My Doctor said Im protein deficient (after I became a vegetarian), what should I do?

Question

Occasionally I have a Boca burger (with 9 grams of protein) and sometimes I have a glass of soy milk (with 7 grams protein), but thats about it. So everyday I get 0 - maybe 15 grams of protein. My Doctor said Im ideally susposto have 40 - 60 grams DAILY, autoh! So, what kinda suppliments can a 13 year old girl get for protein? Just something in the vitiman section of Wal Mart or something?

Thankss :]

Answer 1

ok! this is what i do.  i would def eat cereal or oat meal everymorning, yo ucan use the soy milk, and then you should add tofu, or yogurt (soy if needed)  to lunch or dinner....also!!! i would add a Luna Bar snack to your diet. they are really good and have ten grams of protine.  you could also add a smothie with a powder as well.  you could also add some humass, or beans to your diet....just try to get more.

Answer 2

Unless your doctor is the exception to the rule, he has almost zilch nutritional training.

Here is a informative article by Dr. John McDougall on this subject

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/a...

Dr. McDougal is well know in the health field & is PRO Vegan. Sign up for his free newsletter.

Answer 3

Why don't you just eat more foods that contain protein? I mean it's not that hard, especially for a vegetarian.

Answer 4

You should eat better.

susposto?

Answer 5

eat a steak. yummm.

Answer 6

The problem for vegans is that no one plant can provide all the amino acids needed to make protein. If you will consume dairy products, you're OK. Ovolactovegetarians generally have no problems. Vegans have to mix their plant foods to include both grains and legumes. Examples are succotash and red beans and rice. Almost every ethnic cuisine has examples of dishes that will give you both groups together.

Answer 7

eat a hamburger...we need to get rid of cows anyhow, theyre speeding up global warming.

Answer 8

What you are saying is not true unless you are starving yourself.  Most every single food has protein in it so you are getting far more than what you are claiming.  

You don't take supplements for protein.  All you do is have to eat enough calories.  It's nearly impossible to be protein deficient unless you have an eating disorder.

I find this post very hard to believe.  If you were REALLY suffering from this deficiency, your so called doctor would have told you need to do.

Answer 9

You shouldn't need a supplement, you just need to eat properly.  If you're honestly getting only 10-15 grams per day, you are either flat out not eating enough or you're eating nothing by junk.  Good, healthy vegetarian food has plenty of protein and it should never be a problem.  If you're really getting that little, I have to wonder what the h**l you're eating and whether you became vegetarian to try to mask anorexia.

Vegetarians get tons of protein from soybeans and soy foods (tofu, tempeh, edamame, tvp and faux meats,) beans and other legumes (pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, etc... but also lentils, peas, peanuts, peanut butter, chickpeas,) whole grains (all of them, but check out quinoa in particular because it's a nutritional powerhouse,) nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables (especially dark green ones,) eggs and dairy products.  Google the vegetarian food pyramid and FOLLOW IT.

I would also recommend getting a copy of "The New Becoming Vegetarian" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina.  They are both registered dietitians and the book is a valuable resource in planning a healthy vegetarian diet.  If you're eating so poorly that you're not getting enough protein, you're also missing out on other important nutrients.  Go over it with your parents so they understand how to help you plan a diet you can thrive on.

Here is some additional info on protein: http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/prote...  As you can see even from their very short list, it should be easy to get plenty of protein if you include the right foods in your daily diet.  A serving of lentils would more than double what you claim to be getting now.

Answer 10

Try Egg in lots of different recipes!

Answer 11

That's an extremely common problem with going vegetarian.

Eating more soy products should give you more protein. If you can get some protein powder from the health food store you can use that to supplement your diet. Beans and lentils are great sources of protein too. If your school has a nutritionist, they might have some good advice. Is your mother aware you have gone vegetarian? Maybe she would have some ideas about recipes for vegetables, and how to increase your protein intake. If you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian -- one who eats eggs and milk products -- one or two eggs a day would help a LOT, as they are almost pure protein.

NOTE -- Since you are only 13, I want to tell you that if you have problems getting your period, it could either be calcium or iron deficiency, another common condition with vegetarians. If you do have a problem with that please see your doctor right away, they can recommend things that will fit in with your vegetarian diet.

Answer 12

Try chicken or turkey meat. Low in fat, high in protein. 3 ounces provides about 25 grams of protein!  

Answer 13

you need beans, nuts, and leafy green veggies!!! beans and rice are always a good combo! and don't forget a tried and true favorite; pb&j.  

Answer 14

I'm having a hard time believing this really happened unless you have an eating disorder.

The vast majority of vegetarians get more than enough protein without even trying.

The guy who said you can't get all the essential amino acids without eating meat is wrong.

You can get some nutrition information from these two sites:

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada...

http://www.vegparadise.com/basics.html

Answer 15

ok,   as a vegetarian, how'd you become protein defecient?

????

are we actually eating fresh fuits and veggies?

Answer 16

If you have this problem and your doctor KNOWS that you are indeed a vegetarian, I am wondering why they are not sending you to a dietitian/nutritionist to help you set up a better diet than what you are eating.

Getting protein isn't a problem.  I can think of few foods that don't have at least some sort of protein.

Answer 17

Supplement pills can't make much of a dent in protein as a major food group.  You could probably get a few grams of protein from pills but not enough to be a big factor.

The first issue is what kind of vegetarian are you?  Without worrying about terminology, do you eat any animal products such as eggs and/or dairy?  No meat, or just not red meat?

Answer 18

I'm a vegetarian and eat a quite fussy diet, but I find that there are loads of veggie products, I quite like bean burgers and things like that, there are also lots of other things, like couscous that can be really useful in getting a good amount of protein.

Cheese and eggs are also a really good way of getting protein, that is if you eat that kind of thing, I don't know if you do dairy products...

Hope its helpful...