Need some protein sources...

landsleaving

I'm leaning slowly into vegetarianism at the moment, haven't had meat in 2 weeks now, for health reasons mostly, and need some help with protein sources.

The problem for me is I tried tofu and it fell apart and was kinda disgusting to eat, so all I know from here is quorn, which I like, and eggs. But that's a bit limited. I also dislike nuts and can't eat dairy so... any ideas??

I'm willing to give tofu a second chance, maybe we got off on the wrong foot...

Also, I could probably do with a good source of calcium that's non-dairy too.

I know these questions are probably asked a lot, so sorry if so.

TooManyDogs

There's a grain called quineoa too that's considered one of the only non-mammalian complete proteins, it can be used as a rice or couscous substitute or put into soups or currys. You can get it in big supermarkets or health food shops.

About the tofu, did you squeeze and freeze? That's the key! I only like tofu that way. When you buy a block put it on a towel and put a plate on top of it with some tins or something heavy on the plate. Leave it there overnight. You can then chop it into pieces and stick it into the freezer. Freezing it changes the texture and makes it a more 'meaty' texture. When you defrost it you can marinate it. The thing to remember about tofu is it's essentially a sponge so if you cook it in alot of liquid it will absorb a huge amount and be squishy in your mouth. I stirfry it by getting the oil nearly smoking, drop in the tofu and keep moving it for 2 or 3 minutes then take it out and do my veggies and noodles and then add it back in for the last minute to heat up again. I've fed it to major anti tofu family without telling them it was tofu and they've been deligthed with it

Gauge

I had a tough time with tofu until I found a decent brand... you don't say where you're located so this may be of no use to you, but I get a brand called "Tau Kwa" in the Asian Supermarket in Dublin. It doesn't need to be pressed, it doesn't fall apart, it's very firm and easy to fry/grill/bake/whatever. If you're concerned about protein I'd give it a try, finally learning how to cook tofu the way I liked it was one of the best things I ever did as a vegetarian.

Quinoa is another decent source. It used to be harder to get but Tesco sell it now. It's as boring as any other grain on it's own, but cooking it in stock, curry powder or seasoning it makes it a lovely compliment, it's a good one to experiment with. Goes nice with black beans or kidney beans for even more protein. I like tofu and quinoa together, that's got quite a bit of veggie protein in it!

TooManyDogs

Gauge wrote: »

I get a brand called "Tau Kwa" in the Asian Supermarket in Dublin.

I must hunt that one out myself

landsleaving

I hadn't tried freezing it, and it wasn't that brand, so I'll give it another go. I'd never even heard of quinoa so I'll definitely check that out too. Cheers for the advice

Thoushaltnot

Don't forget seitan (wheat gluten, also known as mock duck or mock abalone in asian shops - wheat products don't work so well for me but the gluten on it's own is fine),
tempeh (fermented soy beans, takes a bit of getting used to),
soy beans themselves if you can find them ( take forever to cook from dried then soaked, so buy tinned if you can find them)/green soy beans (edamame)
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein; apparantly it tastes nicer if you fry it first a bit then apply the boiling water and leave to swell for 10 mins, before using in place of mince in dishes)
Seeds, especially hemp (a complete protein), quinoa and sesame (v.good source of calcium - sesame sed paste, known as tahini is something you'll either love or hate but it tastes great with chickpea mash in hummous or with grape juice in vegan halva).
Protein powders, like hemp and pea, in shakes (oddly enough I've yet to see a whey protein powder that labels itself as vegetarian) and also the Linwoods, etc. seed mixes.
You don't like nuts? What about nut butters? Or at least come back to them in a few months time as your tastes change. I used to detest peanut butter (technically not a nut, actually) but I'll scoff half a jar in one sitting now!


These I would combine with decent protein sources like beans/peas/lentils, leafy green veg (great for iron too), nori seaweed, spelt, oats, olives, avocados and others on the top 20 veg*n protein sources.

Also, be careful with high calcium meals as calcium is absorbed at the expense of iron. With iron rich veggie meals, take a source of vit c (fresh fruit, esp citrus). Calcium absorbtion is boosted by taking vitamin d but don't overdo it on the vit d. Excess vit c will wash out of your body but excess vit d will be stored and build up, which can cause problems down the line. Keep to the RDA there.

Mellor

I'm pretty sure whey is veggie. It mgiht not be marketed as one due it being milk derived but if you've no problem with it I do with whey. One of the better sources.

Some of the ones mentinoed above, liek beans, and nuts, aren't very good protein sources.

rubadub

Mellor wrote: »

I'm pretty sure whey is veggie.

myprotein have symbols beside all their stuff, I see 2 in the whey protein section which do not have the veggie stamp, one is pre-digested and the other is some fancy supplement. I would imagine most basic ones are veggie.

They also have 4 vegan ones
http://www.myprotein.com/ie/cats/protein/vegan-protein

You can get a 5% discount for your first order (and only the first). You can enter my code at checkout MP99441 I get referral points too.

www.bulkpowders.co.uk is another cheap place

If you want smaller amounts there are a few irish online sellers with cheaper delivery, though the 2 above are very cheap postage if getting lots

Mellor

Ah knew I seen it somewhere. Thanks for confirming. Understandable that the pre-digested ones are not. But normal wheys are prob the best option anyway

rubadub wrote: »

Mellor wrote: »

I'm pretty sure whey is veggie.

myprotein have symbols beside all their stuff, I see 2 in the whey protein section which do not have the veggie stamp, one is pre-digested and the other is some fancy supplement. I would imagine most basic ones are veggie.

They also have 4 vegan ones
http://www.myprotein.com/ie/cats/protein/vegan-protein

You can get a 5% discount for your first order (and only the first). You can enter my code at checkout MP99441 I get referral points too.

www.bulkpowders.co.uk is another cheap place

If you want smaller amounts there are a few irish online sellers with cheaper delivery, though the 2 above are very cheap postage if getting lots

kraggy

There are protein shakes that you can get in health shops or from iherb.com

The one that I like is

Nature's Plus, Spiru-Tein, High Protein Energy Meal, Strawberry

It's a delicious shake that's got loads of protein and your RDA of pretty much every vitamin and mineral that you need. It's brilliant.

You can buy it in individual sachets in Evergreen in Galway and other health stores, depending on where you are, for about 2 euro if you want to try it out before committing to buying a big tin of it.

You mix it with milk. It's vegetarian but not vegan. The reviews on Amazon, iherb and other sites are very good.

schemingbohemia

I wouldn't be a huge fan of Tofu but the nicest and most useful ones I've had are the smoked tofu that stays firm in stir frys etc. Think I got a German branded one in Nourish a few times, was really nice with a Satay sauce.

oli.

if you're trying hempseed as someone mentioned, make sure you buy it shelled! i recommended hempseed to my housemate and he didnt like it- turns out it was cuz he was eating it shell and all.... its great sprinkled on a salad or in your cereal. lots of iron too, which veggies most certaintly need