Which is the best protein source for vegetarians?
I know most non-animal proteins are incomplete and this adds to the problem, but which ones are ranked the highest?
Secondly, is there any way to be a vegetarian on a low to moderate carb diet?
Thanks
Are you talking about vegans as opposed to lacto-ovo vegetarians?
[quote]MarcAnthony wrote:
Secondly, is there any way to be a vegetarian on a low to moderate carb diet?
Thanks[/quote]
I guess if you live on lettuce leaves, then yes.
[quote]Dr. Ryan wrote:
Are you talking about vegans as opposed to lacto-ovo vegetarians?[/quote]
For vegans.
As for lacto-ovo vegetarians I’m assuming that it would be dairy products and eggs?
[quote]chirag wrote:
MarcAnthony wrote:
Secondly, is there any way to be a vegetarian on a low to moderate carb diet?
Thanks
I guess if you live on lettuce leaves, then yes.
[/quote]
What would be the alternative?
I’m gonna put this one on the table, you can take it or throw it back…
but I still think it’s meat, grass fed red meat, or salmon.
Both of these sources have full/complete proteins and good omega 3/6 ratios as well.
In your case though, with being a vegetarian, that’s a difficult call.
Most plants aren’t complete proteins. Nuts (pine, walnut, almond, cashews) are a good source of plant protein, but since they aren’t complete proteins, you’d need to eat a bunch of beans to make it complete.
I’m not raggin on vegetarians here (although I shall rag on vegans to my hearts content with no end in sight) but every vegetarian I know looks weak and/or lethargic. It just doesn’t seem like a healthy way to live. The human body needs cholesterol, and lets face it, nobody is going to consume enough through phytosterols unless they enjoy chewing vegetarian sources all day long (ps. this would suck).
Back to the question at hand though, maybe get some Grow! as the casein in it digests slower, similar to meat.
other sources you’re fairly limited to:
lentils, legumes, and nuts as those are the higher protein non-delicious-meat alternatives.
oh, and stay away from large tofu consumption (as that seems to be the mainstay of a vegetarians protein source).
[quote]MarcAnthony wrote:
Which is the best protein source for vegetarians?
I know most non-animal proteins are incomplete and this adds to the problem, but which ones are ranked the highest?
Secondly, is there any way to be a vegetarian on a low to moderate carb diet?
Thanks[/quote]
You may want to check out Mike Mahler’s stuff for this one. He’s a vegetarian, and a big one to boot!
The best protein sources would be rice & beans or nuts & grains as these combinations offer “complete” protein.
For low carb, you may want to check out alternative protein powders such as pea protein, rice protein, etc. Nuts, seeds and oils would offer plenty of good n-3 fatty acids. Don’t forget tons of vegetables, too.
As far as cholesterol, your body produces all it needs.
I think the biggest problem you’d face is that, unless your a great cook or very creative or don’t have taste buds, a low carb vegan diet could get very boring, very fast.
Check out Mike Mahler’s site - he’s a veggie.
Since some vegans take tofu and shape it into a turkey (tofurkey), try this:
Take some organic ground beef and shape it into carrots, beans and other veggies. Then you can get your protein and still act like you’re eating vegetables. Win, win.
[quote]ToShinDo wrote:
Since some vegans take tofu and shape it into a turkey (tofurkey), try this:
Take some organic ground beef and shape it into carrots, beans and other veggies. Then you can get your protein and still act like you’re eating vegetables. Win, win.[/quote]
F*&^%$G LMAO
[quote]ToShinDo wrote:
Since some vegans take tofu and shape it into a turkey (tofurkey), try this:
Take some organic ground beef and shape it into carrots, beans and other veggies. Then you can get your protein and still act like you’re eating vegetables. Win, win.[/quote]
Brilliant!
[quote]CU AeroStallion wrote:
I’m not raggin on vegetarians here (although I shall rag on vegans to my hearts content with no end in sight) but every vegetarian I know looks weak and/or lethargic. It just doesn’t seem like a healthy way to live. The human body needs cholesterol, and lets face it, nobody is going to consume enough through phytosterols unless they enjoy chewing vegetarian sources all day long (ps. this would suck).
[/quote]
I’ve been vegetarian for 10 years.
Do I look weak and lethargic to you?
[quote]Proteinpowda wrote:
CU AeroStallion wrote:
I’m not raggin on vegetarians here (although I shall rag on vegans to my hearts content with no end in sight) but every vegetarian I know looks weak and/or lethargic. It just doesn’t seem like a healthy way to live. The human body needs cholesterol, and lets face it, nobody is going to consume enough through phytosterols unless they enjoy chewing vegetarian sources all day long (ps. this would suck).
I’ve been vegetarian for 10 years.
Do I look weak and lethargic to you? [/quote]
Well, yeah…
Can you list what your doing? This might help this guy out…
Try Pea protein. Its got all the aminos you need. There’s also rice protein which John Berardi has mentioned on many occasions as a good alternative to whey. Hope this helps.
[quote]Todd S. wrote:
Proteinpowda wrote:
CU AeroStallion wrote:
I’m not raggin on vegetarians here (although I shall rag on vegans to my hearts content with no end in sight) but every vegetarian I know looks weak and/or lethargic. It just doesn’t seem like a healthy way to live. The human body needs cholesterol, and lets face it, nobody is going to consume enough through phytosterols unless they enjoy chewing vegetarian sources all day long (ps. this would suck).
