Getting protein

[mncavylover]

I'm a cross country runner, skiier, and I run track. I need a lot of protein. I am at a loss for what to do just now, and it's been over a month since I became vegetarian. I really would like to hear of any suggestions you have besides peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or peanuts, it's getting sad. I'm not taking back meat, but I've been stiff lately, and I think this may be because I'm not getting enough protein. Thanks in advance for any help!

[critterlover]

Are you asking for lunch ideas or dinner too?

Tofu and beans are good sources of protein. Also, vegetables contain protein too, although in smaller amounts. Most people eat way more protein than they need and this can put a strain on the kidneys, but athletes do need more protein than other people. You can buy veggie patties, veggie hotdogs, and all sorts of pre-prepared meat substitutes, all made from soybeans. If you want a substitute for ground meat, "veggie ground round" is very good. It's already cooked. I've thrown this in my lasagnas before and no one can tell the difference.

For sandwich fillers, one of my favorites is Black Bean Cakes. http://holiday.allrecipes.com/az/BlckBnCks.asp
I used canned beans instead of dry beans and bake the cakes instead of
frying them (they fall apart easily in the fry pan). You can put the cakes
in your sandwiches or burgers, just like meat. Very tasty.

One quick idea I use often for dinner is tofu. It's actually already cooked so all you need to do is fry it to warm it up and add a sauce. I like to cut it into cubes, fry it for a few minutes in some olive oil, then just before you take it off the stove, add peanut sauce or any other sauce you like. This goes well on top of rice with stir-fry veggies on the side. This can be packed for lunch too.

Hope that helps.

[Treen]

Eggs are great - have boiled or poached eggs with toast for breakfast, or make an omelette for a main meal.

I eat quite a lot of beans and lentils. Vegetarian chillis are lovely and have lots of kidney beans in (and I use other beans too) and I make quite a lot of lentil based Indian dishes. Home made soups are great too - plently of fresh veggies of your choosing and some lentils - cook it all in stock with a little flour and you get a really tasty soup, and I like to bung a load of grated cheese on the top too!

Dairy produce (so milk, yoghurt and cheese),is great for protein, and cereals and grains also contain quite a bit.

Do you like nuts other than peanuts? I always have bags of nuts from the health food shop in like almonds, cashews, brazil nuts. I like sunflower seeds too, and they're all perfect for snacking on.

[mncavylover]

Thanks for the awesome replies Treen and critterlover! I will try the tofu tonight, as soon as I get some.

I love nuts, and that's what I've been using--well, peanuts actually. The snack bags are excellent ideas!

I've been having the most trouble with lunches, since it can't be anything real messy ro something that must be warm or that spoils too quickly.

So far, I haven't been able to find veggie hot dogs, and actually, I can't even find veggie burgers very often at all! It's crazy, and I really hope I can visit a specialty store to stock up soon. Not sure if the parents would be so keen on that idea, but I think it needs to be done. I'll convince them somehow.

Thanks for all the help once again! I just wanted to see what the reviews were rather than merely the cookbooks, and you both helped greatly. Keep it up!

[My Baby Mu]

Wal-mart sells veggie bugers and all of that stuff.

Nuts, beans, and seeds have protein in them.

[critterlover]

If you're worried about sandwiches spoiling, you can use an insulated lunch bag and throw in a couple of cold packs in the morning. That way you can have tuna sandwiches (if you eat fish) or veggie burger sandwiches without worrying about whether they're safe to eat.

[critterlover]

Also humous (made from chick peas) with pita bread or chips for dipping is good for lunch and has lots of protein.

[sofiemuffins]

hmmm humus is good. Does anyone know if Tahini has a lot of protein? I'm allergic to peanuts, and Tahini almost tastes like it (I miss peanut butter and jelly!).

[Treen]

Yes it is - it's made from sesame seeds which are a good source of protein. I love humous too.

Egg sandwiches aren't too messy (although some people may complain when you open your lunchbox!) and hard boiled eggs are a good sandwich box snack too.

[mncavylover]

Ok, I've tried those. I didn't get to the tofu yet, because I had black beans with rice yesterday, but I think I will tonight (hopefully!) Thanks for the ice pack idea, I'll be sure to try that tomorrow. I've never heard of humous before, but I think I'll try that as well. So many new and different things!

Thanks to you all once again, you're the best!

[chrishall1979]

You are braver then I am. Humous scares me. I think any word thats more then 5 letters long and has at least the same amount of vowels as consonants in it(or more vowels). Is something that should be feared. Believe it or not, I never eat tofu either. A lot of vegetarians live off of it. But I'm not one of those vegetarians.

Now if I could just stop eating the cheese eggs and milk...I'd be perfect!

Chris

[mncavylover]

It's very difficult to become vegan, if that's what you're referring to. You need to look through everything you eat for gelatin, any animal products, etc. It's very hard!

Do you recommend any sites for recipes, advice, reference, etc?

