Vegetarian Meals

So, many of the diets I have looked at all involve meat or seafood of some sort. I am a vegetarian, so I can't do these. I know that many say you can substitute proteins, but really, a handful of nuts is just not the same.

Are there any other vegetarians out there that can send a tip or two to a new dieter? I would appreciate any input!

I am not a vegetarian, but the main staple of my diet (when I am doing it) is puffins cereal. For example, today I am eating a box of puffins peanut butter cereal for breakfast and lunch so all I have to do is worry about dinner. It included 30g of protein. I also like the original flavor and eat that for breakfast and lunch many days. Good luck.

Please don't recommend someone subsist on cereal. That is a load of carbs and not really ensuring that you are getting a healthy, balanced diet.

Beans are an excellent source of protein - black, pinto, garbanzos.
Tofu, tempeh, seitan can usually substitute for meats in recipes.
Quinoa, peanut butter, soy milk, almond milk.

I am in the process of going vegan, but don't plan on being 100% strict. I will be going for 90/10 (allowing for an occasional serving of fish or chicken, but no dairy or other meats). I struggle to get my protein (50 gms is my goal) on some days. Most people on here want more protein, but I really feel Americans eat too much and put too much emphasis on protein. That being said, I do want to have adequate amounts and strive for .8 gm/kg body weight.

If you are finding that you are hungry, just eat more veggies. I often have a large salad with lunch and dinner, then I have 2-3 servings of cooked veggies. I also have some other quinoa dishes or non-traditional salads that I incorporate. Depending on the day and what I have for lunch, I will then have some type of tofu dish or other main entree with dinner.

I do not think cereal is a good substitute for much of anything. It's processed and not a whole food which is what most vegetarians are aiming for. No disrespect meant there.

I just started a low carb eating plan. I am not vegetarian, but my husband is. So I have been looking for protein options for vegetarians. Here are some that I have found: Quinoa, Tempeh, TVP, Nut Butters, Whey protein, Cheese, Eggs, Seitan also called “wheat meat”, “wheat gluten” or “gluten”, torfu, Protein bars, Mushroom, Lentils (high in protein and fibre), Almond milk, sprouts.

Loosing weight on cereal is quite the challenge! I wouldn't try it but good luck!

Since you're going vegetarian and not vegan, I'd also like to throw out my often said suggestion of plain yogurt with protein powder in it. A tablespoon of natural peanut butter in oatmeal is also yummy.

There's a lot of vegetables out there that are higher in protein than you probably realize. Asparagus and mushrooms for example. I also get a lot of my protein from low fat dairy and eggs. Often when I make an omelet I will use one whole egg and two egg whites. I don't tend to eat a lot of nuts because they are really high calorie for the amount of protein you get. Legumes such as lentils or edamame are good.

Nutritional yeast is a good supplement for vegetarians. It provides protein and lots of vitamins.

Chlorella and spirulina (seaweeds) are very high in protein. You can buy them in powder or capsule form at health food stores. You can add the powder to salades, soups or smoothies.

Check out the "Vegetarian Starter Kit" featuring recipes, tips, and lots of info. Some of my fav veggie recipes are: Black Bean (and corn) salad, portabella mushroom pizza, mashed cauliflower (veggie style), and lightly pan fried tofu with caramelized onions. leafy green veggies have a lot of protein as well. quinoa is a complete protein.

Forks Over Knives is an awesome movie, and Skinny Bitch or Skinny Bastard are great books and a real wake-up call about what and how you eat. Michael Pollan also has some wonderful books about food and the industrialized food system.

cheers!
- dangerrr

This is a very informative thread. Glad I found it. The documentary Forks Over Knives has been in my Netflix instant que for a while, will watch it and Food Matters this weekend. I want to try powder spirulina but the reviews on the product said it tastes awful...I may have to build myself up to the powder at a later date. Going to try chia seeds at some point though. I didnt know that there was a difference between a vegeterian and a vegan...I thought it was the same thing. I also didnt know mushrooms and asparagus were sources of protein.

Food Matters was great, started watching Forks Over Knives but didn't finish it yet. Not a vegetarian but I agree we eat too much meat. I have been trying to incorporate a many veggies into my eating as possible, I go easy of the fruit, I just had quinoa and loved it!

Linda's Low carb site has a bunch of recipes, there is a veggie section and I am sure that in a lot of the main dishes a veggie can be substituted for the meat. There is a salad section too, if from the link below you go back to the main page you can see the other sections.

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/side_dish_recipes.html

You should try Ethiiopian restaurant,specially around the washington dc area.

Edamame, quinoa, beans, breads. If you eat a lot of veggies, then you are getting some protein there too! Tofu, tempeh, seitan

Haha, just noticed that I already responded to this thread, awhile back. Oh well

Check out vegan bodybuilders. There are oodles of ways to get protein. I was a vegan for ages & never once struggled to get my protein intake!vegans by the way totally abstain from eating any animal bi-product. If you eat meat occassionally then you are not a vegetarian or a vegan . You are still an omnivore! If you eat clean you'll get lean!

I just started eating much more clean. I have a plant based protein drink in the morning after my workout blended with a banana, berries, flax powder and unsweetened soy or almond milk. I've incorporated hemp seed with breakfast which is 2-3 servings of fruit and some oatmeal. Hemp has alot of protein packed into a serving along with a great source of omega 3. Lunch is a huge mixed salad (lettuce, carrots, fennel, beets, peppers, cucumber and tomato), topped with a cup of beans like edamame or chick peas and a handful of nuts. Dinner s a usually cooked veg like a vegan chilli (beans tomato, eggplant, mushroom etc). At each meal I eat until I'm stuffed and don't need a snack. I easiy get about 60-90g of protein with no meat or dairy. On the weekends with hubby i usually cave and have some meat with dinners but not nearly the serving size i used to have. Once all the refined packaged stuff (which is often packed with empty calories and sodium) are removed the weight starts dripping off.

Hey,
So, you need a substitute for meat and fish? One word for you - BEANS! Any kind of beans! French beans, green peas. You can make salads or smash them and make something like a puree with onion, garlic or tomato pasta. It's delicious, low kcal and good for your intestianal transit. Aaand has lots of proteins.

You can get inspired from Eastern european kitchen, like Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine or Russia to find nice recipes with Boiled beans.

Good luck! Xoxo