Protein-rich foods for a vegetarian? :]?

Question

I'm a vegetarian & i would like to add more protein to my diet.

Any tasty ideas?

Answer 1

Percentage of Calories From Protein (Value per 100 Grams Edible Portion)

From the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 2005(8)

Fruits

Apple      2%

Banana      5%

Cantaloupe    10%

Grapefruit     8%

Grapes      4%

Honeydew melon    6%

Orange      8%

Papaya      6%

Peach      9%

Pear      3%

Pineapple     4%

Strawberry     8%

Tangerine     6%

Tomato   19%

Watermelon     8%

Grains

Barley    14%

Brown rice     8%

Buckwheat   15%

Millet    12%

Oatmeal   17%

Rye    18%

Wheat germ   26%

Wheat (hard red)  15%

Wild rice   16%

Legumes, Raw

Garbanzo beans  21%

Kidney beans   58%

Lentils    34%

Lima beans   24%

Navy beans   37%

Soybeans   35%

Split peas   29%

Nuts and Seeds

Almonds   15%

Cashews   13%

Filberts     9%

Peanuts   18%

Pumpkin seeds  18%

Sesame seeds   12%

Sunflower seeds  16%

Walnuts (black)  15%

Vegetables, Raw

Artichokes   28%

Beets    15%

Broccoli   33%

Brussels sprouts  31%

Cabbage   24%

Cauliflower   32%

Cucumbers   17%

Eggplant   17%

Green peas   27%

Green pepper   17%

Kale    26%

Lettuce    36%

Mushrooms   56%

Mustard greens  41%

Onions      9%

Potatoes   18%

Spinach   50%

Turnip greens   20%

Watercress   84%

Yams      5%

Zucchini   30%

Answer 2

refried beans could make tacos or nachos. im interested, you get a star.

Answer 3

Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.

Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.

A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.

Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.

Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.

Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.

Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.

Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.

Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.

ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:

More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.

1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.

" Source: Seventh day Adventists study

2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.

4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.

5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to obesity.

Answer 4

You first should determine if you actually need more protein.  Adding more protein if you don't need it is completely unnecessary.  Anyway, 2 slices of whole wheat bread has 10-15 grams, a serving of whole wheat pasta has 10 grams, a glass of soy milk has 10 grams.  Everything you eat has some protein.

Answer 5

I like nuts, immitation meat, and yogurt (WITH NO GELATIN!)

Answer 6

Cook up some tempeh or tofu and mix in with some beans and rice or quinoa. Make peanut butter smoothies. Have a TVP crumble burger or chili. Make/eat lentil soup.

Tofu, lentils, nuts, beans, peanut butter, soy milk, quinoa, couscous, seitan, tvp, tempeh, vegetables, seeds, are all great sources of protein look for recipes with those.