Digestible protein

[pennyr]

I have trouble digesting certain vegan proteins, especially seitan. I was wondering if others could give me feedback on high protein density foods that are easy to digest?

My daily diet currently consists of:
Kite Hill Greek Yogurt: 180 cal / 12gF/7gC/11gP. Protein source: Almonds, fully digestible for me
Svelte Shake: 180 cal / 7gF/21gP/11gP. Protein source: Soymilk, partially digestible for me (I’d love a pre-made shake that isn’t soy)
Gardein of some sort, for example Chickn patties: 170 cal / 8gF/14gC/13gP. Protein source: Soy protein concentrate/Vital Wheat Gluten: fully digestible
Kind Protein Bar: 250 cal / 17gF/17gC/12gP. Protein source: Peanuts, Almonds, Soy Protein Isolate: Fully digestible.
Some sort of greens, like Kale/Spinach/etc
Some sort of Amy’s dinner, or quinoa/beans/lentils, or Sweet Earth, variable digestibility.

My activity level isn’t that high right now- I lift 1-2x/week, do yoga 2x/wk, Spin 0-1x/wk, all with low-moderate intensity. Calories are low right now- I do try to hit at minimum of 1200, and eat for hunger (I don’t have much hunger with my current diet), but my question isn’t really regarding overall caloric intake. Rather, how do I increase the amount of protein in a day without giving myself terrible gas?

Also, I’m curious as to how much daily protein other petite females out there consume? Everything I read recommends 100+ g/day, and right now I’m getting about 60g/day.

 

[dawn16]

@pennyr You're a small female you do not need 100g of protein a day.

I'm almost 200lbs and the "ripped guy" and I regularly only take in 100g protein a day myself.

If you're intaking a high amount of carbs from unprocessed whole plant foods you really don't need to obsess over protein.

I'm more concerned that your diet is completely fake processed food over whole plants than the amount of protein you're getting..

Cut out the Greek yogurt for breakfast and have potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, barley, or buckwheat with some beans.

Protein shake - drop that for fruit, banana, apple, blueberries, watermelon

Gardein: eat a whole plant based starch (potato, sweet potato, squash, brown rice, quinoa, yam) with a legume like lentil, chickpea, soy, beans and a leafy green like kale or spinach, with avocado if desired

Protein bar: replace for more fruit, a seed and nut mixture, or an at home high protein smoothie

Dinner: same as what you do to replace gardein

You're going to feel so much better and improve your performance eating a more whole plant based diet. You don't need all that protein, you need more whole plants

 

[michae1]

@dawn16

If you're intaking a high amount of carbs from unprocessed whole plant foods you really don't need to obsess over protein.

Can you explain this a little more please, this is my first time hearing this

 

[dawn16]

@michae1 Carbohydrates are muscle sparing and lower protein oxidization

 

[michae1]

@dawn16 cool! thanks VEGeta

 

[pennyr]

@dawn16 Thanks for the feedback!

 

[dawn16]

@pennyr Yeah and fyi gas usually is accompanied by eating such a high protein diet. I'd recommend experimenting with high quality protein powders. I personally had SERIOUS issues with protein powders before with Vega and every type really. It would make me get bloated, gassy, and eventually throw up.

I occasionally use "garden of life raw protein" now and it causes me zero issues. Part of the reason I became aware of the high protein myth was the fact that protein powder was making me sick I could only get about 100g a day with my basic diet living in Colombia. Turned out my performance began to IMPROVE when I dropped excess protein for more carbs and whole foods

The best way for protein in my opinion for optimal digestion is small amounts throughout the day.

 

[pennyr]

@dawn16 Thank you! I may try Garden of Life.

 

[newcreation312]

@pennyr I find that soy protein powder can be a tough one. Maybe try some pea protein? One of my favorite things on the market is Silk’s Protein nut milk. It’s made from cashews, almonds, and pea protein.

 

[pennyr]

@newcreation312 Thanks for the thought- I’ll pick some up today.

 

[rylt]

@pennyr You might try Vega Protein shakes - no soy if I recall. You might need to cut it with some water when you've just about finished it. In general, I think a pea/rice protein mix gets you close to a complete protein. But pea protein powder is a good place to start. Nuts.com and True Nutrition are low cost sources. The latter lets you customize a mix including flavors and flavor strengths. Premixed options also sold.

I would google "vegan alpha-galactosidase" and explore it as a supplement. Beano is basically that substance.

Essi Quark is a type of yogurt that is no/low lactose, high in protein and low in sugar. Might be same/more digestible than greek yogurt. Macros about the same.

Have you tried tempeh - fried, grilled or baked?

Almond milk based cheese?

This is a calculator for RDA for protein. Note this will provide you with the minimum needed. Most recommendations for those lifting or will recommend higher amounts.

https://fnic.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dri-calculator/

 

[pennyr]

@rylt Thank you for this! I do have Vega, and I should probably start making my own shakes with it. Honestly, it’s about as easy to digest as the soy. I’ve tried about 6 digestive enzyme blends with seitan, before I gave up on it all together. Yes, I love fakin’ bacon, and that’s a good idea- I’ll look into other tempehs as well. I like Kite Hill cheese, but it has 2-3 g protein per serving- not sure if anyone knows of any vegan cheese with higher protein content?

I’ll have to look into nuts.com and true nutrition. Thank you so much for putting all this together for me!