question for girlinmotion and other vegetarians

[Veggie Supreme]

I was looking for high protein foods which are vegetarian(I am not vegan...only vegetarian)but except for soy burgers, i think my choices are limited. I eat a Boca burger almost daily for lunch( I vary the different flavors, spicy chicken is my fav)but I am looking for other ideas.

Thanks graemlins/wave.gif
Nithya

[youngfrankenstein]

I am not a vegitarian but I do know that getting those complete proteins are important. The only complete proteins come from animal sources. So an egg white and a steak both have complete proteins. I don't think it's hard to get them though. A protein mixed with a carb is likely to result in the amino chain you are looking for.

[DebbieY]

What about beans? Not only are they high in protein, but they're also high in fiber. TSP (texturized soy protein) is also a great way to sneak some protein into recipes. I use it in place of ground meat. And don't forget low-fat dairy products.

[girlinmotion]

To answer your question about good sources of protein, here are my usual choices. See below for my rant about why vegetarian proteins are a healthy choice...
Eggs and dairy products(omelettes, egg sandwhiches, cottage cheese, yogourt)
Legumes: chick peas, black beans and lentils in soups, hummus, burritos, curry and chili
Nuts and Seeds: Peanut butter is a small source of protein for me because it is so high in points/fat that you can't eat that much of it, but it is satisfying
Soy protein: Tofu is a good choice, if you are willing to put the effort into making it taste good (marinated and grilled or stir fried is my favourite, it is also good in a fruit shake). I add in prepared vegetarian products like veggie burgers, and many vegetarian "fake meat" type products such as veggie ground beef substitutes (Yves, Boca etc or TVP), deli slices, chik'n nuggets etc. Those vegetarian fake meats are very processed though, so some choose to avoid them and stick with the less processed choices such as beans and tofu. There are also wheat-based proteins (made from wheat gluten), I think seitan is the most common one.

As for the "complete protein" question, this is a heavily debated issue. I'm not sure where the above poster got the info that the only source of complete protein is to eat meat and eggs. Obviously, other foods contain protein, even government food guides in US and Canada include legumes, soy proteins and dairy products in the protein category. While the proteins in these foods are DIFFERENT than in meat, they are still very healthy sources of useable protein for the human body. In fact, most vegetarian sources of protein are lower in fat and come with the added bonus of some fiber in comparison with meat products.

In general North Americans far exceed the required amount of protein for optimum health (I think the stat is that most exceed their needs by 3x on average). I think it is completely feasible to get enough protein from vegetarian sources, even on a vegan diet. The deficiencies that most vegetarians have to be concerned about is not protein but iron, calcium and B12. If you eat eggs and dairy, then the only concern should be iron.

The biggest proof for me that there is nothing to lose, and possibly a lot to be gained, from eating more simple, vegetarian foods is as follows. There are certain mediteranean and asian cultures whose diets have been studied extensively because their heart disease and cancer risk etc. is much lower and they live much longer than the North American population. What is different about what they eat? They eat far more vegetables, beans or tofu, and whole grains. They don't really eat dairy or processed carbohydrates such as baked goods and sweets, and they eat very little animal protein and almost all of it is from fish. They eat a ton of vegetables or fruits and whole grains, and a small amount of protein and very little fat. The fats and proteins the do consume come from fish, legumes, nuts and seeds and/or olive oil. When these societies are introduced to meat and poultry, processed foods etc., guess what happens? They get heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes and they die earlier just like the rest of us. Pass the tofu, brown rice and veggies please!

[Aphreal]

I would like to know more about the benefits or harm that comes from eating more than optimum amts of protein.

Lookin at girl's list, I eat alot of what she had on her list. Im guessing Im getting too much protein?

I eat meat but Most of its chicken. I eat very little redmeat. I eat alot of eggwhites, beans, yogurt etc.. and peanutbutter nearly daily. I also take in intense amt's of fibre but thats an all together different reason :D

Thanks!

Tiff

[Veggie Supreme]

Thanks buddies for all your replies...I had completely forgotten about beans(does it count as a veggie too ;) and girlinmotion, with all the talk about how a high protein diet is good for you, it's really nice to read that you can be a vegetarian and still eat a high protein diet.
I wish more people understand this , especially at restaurants. The other day, I went with a group of friends to a thai place and everybody ordered pad thai, and I ordered mine vegetarian. I assumed mine would have the most veggies right?, instead it had the most noodles :confused: and the same veggies as everyone else :mad: