The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #155902   Message #3672963
Posted By: GUEST,CS
30-Oct-14 - 04:27 AM
Thread Name: BS: Vegan mudcatters
Subject: RE: BS: Vegan mudcatters
SRS: "considering cutting out a lot of meat, looking for alternate sources of food protein,"

As I posted above, believe it or not you don't actually need a lot of protein. Only 46g a day for adult females. All food sources have some protein content, as such you're only likely to become protein deficient if you're very malnourished, or in other words, starving.

Otherwise, for vegetarians all forms of dairy and eggs are high in protein. While strict vegan sources include beans (legumes), nuts and seeds, and all forms of soya (including beans, tofu, milk and tempeh.) Wheat protein or gluten ('Buddhist Meat') is another popular vegan meat sub, though naturally not suited to those with gluten intolerance. Lastly quinoa, that South American grain (actually a seed, but never mind) I've mentioned a couple of times here, is high in protein.

For those going full on vegan, and concerned about their nutrient intake, a food logger is a good idea. There are a number of free online sites where you can track your daily intake of all nutrients, including protein. I use FatSecret, but there's also Cronometer and MyFitnessPal to name a couple of others.

Fat Secret Food Log

Food logging is quite a good idea if you're just interested in observing your food habits. If wanting to lose or maintain weight, it helps to get a picture of where your excess calories may be coming from for example. As well as how much saturated fat, salt or sugar you may be routinely ingesting without really being aware of it. It also encourages honest self-appraisal for those who may either over eat (or indeed under eat) for whatever reason; whether due to snacking, nibbling, inappropriate portion sizes, alcohol, sugary drinks and so-on. I think their a very useful tool. And as said, good for those anxious about getting enough of the right nutrients if making dietary shifts, such as going vegan.