Advice for a new vegan - Protein!

[Hightower]

Hi, I'm a new vegan and a really big guy. I need lots of protein. Right now I'm 6'7" and 360 lbs. A lot of that weight comes from a year of eating junk food but otherwise I'm strong, active, and the least I've weighed at my most active was 280lbs. Basically what I'm asking is a list of foods high in protein that I can munch on throughout the day until I get my culinary skills up. So far I've been drinking lots of soy milk and eating nuts. I've heard that there are a lot of options for protein in the vegan community but while I work on those I need some quick simple options to tide me over. If anybody can suggest some other options I'd be most grateful.

As a side note, I didn't go vegan for the health benefits. In fact I originally viewed it as a hindrance. I'm learning as I go.

[brimstoneSalad]

I'm glad to help.

TVP is a good go-to staple for adding protein, but requires a little preparation.

However, rather than focusing on foods that have particularly high protein, it can make an even bigger difference just to switch out low protein foods in your diet for slightly superior options.

Look at the protein per calorie ratio.

For example, most fruits suck. But blackberries are awesome.
White rice is terrible. But black rice is actually pretty good. (seeing a trend here?)
White popcorn? Not so good. Blue popcorn? Yes. (air popped)

Broccoli is actually pretty amazing, and so are most dark leafy greens- it's deceptive, because they're high in water and fiber content, but by more or less dry weight, freeze dried broccoli has about as much protein in it as beef jerky (kind of surprising, you just have to consider that broccoli is more than 90% water).

Fresh broccoli makes a good snack with hummus, but you might need to rely on bean-o because uncooked, broccoli can pack a punch.

You have to eat a larger volume of food as a vegan, because your food will naturally contain more water- but you'll find you don't need to drink as much at the same time, and that if you choose the right foods, you'll get a lot more protein per calorie (and a LOT more fiber, antioxidants, no cholesterol, etc.).

Some people consider eating more volume of food to be a plus, some people don't like it (for people with eating disorders, it's trouble), so I can't say if that's a benefit or not objectively speaking. But a lot of vegans love getting to eat twice as much as everybody else
You just have to choose your staples carefully to avoid otherwise empty calories from excessive starch or sugar, and not be afraid to pile your plate pretty high.

When everything you eat has a little higher protein, it makes a huge difference in the bottom line (bigger than adding super dense protein foods as an addition).

Basically what I'm asking is a list of foods high in protein that I can munch on throughout the day until I get my culinary skills up. So far I've been drinking lots of soy milk and eating nuts.

I'll try. But the best and most economical snacks take some preparation. Also remember, switching low protein staples for medium to high protein staples makes a much bigger difference in the bottom line than snacking.

But here are some easy snack ideas:

Walnuts (Probably the best nut there is, because of the higher ratio of good Omega 3 fats)
Builder Bars (by Cliff) - expensive, but good source of on-the-go protein (you can make better/cheaper bars yourself).

Natural peanut butter (without sugar or palm oil)- you can find it most places, and there are a lot of options for dipping. Baby carrots in peanut butter are a good option. Pretzels also provide a good option (wheat is reasonably high in protein- and since they tend to be baked, low in oil compared to chips).

Canned, fat free refried beans. With a little hot sauce, treat it as bean dip. Use carrots of pretzels, or buy some tortillas to spread it on (keep a knife handy). Also pretty easy to find anywhere, at a convenience store.


If you're willing to prepare your own protein bars ahead of time, you can make some great snacks really cheap. It's mostly just mixing stuff up and putting it in the oven on low to bake out the excess water.

I can give you some recipe ideas if you want.


We have a few body builders and protein optimizers here, and I'm sure they'll be able to offer more tips too.

[PrincessPeach]

Start your day out with 4 tablespoons of hulled hemp seeds!