I’ve been vegetarian for 10 years.
Do I look weak and lethargic to you?
Well, yeah…
Can you list what your doing? This might help this guy out…
[/quote]
Sure…I’ll repost a PM I sent to another forumite who asked me a similar question (I just edited and beefed it up a bit)
Please could you let me know what you eat in a typical day? Also do you worry about combining different foods to get complete protiens??
Thanking you in advance for any response.
I was hoping to write a mini-article on this b/c I’ve been asked questions like this before. For now though I’ll just give you the basics.
A lot of it really depends on what I’m doing and my current lifestyle situation. I’m generally the strictest about my eating habits when I’m bulking to ensure that I eat enough. When doing so I keep a full food log in which I only track my calories. I really think that how much credence is giving to certain macronutrient perecntage is over-done. As long as you’re eating a solid diet you should be achieiving a good balance between everything. Massive eating guidelines are a good start.
In regards to complete proteins: Paralyis by Analysis. We choose to be vegetarians and thus we have to live within certain paramaters. So honestly; I just go through a 6lb jug of protein about once a week. Whey’s a good source (combined with casseine it’s even better); and you’re going to be stuck using some form of it 5x a day or so unless you want to eat lots of eggs or low-fat cheese. If you use whey though make sure you get some atleast every 2 hours. Strive for smaller quantities and more frequent feedings. Also I really don’t feel you need much more than .8 to 1 gm of protein per lb of bodyweight. Read Berardi’s article (I forget the name but it’s recent) where he has an intellectual debate with another professor on the issue. Basically if you’re not cutting there is no study showing a need for more protein.
So basically; don’t worry about it. As long as you’re eating a wide variety of foods you’ll be ok.
In regards to a sample day…back in AZ I generally followed the massive eating guidlines or paid heed to insulin sensitivty issues. So my first 3 meals on non-workout days would be protein and carb meals with minimal fat and the last meals would be more fat and protein based.
On workout days I would geneally have a carb and protein meal in the morning and then fat meals until post workout.
So for example:
Workout day
Oatmeal, banana or other fruit and protein in the morning.
Before workout meals:
One of my favorite staples is almonds and protein powder. They’re both portable and very easy to take where you go. Plus almonds are yummy. Sunflower seeds are great too. Also I love just mixing peanut butter and protein powder together with a bit of water and splenda and then freezing them. Also if you add about 2-3 oz of water to Grow! (I don’t use Grow normally b/c of the price) it makes a great pudding.
During my workout I generally drink whey isolate and dextrose. Post workout (30-60 min after) I generally have white rice and protein powder. Pasta is also ok (rice is more filling). Even bread is…you just want something that is high GI with a fast-digesting protein powder.
The next meal I generally have atleast one more carb and protein meal…you decide.
Also atleast once a day I have stir fry (using olive oil) made with vegetables and egg whites (with one or two yolks) I often divide the meal in half and make half at one point in the day and the other half later.
I used to just buy big bags of veggies for this at costco but I’ve decided lately that I just get different types at Safeway or whatever grocery store (like different vegetable blends) so that everyday I’m getting something a little bit different for some variety.
Also my staple before bed meal is protein and peanut butter and a tbsp or two of flax meal.
Also I eat fruit or veggies with every meal (Other than the two post workout). I generally buy big bags of frozen fruit at costco and eat 2-4 cups daily.
But if you want some other suggestions…
Make some beans during the day and fry them in some olive oil at night…that’s a pretty good pre-bed meal (lots of protein and fiber and healthy fats).
I also stress the importance of creatine. You are not getting any through your normal diet so you need 2-3 grams/day just to be on par with meat eaters. Taking this amount is not neccessarily even supplementation, it’s leveling the playing field. Take a larger range, 5-8 grams/day and you’ll notice a difference.
Now the real thing…
If you ever read a lot of Berardis’ stuff you’ll notice he doesn’t really strive for a lot of bulking or cutting; just small gradual changes. This is the way to go. Get yourself where you want and then just make minor changes. For example I don’t always keep a food log anymore. I’ve been eating like this so long that I know w/out thinking what I need and act accordingly.
I know I could’ve done a much better job of presenting this material and I apologize for that but atleast this is a head start for you.
Jason
i could also be called a vegetarian, while i eat dairys, i rarely eat meat and when i do is in small amounts…and if u asked me i’m far from “weak,” my anchor is milk, eggs, yogurt, and whey…even without meat i pack on well over 200 grams a day, so it can be done…
Thanks Proteinpowda, and to all the others who have replied.
That’s pretty much the route I thought I’d take, its just good to hear from others who’ve had past experience eating like this and making gains.
[quote]MarcAnthony wrote:
Thanks Proteinpowda, and to all the others who have replied.
That’s pretty much the route I thought I’d take, its just good to hear from others who’ve had past experience eating like this and making gains.[/quote]
No problem…also in retrospect I think I started a much longer thread about this awhile ago…it’s so far back in the archives that I wouldn’t be able to find it.
[quote]MarcAnthony wrote:
Which is the best protein source for vegetarians?
[/quote]
Meat
[quote]andrewjones wrote:
MarcAnthony wrote:
Which is the best protein source for vegetarians?
Meat
[/quote]
Why is it that a person asking an honest question and seeking honest advice have to deal with answers like this?