worrying about, as a vegan, is calories, and quality of food. Many vegans do not eat enough food, and because of this, they are more prone to bingeing on things like chips and cookies.
Focus on eating raw, unprocessed, whole foods that aren't grown with chemicals. Once in a while, it might be good to enter your daily intake into a program such as Chron-o-meter. Some people are surprised to find out that while (based on their body size, activity level, etc) they require upwards of 3,000 calories, they only consume 1,000-1,500. Then we wonder why vegans everywhere are pale and sickly, it is because they are eating 700 calories of tofu every day and not much else, or they are eating 500 calories of fruits and veggies and 3,500 calories of starchy carbs and fried tofu.

[ChrisGinsburg]

What guides are these? Are you climbing the Himalayas?

[ginkgo]

What else do your guides say? I think I can make that into a book called What my Stupid and Drunk Guides Say. Those guides say you need something but do not tell you how to get it.

The same with me. They say that I need to increase my midichlorian count but do not tell me how to do it???????? You could easily look up the protein in foods and the ADA says that vegans get twice the protein that they need and that is too much.

Midichlorian counts:

Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader = 27,700
Darth Sidious / Emperor Palpatine (with Kyber Crystal) = 21,700

Yoda = 17,700

Luke Skywalker = 14,500

Princess Leia Organa Skywalker Solo = 14,500

Aenon Jurtis (Most powerful Jedi Master prior to Yoda) = 14,200

Shintor Beerus (Ancient Jedi Master) = 13,900

Ce Ce Denowai (the most powerful female Jedi) = 13,700

Ben Skywalker (Star Wars Episodes 7 8 9) = 13,750

Anakin Solo (Star Wars Episode vii viii ix) = 13,700

Darth Plagueis (Darth Sidious' Sith Master) = 13,600

Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus = 13,500

Obi-Wan Kenobi = 13,400

Kaja Sinis (the first Jedi Knight) = 13,250

Kyle Katarn = 12,200

Mace Windu = 12,000

Darth Maul = 12,000

General Grievous = 11,900

Kit Fisto = 11,800

Exar Kun (Dark Lord of the Sith during the Sith War) = 11,700

Shindor (Dark Jedi leader from Star Wars Episodes 7 8 9) = 11,500

Yaddle = 11,300

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by lycan

Good sources of protein:

Meat
Egg whites
Fat-free natural yogurt

Seitan (from wheat) has twice the protein that meat has!

[mariazeyn]

I am a vegetarian so I too am concerned about not getting enough protein. Somebody mentioned that since vegans don't get enough 'food' they end up bingeing on chips and cookies. Unfortunately that's true for me. I hope it's not like this for most people.

For protein, I try to drink two glasses of skimmed milk daily. I also try to eat a can of black or kidney or chick peas.

[SireneB]

I'm not vegan but get a lot of plant based protein from beans and legumes. I have a soup or stew of lentils, peas or beans at least 5 nights a week. Experiment with putting difference vegetables and spices in it, very energizing and satisfying.

Whyever would you eat Frito Lay cooked nuts?!?!

If you're going to eat nuts, get raw nuts. So much better for you!

[firenexx]

I would like to emphasize again that statistically, most vegans get too much protein. If you are a vegan and you are worrying about not getting enough protein, you are wasting your worries. You should be worrying about getting 2-5 times the normal amount which is probably the case.

[JamesKnochel]

Originally Posted by firenexx

I would like to emphasize again that statistically, most vegans get too much protein. If you are a vegan and you are worrying about not getting enough protein, you are wasting your worries. You should be worrying about getting 2-5 times the normal amount which is probably the case.

I would like to emphasize again that seed protein, UNLESS it is sprouted, is very difficult to assimilate. (just re-read my post above, and the second paragraph doesn't make much sense because I swapped the positions of the two sentences.)

the protein value of grain is negligible, mainly because seeds contain their protein in a storage form, that is extremely rich in nitrogen, but poor in essential amino acids. Special preparation is needed to reduce the toxicity of seeds, and in the case of beans, these methods are never very satisfactory.

Soybeans are the worst possible protein source, of course.

-James

[nzmegs]

As a vegan you really need to learn more about nutrition...eating a vegan diet involves careful thought about what you are eating and the best ways of getting the nutrients you need.

yes, tofu has plenty of protein as do nuts.

I actually follow a low carbohydrate vegetarian diet and so for me, protein is pretty important. I get it from soya products like tofu but also from dairy products. Obviously you can't do this, but soya milk is a good source as are beans.

Remmeber to eat plenty of vegetables and eat protein at each meal. grains and carbs are entirely up to you. if you are at a good weight then grains are perfetly fine. if you want to lose weight you might find that cutting back on carbs is helpful. many vegetarians tend to overeat carbs - espciually the unhealthy ones like sugar.

[Benton]

Originally Posted by firenexx

I would like to emphasize again that statistically, most vegans get too much protein. If you are a vegan and you are worrying about not getting enough protein, you are wasting your worries. You should be worrying about getting 2-5 times the normal amount which is probably the case.

That entirely depends on what you're doing with your body. If you're lifting heavy every day, your body can use up to 1g/lb of lean body weight. In my case that would be like 150-160g/day.

[firenexx]

That all depends on which doctor you listen to or what the latest article about protein that you've read on the internet is.