I suggest eating a variety of foods in small portions through out the day in stead of relying heavy on one food source for protein like you did as an omni..
I would of course up your suggested serving size seeing as you are tall man.
Instead of eating an entire bag of one type of nuts eat, 1/3 a cup of raw cashews, 1/3 a cup of raw almonds, 1/3 a cup of pumpkin seeds, 1/3 a cup of dried fruit (goji berries are so good but expensive raisins or apricots work well too)
You will get protein as well as a variety of other essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, omegas and all that other good stuff our bodies need (pumpkin seeds are good for omegas)

Lentils are very good and only take 20 minutes to make, I like to cook them in a low sodium broth.

Brimstone's suggestion to eat black rice and broccoli is a good one here is my secret,

Once you add the black rice to the water cover and wait about 3 minutes then add your broccoli cover with the lid open just a little so the steam can escape, cook your rice like normal...
Once your rice is done you will also have a big helping of steamed broccoli to eat!

My 17 month old son will eat his steamed broccoli, I think everyone else can too!!

Remember to eat a variety of foods, do not rely one food for 'protein' or any other vitamin/minerals...

[Hightower]

Thank you both so much for the reply this is exactly the advice I was looking for. In fact most of the food choices and cooking techniques mentioned are foods I rather enjoy but it never occurred to me before to focus on them. You are also both correct that I need to increase my calorie intake.

Rather than bake my own protein bars my goal is to learn a new recipe every week so I can make a large meal and save some for lunch breaks. Last week I made vegan spaghetti which turned out great and this week I'm going for beans and rice. This way I won't be limited to what fast food chains have to offer.

I have one follow up question. Is black rice the same as brown rice? I haven't seen it before, but maybe I just didn't notice.

[brimstoneSalad]

Rather than bake my own protein bars my goal is to learn a new recipe every week so I can make a large meal and save some for lunch breaks. Last week I made vegan spaghetti which turned out great and this week I'm going for beans and rice. This way I won't be limited to what fast food chains have to offer.

Sounds great. Although making bars can be a great addition as a snack; I love to have home made granola protein bars on hand

I have one follow up question. Is black rice the same as brown rice? I haven't seen it before, but maybe I just didn't notice.

No, brown rice is pretty much the same as white rice, it just still has the hull on it. It's slightly higher in fiber, but otherwise I don't recommend it.

Black rice is a very different strain, like wild rice. It's pure black in color.
Wild rice is a great option too- about the same as black rice, maybe a little better, but probably twice as expensive.

Black rice is about $3-$4/lb. Wild rice, around $7-$8/lb (as far as I can tell from a quick search)

Here's a random article about Black rice on livestrong (take it with a grain of salt):
http://www.livestrong.com/article/26562 ... formation/

And the cheapest option I see online with a quick search:
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/lundberg ... 1-lb-bag-s

Might be better deals out there.

Look at the protein content per 100g, or per calorie.
Black rice is about 10% protein, and has about three times more protein than white rice.

Oats are pretty amazing, yet common, and better than even black rice, at around 15% protein (comparable to wild rice). Although texture-wise, they may have limited applications in prepared food (it's hard to use a scoop of oats with your stir fry)- better off making bars/granola, and using as breakfast cereal, or including in bready things.

Then there's buckwheat, which is somewhere in between, but still pretty good.
Japanese style buckwheat Soba is amazing (and I think it's a higher protein strain of buckwheat).
Conventional Italian pasta (semolina) is about the same.

And probably a few that don't come to mind at the moment.

Yellow corn, white rice, and to an extent some potatoes... we tend to base our diets on the most nutritionally pathetic starches there are, when there's so much more rich and nutritious food out there.

Wheat isn't too bad, I can't trash talk wheat much, except for the gluten which some people are sensitive to (but if you aren't sensitive to it, it's dandy). Conventional semolina pasta makes a good staple (although mixing and matching with other options is good).

[Hightower]

Thanks I always thought that brown rice was the healthy alternative. When I go back to the store I'll grab some black or wild rice, or soba if I see it. I'll take your advice and focus on the nutrition label, it's extremely useful to know what to look for. I have a long standing habit of blocking out advertisements but that often results in a blank stare when I'm shopping. Now I have the knowledge to pick out the good stuff.