Thanks for the help! I've only been vegetarian for a little over a month, so I need all the help I can get. I've been trying to find a shop that carried veggie and vegan products (my dad is allergic to all milk proudcts, and not just lactose, so it's for him as well), but I haven't had much luck. Any you know of? Thanks so much in advance!

[My Baby Mu]

www.peta.com has some recipes on it.

[chrishall1979]

Yeah, I actually went vegan for the first month of my non-meat eating. I do check everything for animal products, no jello etc.... The only think i cant get rid of is cheese, milk and eggs cause I love them. But I get them from local dairys where i know how the animals were treated. Not just accepting whats on the supermarket shelves.

As far as where to get vegetarian products all of our supermarkets and walmarts carry a wide assortment here. Almost every grocery store has a vegetarian section now. Morningstar and Boca are the 2 most popular brands nationwide. Now lets see you are from St. Paul, MN. Here's what I found for you.


[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Capitol City Co-op[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]26 W. 10th Street[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]651-298-1340[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hampden Park Co-Op[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]928 Raymond Avenue[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]651-646-6686[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Mississippi Market Food Co-Op[/font] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 1810 Randolph Avenue, 622 Selby Avenue[/font] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] 651-690-0507[/font] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Deli[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Whole Foods Market[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]30 South Fairview[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]651-690-0197[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Deli. Open 9am-10pm daily.
[/font]
Those should help you get started. They are all 100% vegetarian.

Check out these pages as well for Minnesota.
http://www.vegetarianusa.com/city/Minnesota.html
http://www.twincitiesdiningguide.com...minnetonka.asp
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...21/ai_17933904
http://phonebook.superpages.com/yell...MN/T-St.+Paul/


If you need more I'd be happy to check it out for ya. but that should get you started.

Chris
- "I'm a level 5 vegan, I don't eat anything that casts a shadow" - The Simpsons

[mncavylover]

Wow, that's great, Chris! I'm having an ok start, went veggie overnight though, that's why it's difficult.

Thanks very much for all of the help on finding everything. I'll be sure to check all those stores and sites out! Thanks for being so awesome.

[chrishall1979]

Awesome is my specialty. I did it overnight too, so I know how it can be. If you ever need anything just let me know. I'll do what i can.

chris

[Treen]

Originally Posted by mncavylover

It's very difficult to become vegan, if that's what you're referring to. You need to look through everything you eat for gelatin, any animal products, etc.

I'm just vegetarian, not vegan, and I avoid animal products like gelatine. To me the crucial factor is whether the animal has to die to produce it - if it does (and gelatine comes from inside the bones) then it's as good as meat.

I love fizzy cola bottles, and sweets like drumsticks and refreshers, so it's the only thing that makes me sulk slightly as it's hard to see sweets as dead animals!

I did find an online shop http://www.veganstore.co.uk/index.html which sold fizzy colas, which weren't quite as good as teh normal ones, but they were close enough to keep me quiet. But although they do all kinds of vegan jellied sweets, they don't seem to have the fizzy colas anymore. Bah!

For lovers of Worcestershire sauce, the Biona Worcestershire sauce they sell is really good (the regular stuff has anchovies in). (Wasn't a fan of the other two they sell.)

Originally Posted by chrishall1979

Believe it or not, I never eat tofu either. A lot of vegetarians live off of it. But I'm not one of those vegetarians.

I'm not generally a fan of tofu - the first few times I tried it (and this was with other people cooking it who thought it was lovely) I thought it was slimy and tasteless. However, Chinese restaurants often serve it deep fried with the usual sauces (OK sauce is my personal favourite) and it's absolutely delicious like that - can't get enough of the stuff!

[MilesWaterson]

Originally Posted by Treen

I love fizzy cola bottles, and sweets like drumsticks and refreshers, so it's the only thing that makes me sulk slightly as it's hard to see sweets as dead animals!

That's one of the hardest things I found about becoming vegetarian - not being able to eat those lovely gummy sweets - the kind you get in pick and mix. There are vegetarian sweets that use pectin instead of gelatine. Thorntons sell these and you'll find some imported European sweets use it too. But you're right - they're not quite the same. Although I liked the gummy feel of those cola bottles, when I think about what makes them gummy, I soon loose my desire to eat them.

[chrishall1979]

Well just because the animals doesn't die, doesn't mean it wasn't tortured. Take dairy cows for instance. In order to give milk they have to be pregnant. So they are constantly inseminated. When they give birth the baby cow is pulled out and put in a crate to spend the rest of its like their. The mother is immediately impregnanted again, and overworked. And once she dies (her life span is half that of a normal cow) shes just processed for meat anyway. So I'd really like to kick the milk and cheese...etc.

Chris

[GuineasGalore]

Soy Soy Soy!!!

there's soy meat (burgers, hotdogs etc.) that taste exactly, if not better than the real thing! and no animals had to die for thier creation, plus you get protien.
and they're better than tofu (sorry i don't like tofu very much)