(I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying that opinions on protein intake, especially with body building, differ widely.)
For instance, you say that your body can use up to 1g/lb or 150/160g per day. Well, I had a fitness instructor a few years back who told everyone if they were lifting, they should go up to 1.5-2g/lb. That is quite a difference, it is up to twice as much as you say! So some people will say more is good, some people will say less is good. There are some people who feel that protein supplements or large amounts of protein is ridiculous. Me? I don't really care about any of this, because I'm not aiming to look like Schwarzenegger, but I am still concerned with people who "overdose" on protein (most people I know, including vegans and vegetarians as well).

Also, James, I am a firm believer in eating live foods that can be assimilated, such as sprouted seeds, and I certainly am concerned that so many vegans/vegetarians probably depend on unsprouted seeds/nuts and soy (which I agree is a pretty bad way to get protein, especially if you are eating it every day.)

[Benton]

Well, I know it's anecdotal, but if I eat the RDA of protein after lifting heavy I suffer from DOMS. If I approx double my protein intake, I have little or no DOMS.

[Andrew Gubb]

Cows are vegan. They manage to get enough protein from grass (which don't expect to have more protein than human foods like lettuce) and they are big and strong.

[moonrambler]

Originally Posted by ginkgo

What else do your guides say? I think I can make that into a book called What my Stupid and Drunk Guides Say. Those guides say you need something but do not tell you how to get it.

That's kind of disrespectful, don't you think, ginkgo?

Perhaps the guides want the OP to figure it out for him/her self.

[Benton]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

Cows are vegan. They manage to get enough protein from grass (which don't expect to have more protein than human foods like lettuce) and they are big and strong.

You do know that cows have four stomachs, right?

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by Benton

You do know that cows have four stomachs, right?

Doesn't matter does it? How ever many stomachs you have, your food contains the same amount of protein.

Multiple stomachs allow you to digest grass. So them getting enough protein from grass is equivalent to us getting enough protein from a similar vegetable which is digestible to us; say lettuce. If we could eat lettuce all day and feed ourselves from it, we could get enough protein.

I use this example not because I think we should do this, but because even such a low protein food such as grass has "enough". What about potatoes? They have a lot more protein. You don't need to go as far as eating soy all the time.

[Benton]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

Doesn't matter does it?

Unless you "chew your cud" (ie burp up your last meal and rechew it several times) it certainly does make a difference. Most herbivores have a very different digestive system from humans.

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by Benton

Unless you "chew your cud" (ie burp up your last meal and rechew it several times) it certainly does make a difference. Most herbivores have a very different digestive system from humans.

Chewing the cud is only necessary for grass digestion. Stop comparing humans to ruminants (which is a very different sort of herbivore than humans are) and using that to conclude that we're not herbivores.

Try comparing humans to primates, who eat mostly fruit and tender leaves. We can't digest grass, but we digest the primate diet marvellously.

[Benton]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

Stop comparing humans to ruminants (which is a very different sort of herbivore than humans are) and using that to conclude that we're not herbivores.

Dude, you were the one that brought up cows. If you wanted to compare to primates, you should have said primates.

[Andrew Gubb]

I brought up cows because I wanted to make a point about protein, not because I wanted to compare humans' similarity with other herbivore animals.

[superfoodist]

Look into Spirulina, its the highest complete protein source in the world - and 100% vegan friendly.. It also has hundreds of other benefits besides being a great protein source.

[Cochonette]

Originally Posted by Benton

Dude, you were the one that brought up cows. If you wanted to compare to primates, you should have said primates.

Don't argue with him. He is too stubborn.

[Cantando]

If money is a factor, gram for gram, the cheapest source of protein is milk (well in the UK anyway).

Cottage cheese is very high in protein and low in fat. Yes, I know it's bland and boring, but it's OK with chive and onion in it, or pineapple.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by nzmegs

As a vegan you really need to learn more about nutrition...

This!
Vegetarian Society - Introduction to Vegetarian Nutrition

Originally Posted by firenexx

The thing you should be worrying about, as a vegan, is calories, and quality of food. Many vegans do not eat enough food, and because of this, they are more prone to bingeing on things like chips and cookies.

And this.

To maximize the amount of nutritionally rich foods I eat on a regular basis, I like to start the day with a green smoothie (leafy greens, fruit, water) and muesli (nuts, oats, fresh fruit). I also prepare big batches of vegetable and legume rich dishes on the weekend that I can heat up or pack during the week: as curries, chilies, stews, lentil soups, bean patties, etc. I can add grains, fresh salads or other sides just before dinner. And with a basis like that it doesn't hurt if I occasionally eat out or eat junk food.

Frito Lay is not the answer, indeed.

[Benton]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

I brought up cows because I wanted to make a point about protein, not because I wanted to compare humans' similarity with other herbivore animals.

So the cow thing was a straw man. It's like saying "Cows get protein from grass, so it should be fine for dogs to eat just grass."

Of course there's protein in grass, as protein is one of the fundamental building blocks of life as we know it. The problem is many creatures have evolved to eat just grass. Horses are also big and strong, eat only grass and are not ruminants.

Saying that humans are "meant" to be herbivores is a slap in the face to decades and decades of research from archeologists and anthropologists who have proven, beyond any shadow of doubt that early *Homo sapiens* were omnivores.

Stop using modern human's ability to restrict their diet to whatever they want as proof that we're supposed to be vegetarians.