As a side note, I used to work for Swanson. Nice place to work, I had a few gripes but nothing major, I'd still be there if the wages were higher.

[PrincessPeach]

I can't believe I forgot to mention....

I also eat a lot of mushrooms, these guys contain twice as much protein than plants and contain a variety of b vitamins & so much more .....!!

http://www.mushroomidea.co.uk/health/nu ... 539A19CD2B

Has a great chart on the nutritional value of mushrooms vs plants!

Over the weekend I made my own pasta sauce with shiitake mushrooms I bought mung bean pasta it was so good and high in protein! Very expensive though... But I had to try it when I saw it!

The hulled hemp seeds in the morning is a really good way to start out the day and is a good protein boost and will provide you with a perfect omega 3:1 also I am thinking you should probably take 6 tabelspoons because of how big you are, 4 tablespoons is the recommenced DV dose for a 2000 calorie diet you should be on a much higher..

[Twizelby]

Hemp nuff' said.

[brimstoneSalad]

I'll take your advice and focus on the nutrition label, it's extremely useful to know what to look for.

Sometimes it's useful to bring a calculator.

I calculate protein per dollar, protein per weight, or protein per calorie, which are all pretty useful metrics.

The first is for budgeting, the second for if you want to reduce the volume of food you're eating or really up protein intake per meal, and the last is for weight loss while maintaining good nutrition (eliminating empty calories).

It can be useful to set upper limits on each one, so you can say whether something is too expensive, too bulky and impossible to eat enough of, or too high in empty calories to be worth eating.

But also be careful to strictly avoid anything with trans-fats in it, and keep saturated fat to a minimum. Also keep an eye on omega 3:6 ratios. You want high Omega 3, and low Omega 6 for optimal nutrition.

Making sure something has healthy types of fats is the primary gate keeper for me. After that, it will usually be a contest of protein and other nutrients.
But, you can also compensate for Omega 6 elsewhere by eating extra dense Omega 3, like flax seed or canola oil.

As a side note, I used to work for Swanson. Nice place to work, I had a few gripes but nothing major, I'd still be there if the wages were higher.

Cool. I like their online store; they have some of the best values, and I'm not sure how they do it.
I don't know anything about physical locations; or did you work for their online presence?


Hulled Hempseeds: Yes, they are awesome.

Mushrooms: Love em', but they usually fail the price test for me, so I use them as a treat or to add a little flavor to an odd meal. Nutritionally, they're almost all protein and chitin, which is a protein which acts as an insoluble fiber because it's indigestible for us (we don't have the right enzymes)- good balance of minerals and some vitamins too (and interestingly, even vitamin D if they've had good sun exposure).

[brimstoneSalad]

I just learned something:

While Quinoa is nutritionally excellent, very high demand (which has grown faster than cultivation can keep up to expand its range) has adversely affected many people in the countries where this grain is grown (who are not importing junk food instead of eating the grain they've relied on for centuries, because they're exporting all of it). I didn't realize demand had exploded this much (I haven't bought any for years).

I would recommend against eating South American Quinoa at the moment, and waiting until cultivation practices catch up and allow us to grow more of it locally, due to those negative socioeconomic effects on the native people of its native region.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/1 ... ng-its-own

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/won ... y-it-isnt/

But I wouldn't say stop eating it entirely; because market forces are doing something good in driving adoption of this grain in North America, even if that's contributing to some short term volatility.

Apparently there are some producers in Canada, although it's "crunchier".
I would look for Canadian or American grown Quinoa specifically, if you can find it.

And, I would be extra price sensitive: Buy it when the price is low, and when price starts to rise, switch to something else. Being a highly sensitive consumer to price helps to stabilize the market. When people buy things regardless of price, that's where serious instability can be created in a niche market like this.

Otherwise, rice, oats, wheat, beans, etc. All good options.