Protein and ensuring you are eating enough if you are vegan
Protein Needs and Getting Adequate Protein as a Vegetarian or Vegan
When we think about our protein needs it is important to remember that a one size fits all recommendation is not the way to go.
We all need protein for cell repair and growth, production of hormones and enzymes and it is the building blocks of bones, muscles, skin and cartilage. It forms one of the three main macro nutrients and the specific amounts we need depends on gender, weight, height and activity level.
General recommendations around nutrition that are fine to shout about are – eat a variety of real foods, eat the rainbow, eat more plants, get lots of fibre in your diet make sure you’re getting enough antioxidants from plenty of fruit and veg, ensure you’re consuming enough healthy fats from good sources - these are all good recommendations to make but to make recommendations to people about their calorie requirements generally and the breakdown of those into protein, carbohydrates and fats requires a level of personal information and a calorie calculator. This will give you a good basis to experiment and see whether the ‘calculated model’ answer is working for you:-
Let me give you an example.
If we take an average woman at 5ft 4in/ weight at 60kg. If this woman exercises three times per week and is 35yrs old then daily calorie needs work out to be 1,500kcals per day to maintain her current weight at those activity levels. When you punch this number into a macronutrient calculator with a sensible breakdown of nutrients into 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat this works out to be –
40% Carbs 600kcals 150g
30% Protein 450 112g
30% Fats 450 50g
Your protein needs depend on your age, sex, size and your activity levels. If you have been exercising regularly for some time and eating healthily at the right amount for you then it’s likely that you already know what works for your body and don’t need to be tracking and measuring the foods and can stay healthy and in good shape. The most common issue I tend to see with clients when they first come to me is that they haven’t been eating enough protein for their needs.
Firstly, protein makes you fuller for longer so it helps with keeping off cravings so you don’t keep looking for those low-quality fat and sugar filled snacks.
Protein supports retention of more lean mass when you are trying to lose weight and consuming adequate amounts of protein can aid in cell repair and regeneration.
A word of caution though – they last few years has seen an increase in many companies throwing low quality protein sources into everything and anything and then making the claim that it’s “high in protein”.
We should all look to get the majority of our protein intake from real foods, such as, meat, eggs, dairy, fish, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds and refrain from consuming too many protein bars and treats that tend to be low quality and high calorie. If you need an easy way to up your protein then just throw a scoop of protein powder into a shaker and mix it up with frozen berries and greens or a simple iced coffee.
If you are Vegan or Vegetarian there are protein powders available from plant sources so you can top up if you need to. This brings me to my final point to remember that if you are getting your protein from plant- based sources (and we should all be doing this several times a week even if we eat meat and fish) then you may need to combine your sources over the day to make sure to get a complete set of the essential amino acids from your food choices.
Check out this primer below and my delicious plant based recipes on our website.
Complete Protein with all 9 essential Amino Acids
Legumes + Nuts
Legumes + Grains
Legumes + Seeds
Grains and Nuts
Quinoa – complete source of all 9 amino acids. Contains fibre and protein as well as tasting delicious – load it up with loads of roast veg for an easy meal.
Nuts and Seeds – delicious source of protein, fats and nutrients. Great for topping salads, throwing into breads or using to make sauces.
Tofu and Tempeh – Made from soy beans great source of protein, and fibre in the base of tempeh which is fermented.
Legumes and Beans - Protein Fibre and micro nutrients. Check out my mixed bean and patatas bravas casserole recipe.
If you would like any help in eating better, learning to cook or getting some 1-1 coaching then contact us for more information. Info@thisistheway.ie
Grainne Parker copyright 2020
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