Jun 28, 2009 9:33 AM
Vegetarian Protein Sources
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Hi, everyone!
I recently signed up for my first tri (a sprint distance). I am primarily a runner, and I have found I'm really asking a lot from my body by adding biking and swimming and resistance training into my routine. I've been vegetarian for over 10 years, and I have been working hard to add more beans/tofu/veggie burgers/etc into my diet, but I can still tell that I'm lacking in protein. I'm not vegan, but my stomach doesn't do well with lots of milk or yogurt. Can any vegetarian triathletes out there recommend some more creative ways to add more protein into my diet? I'm looking for tips, recipes, certain protein powders, anything. Thank you in advance for any help!
Best,
Erin
Egg Whites for breakfast. I make a spinach and feta (fat free)egg white omplete and wrap it in a wheat wrap. Delicious.
Do you eat tofu? Good source of protein. A Whey protein powder is not a bad idea as a supplement. I sometimes add it to oatmeal.
Best wishes!
Hi Erin,
I, too, am a vegetarian and was looking for additional protein sources as I kicked up my training for my first (and future!) triathlon(s). I am lucky enough to have a GREAT health food store/market nearby with excellent nutrition consultants on staff, so I suggest starting there. I found out a LOT from my local store's nutrition experts.
Suggestions that work for me: Add bee pollen to smoothies, fruit and yogurt. Excellent source of protein. Another excellent source of plant protein is clover sprouts - add to salads and sandwiches. There are also good quality amino acid and mineral supplements available.
Hope this helps a little!
Morning Star Farms makes a great selection of all-veggie breakfast and lunch foods: Fake bacon, sausage, burgers, etc. They are high in protein and taste great.
http://www.morningstarfarms.com/
Oh, and Boca Burgers are the best veggie burgers I've every had.
Both of those are available at the grocery stores here in Texas, and Boca Burgers are even available at some restaurants.
8)
Oh yeah! I agree -- some of the soy-based meat substitutes are really good. I prefer Boca Burgers over some of the frozen veggie burgers; just my preference but I find them tastier. Also good are the Morningstar Farms "chicken" strips -- they are found in the supermarket frozen section (at Publix they're with the breakfast meat substitutes - go figure - guess it's the "morning" in Morningstar Farms?). I cut them up and put them in my salads. Boca also makes "Crumbles" that are great added to vegetarian chili or w/spaghetti sauce & whole grain pastas.
Thank you for all of these suggestions! I'm going to try and find bee pollen and clover sprouts near me. I actualy just polished off a fake BLT with some Morningstar bacon!
You guys should check out Quorn products (especially the fake turkey roast) if they are available in your area. Please keep these ideas coming! They are great!
I've been a distance runner for many years and a vegetarian as well. Don't overlook the amount of protien that you'll find in your vegetables. One serving of eggplant has up to 8 grams alone. Other supplimental foods are nuts, halva, hummus, anything with tahini. Yum! Good luck!
Another great source of protein is quinoa. I use it in place of rice in risoto or stir fries. There are lots of great bean recipes too. Vegetarian Times has one of my favorites, Picnic Caviar, with black eyed peas and black beans. Just go to vegetariantimes.com and search for picnic caviar in their recipes. I also recently discovered wheat berries and found some good recipes in Cooking Light.
I have found that there is a "pasta" version of quinoa that is also very good.
Bee pollen is over hyped. Can cause allegeric reactions, best used in moderation (less than a teaspoon).
You haven't said, do you drink soy milk? Cheap, easy to get, lots of protein.
Nutrition fact sheet for clover sprouts. Please note that there is ZERO protein in clover sprouts.
Total Fat 0g | 0% |
Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 5mg | 0% |
Potassium 0mg | 0% |
Total Carbohydrate 3g | 1% |
Dietary Fiber 2g | 8% |
Sugars 0g | |
Protein | 0% |
Vitamin A | 2% |
Vitamin C | 10% |
Calcium | 2% |
Iron | 2% |
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Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 0.0% Carbs 48.0% |
Protein 0.0% |
I was talking about PLANT PROTEIN, which clover sprouts are a good source of for people who don't eat meat:
EXAMPLE: Red clover sprouts look like alfalfa sprouts and have a mild, sweet flavor. Rich in phytochemicals, in particular genistein, which is known to prevent the formation of new blood vessels inside a tumor, in essence starving the tumor, it is protective against diseases like cancer. Red clover contains naturally occurring plant estrogens, similar to human estrogen, so they are helpful with PMS, menopause, hot flashes and fibrocystic disease. They contain vitamins A, B, C, E and K, the minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus and zinc, trace minerals, carotene, chlorophyll and amino acids. They contain 26% protein.
And LOCAL bee pollen is great (as is honey) for people who have allergies such as what is called "hay fever," ragweed, etc.
Hi!
Try the product "pure protein" --- I love it because it is very high in protein and low in cals -- something you never see with protein products. You can buy cans for about $2.75 each -- they are about 160 calories with 35 grams of protein!!! The bars are about 20 grams of protein with 190 cals.
Make dinner with chickpeas, tofu & spinach --- and also morningstar has a great veggie burger out now - southwestern style something or other... very good and high in protein!!!
good luck!
"If you don't run you rust" - Tom Petty
You said; "Another excellent source of plant protein is clover sprouts".
The nutrition fact sheet for clover sprouts shows zero protein.
You also said; "They contain 26% protein." (sic)
The closest thing I could find on this claim was from the Kansas Rural Center.
"Clover hay has a protein content ranging from 17 -19% and a RVF score of slightly more than 150, making it
comparable to alfalfa." They are talking about growing clover with grass and cutting it for hay to feed to cattle.
I'm pretty sure you have to be a ruminant in order to digest it.
"Red clover is a legume often overseeded into small grains in late winter in the higher rainfall areas of eastern
Kansas. It is a high quality forage that can be either grazed or put up for hay."
The claim that it is "known to prevent the formation of new blood vessels inside a tumor, in essence starving the tumor, it is protective against diseases like cancer" is just irresponsible.
You have any science to back up any of your claims?
You need to move on.... You've lost sight of the purpose of this particular message board (to help someone who is looking for suggestions, NOT to criticize or challenge someone) and are off on your own pompous tangent. I don't need you to critique my writing OR challenge my "claims" as you call them. What works for me may not work for everyone and I really couldn't care less what YOU think about bee pollen OR clover sprouts or cows ******* in a field, for that matter. Unless you have something positive to say to the person who asked the question originally, you need to go away.
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