How about we cover vegetarian protein one last time in 2008? First up is how much do vegetarians need, followed by what are some good sources. Oh! and if you find this article useful, please share it with a friend.
In order to get a rough idea of how to approach getting the right amount of protein, look first at your body weight. The Recommended Dietary Allowance is 0.37 gram of protein per pound of body weight, and rises to about 0.50 gram per pound if you are moderately active.
Using this formula if you weigh…
- 130 lb, you need 65 grams of protein a day
- 140 lb, you need 70 grams of protein a day
- 150 lb, you need 75 grams of protein a day
- 160 lb, you need 80 grams of protein a day
- 170 lb, you need 85 grams of protein a day
- 180 lb, you need 90 grams of protein a day
- 190 lb, you need 95 grams of protein a day
- 200 lb, you need 100 grams of protein a day
- 210 lb, you need 105 grams of protein a day
…And so on. As you can see the protein requirements are pretty high, especially if you weigh more. So now one should consider how to get their necessary allotment.
Some foods such as hard cheeses, nuts, and eggs are typically thought of as protein-rich, but really aren’t as rich in protein as some. While these can be good secondary sources, try these instead:
- Cottage Cheese 29g/ serving, serving size: 1 cup (pros: calcium, cons: lactose intolerance)
- Ricotta Cheese 28g/ serving, serving size: 1 cup (pros: calcium, cons: lactose intolerance)
- Seitan 26g/ serving, serving size: 1/2 cup (pros: low calorie, cons: high in sodium)
- Soybeans 26g/ serving, serving size: 1 cup (pros:Â lignans, cons: goitrogens, may interfere with thyroid)
- Lentils 18g/ serving, serving size: 1 cup (pros: high in minerals, cons: may cause gas)
- Tempeh 16g/ serving, serving size: 1 cup (pros: fiber, minerals, B vitamins, heart-healthy soy cons: goitrogens)
- Split Peas 16g/ serving, serving size: 1 cup (pros: B vitamins, cons: may cause gas)
- Navy Beans 16g/ serving, serving size: 1 cup (pros: B vitamins, fiber, cons: has purines, which can cause kidney stones)
(Thanks Vegetarian Times for this list! (PDF))
A final topic of interest is how good is vegetarian protein versus meat-based protein. Up until the 90’s soy protein was thought to be inferior to meat protein. Then it was found that the rats that the early protein research was done on needed more sulfur-containing amino acids than humans, skewing the score.
Once the score was adjusted, both meat and soybeans scores about a 0.92 protein efficiency ratio (PER) on average (1.0 or higher is considered ideal). Eggs, while containing less protein are more efficient with a PER of 1.12, frequently stated as 1.0. Milk and whey also earn 1.0 or highers scores, and soy protein isolate also scores a 1.0. So in effect, soy is a better protein than meat, according to modern nutritional research.
READER QUESTION
What are some of your fave sources of protein? And where do you go for research on the topic? Do you even think about it, is it at all a concern? Share below.
EDITOR”S NOTE: I’m more concerned about getting enough fiber and iron, than i am with protein. But all are important nutrients. As is calcium, potassium, anti-oxidants, vitamins, etc.
I want to also add a few more links of interest.
I found a fantastic list at Joyous Living of vegetarian cheeses sorted by type or brand, and here is the link to organic vegetarian cottage cheese maker, Horizon Organic.
Please visit these great resources. Feel free to share your finds as well.
Cool article. If you want to GAIN muscle, you actually need more protein than that. Typically, to gain muscle, you’ll want to take your amount of lean body mass and multiply it by 1 to 1.5 to get the amount of grams of protein per day.
For instance, if you’re 200lbs and 15% body fat, then you have 170lbs of lean body mass. 170*1.5 = 255g protein… so anywhere from about 185g to 255g of protein (for those most interested in muscular growth) per day.
Pretty tough to do without shakes, even for non-vegetarians. We’re working on adding more vegetarian shakes to our site, the soy shakes could certainly help.
Forgot to cite my source:
Pudoc, Wageningen in The Netherlands 1985:99-103 showed that moving to 1.59g protein per pound of bodyweight from 1g protein per pound of bodyweight resulted in a 6% increase in muscle mass and a 5% increase in strength.
One that I have a link for:Â Â http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/28/1/29.pdf – when combined with intense training, lean muscle mass is added at much higher rates when taking 2.8g of protein per kg of body weight (1.27g protein per pound of bodyweight) rather than 1.4g of protein per kg of body weight (0.635g protein per pound of bodyweight).
Another one to add to your list: Nutribody Protein. It’s vegetarian, made of brown rice and pea protein — no sugars, soy estrogens! It’s great, especially if you want to pump up your protein intake as you increase your workouts!
The whole protein thing can be a bit of a pain for a vegan, mixing foods is pretty much required, but it doesn’t mean your limited to boring options, I looked a the basics and did a quick write up on http://www.myveganplanet.com/vegan-diet-advice/vegan-protein-advice/
hope this helps anyone looking for which foods to eat from diferent protein groups
Berto:
Thanxs for the info on adding more muscle through protein. Good stuff.
Chris:
I have not heard of NutriBody Protein, will look into it. Thanxs for the referral.
Oli:
Cool blog name, and yeah it can be abit of a pain to have to study your meals and really know ingredients and what not. But it also makes us healthier, as we tend to be more food savvy.
Thanxs for visiting guys. Hope to see you all again soon.
Cheers,
Missy.
Great post. I always find that I feel hungry if I don’t eat lots of protein. I have never taken the time to measure it all out, I just go with my gut feeling, literally. Peanut butter is my favorite source.
Mmmm, now I’m craving some cottage cheese.
I wish Stonyfield or someone would try a vegan cottage cheese. I’d try it!
Jennifer »
Lol. Glad we made you crave some cottage cheese. (i think) As for vegan cottage cheese, i believe Horizon’s carries a vegan option.
Thanxs for coming by.
Green Steam Clean »
It’s a combo of protein (and fiber) that will make you feel full. Look for fiber rich foods. This should help with not feeling hungry. Some good sources of fiber include pears, cereals fortified with it such as Fiber One and Total, peanut butter, bagels, beans, etc.
Thanks Missy, I have a very fast metabolism, so too much fiber can cause me problems. I am not 100% vegetarian so I do eat some meats sometimes. Home made bread also keeps me good and full feeling and it makes my house smell so inviting.
Trader Joe’s makes an excellent nonfat greek yogurt that has 20g of protein per serving.
Spot Cool Stuff »
Hey, thanxs for that tip. 20 grams of protein? Wow. That is awesome. Unfortunately there isn’t a Trader Joe’s anywhere insight where i live. But this is still good to know and my readers will appreciate the info.
Thanxs for dropping by!
Thanks, the website is actually my fianée’s!