Calling all vegans!
This thread has two purposes: 1) I'd like to know who the vegans are on this board, and 2) I'd like to know what are your favourite sources of protein?
My main sources of protein are:
- smoked tofu (easy and filling)
- lentils and lentil soup
- other beans and bean soups
- a high protein granola I found, probably only available in Europe, called "Nut Pumpkin Seed Fruit Granola" from Foodie Market. A serving of 45g is 12g protein and 210 calories. More carbs than ideal, but when I crave pastries, this satisfies me.
- 1/2 serving of pea protein powder, plus 50g mangoes in 200ml cashew/oat/rice milk. Since surgery, I really dislike the taste of protein powders, so my nutritionist suggested trying smaller amounts.
- My supermarket sells a package of edamame, kale, and red cabbage. I throw out the included herb butter because I prefer to add tamari sauce, and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute. I don't eat much of the kale because it's still a little hard for me to digest, but I love the edamame!
- protein bars. Sadly, I haven't been able to find vegan bars in the shops that were high in protein, but I'm ordering some.
I'm trying to stay in the 600-800 kcal range because I don't lose weight when I exceed that. I'm also trying to get 60g protein, which is a struggle when you're vegan and keeping calories low. Here are some other sources of protein that I eat sometimes, but not every day, because the protein-to-calorie ratio is a little low for my needs.
- hummous with high protein multigrain crackers. I don't have this too often because I find the amount of garlic in store-bought hummous is hard on my sleeve, so I make my own.
- the Strong Roots veggie burgers (kale and quinoa, bean and beetroot)
- soya "yoghurt" with milled chia seeds. If I close my eyes, I can convince myself it's cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. ;)
As a tip for anyone who has had surgery recently, I found milled chia seeds were easy to digest (long before I could tolerate nuts and seeds in general). I added them to a lot of things I ate to increase the amount of protein. Your mileage may vary, so experiment cautiously
Finally, one food that is not high in protein but I find very useful is sugar free jelly (jell-o for Americans). When I'm hungry, I find it difficult to fall asleep. Sugar free jelly fills my tummy without adding calories.
I'm mostly, but not strictly, vegan. Maybe 95 %.
6'3" tall, male.
Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.
M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.
Its true! There's about 22 or 23 hours every day where I don't eat meat. I figure that makes me about 95 percent vegan.
6'3" tall, male.
Highest weight was 475. RNY on 08/21/12. Current weight: 198.
M1 -24; M2 -21; M3 -19; M4 -21; M5 -13; M6 -21; M7 -10; M8 -16; M9 -10; M10 -8; M11 -6; M12 -5.
on 11/8/18 7:48 pm
Were you vegan pre-surgery, too? There are protein added versions of soy and almond milks I have seen at the store. I quite like soy milk in general, but the calories in it are normally higher than almond milk. By no means am I vegan though, I don't know how many you will find on these boards.
Before surgery I was vegetarian but not vegan. The only non-vegan things I ate were unhealthy (e.g., pizza, ice cream) and difficult for me to resist. Post-op, my lactose intolerance became worse and I had a bad reaction to one of those probiotic drinks. That gave me the final push I needed to become vegan.
I haven't seen any protein added versions of soy and almond milks here, but I live in a rural part of Ireland. I'll investigate and see if that's something I can order.
Thanks for the information, I call myself a pescatarian since I eat fish and shrimp but no meat. I do eat Greek yogurt and it is one of my staples even though I am lactose intolerant. I use Syntrax Nectars for additional protein as it is whey protein isolate. I don't think I could get 75g of protein a day without dairy and stay within my 800-1000 calorie total.
I hate to say it but jello is not vegan as it has gelatin in it.
5'5" Age 66 HW 291 SW 275.8 CW 179.8