Plant based eating

[Terabith]

I’m trying to have a more plant based diet, but I’ve mostly been thinking of this as aiming for 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  My family really wants meat at most dinners, and when I ran my numbers through chronometer, I am low on calcium and B vitamins.  Pondering if drinking a glass of milk a day and eating some meat at dinner would kinda undo the benefits of plant based eating the rest of the day?  I guess I’m wondering if the benefits of a plant based diet come from the plants themselves or if it’s avoiding animal products that does it?

[KungFuPanda]

Are you able to get enough protein spread throughout your day without the meat? That would take some planning. I suspect the benefit is having most of your food be fruits and vegetables. An abundance of meat or starch isn't great, but a little meat on the side has a lot of vital nutrients. Maybe a fatty fish would be even better?

[Corraleno]

Well, I think it's a little of both. Can you just take a multi with calcium and B vitamins? FWIW, tofu/edamame/soy milk and leafy greens are pretty high in calcium and they're both good for you — kale actually has more calcium per serving than milk. 

For me, the key to plant-based eating is to make really filling meals with lots of flavor and texture, rather than just cutting the meat out of a "typical" meal. So I make stir fries with lots of veg served over soba noodles and topped with super crispy tofu katsu and a really tasty sauce; or vegetable curry with chickpeas, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and spinach in a creamy sauce of coconut milk, tomatoes, and lots of spices served over brown basmati; or a hearty lentil soup with carrots, potatoes, and spinach served with homemade whole wheat sourdough, etc. You really don't miss the meat at all when the meal includes legumes, whole grains, and lots of herbs and spices.

ETA: Nutritional yeast has protein, B vitamins (except B12 if you get the nonfortified version), and some have iron. This one is my favorite, it's high in iron and I think it's super tasty — adds a sort of nutty/cheesy/umami flavor and I add it to most meals and salads. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Corraleno

[Katy]

It’s both eating plants AND avoiding animal products. Dairy is extremely inflammatory. If you’re going to have it I’d go for skim or fat free dairy products only. But it’s still inflammatory and will harm your health. I’ve not had low calcium when I’m eating enough greens, but you could always add soy products if you can’t stomach more beans. Maybe a chocolate chia/soy milk pudding. 

Consider adding a sauce made from thinned down hummus or guacamole to make, say, broccoli or salad taste better. 

[73349]

Broccoli and lentils are more calcium-rich options. Big list here: https://morningchores.com/calcium-rich-plants/

[Indigo Blue]

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

guess I’m wondering if the benefits of a plant based diet come from the plants themselves or if it’s avoiding animal products that does it?

My opinion is both. 
 

I used chronometer a few times (thanks @Corraleno) and was surprised at how easy it was to get a lot of nutrients filled in just from red rice and beans. Lots of iron from that! For calcium, eat lots of greens like kale and spinach. If you’re eating a good variety of foods and still low on b vitamins, just take a whole food vitamin supplement.

 

Edamame, quinoa, kale, and sweet potatoes are my staple foods. Also oats, fruits, and nuts. 

 

You probably know, but just in case you don’t: You MUST supplement b12 if you eat no or less meat. 

[Princess5]

Sorry not to derail this topic but what is this chronometer you guys keep talking about and how are you using it?

[Toocrazy!!]

I eat what I consider a plant forward diet. I try to base my meals around plant products, and I eat a lot of nuts and seeds, but I also eat some meat at every meal to keep up all my numbers. I have three nutrition goals that make me feel my best- 800 grams of fruits and vegetables every day, 30 plus different plant products a week and 100 grams of protein a day. I don’t meet those every day, but that’s the goal! 

[Toocrazy!!]

Cronometer is an app like myfitnesspal where you enter all the food you eat and it tells you about all the nutrients in addition to the calories and macros. It is very easy to use, the free version works great, and it has a really extensive library of foods making it easy to enter your daily food choices. 

[Terabith]

47 minutes ago, Toocrazy!! said:

Cronometer is an app like myfitnesspal where you enter all the food you eat and it tells you about all the nutrients in addition to the calories and macros. It is very easy to use, the free version works great, and it has a really extensive library of foods making it easy to enter your daily food choices. 

Yeah, chronometer was what I used.  

I can't really do much fatty fish because one of my kids is anaphalaxis allergic to fish, especially fish like salmon and perch.  They're at college, so we're cooking it at home now sometimes, but my youngest grew up without any fish and so won't touch it.  

I know I COULD get more nutrients that I need from tofu and such.  The issue is more that the rest of the family isn't on board with going fully plant based, so if I want to eat with my family, I need to include some meat.  

But I won't go the route of drinking a glass of milk to up my calcium.  Sounds like it's better not to go there.

[Terabith]

I am sure I don't get enough protein spread throughout the day.  I eat some flax and chia seeds in my oatmeal at breakfast, and almonds at either snack or lunch at preschool.  But other than that and oatmeal, it's all fruits and veggies because front loading lots of fruits and veggies is the way I can make sure I get them in.

[Laura Corin]

5 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I am sure I don't get enough protein spread throughout the day.  I eat some flax and chia seeds in my oatmeal at breakfast, and almonds at either snack or lunch at preschool.  But other than that and oatmeal, it's all fruits and veggies because front loading lots of fruits and veggies is the way I can make sure I get them in.

Do you eat beans and lentils, and tofu? I rely on those to provide protein. They also contain calcium. 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Laura Corin

[Terabith]

I also don't really like beans.  I will eat black beans and lentils, but there is no way I'd sit down to a bowl of red beans and rice.  Even lentils and black beans are kind of a "I can tolerate them but I don't LIKE them."  

I also don't really like most of the food I'm eating these days.  I don't like oatmeal.  I don't like flax or chia seeds.  I don't like spinach or kale.  I'm just eating it anyway.  

But I'd really like to enjoy SOME of my food.  I like broccoli but and this sounds ridiculous, I can't make it myself the way I like the way it tastes.  My MIL makes great broccoli with just a little butter but I can never get it to come out right.  I tried to eat it raw because I know it's so much healthier and I really, really hated it and couldn't make myself do it.  

I am not crazy picky by picky people standards, but I have enough weird texture issues that I'm not great at eating in general.  Prior to deciding to eat 7-10 fruits and veggies a day, I lived on peanut butter sandwiches for at least one and sometimes two meals a day.  I also don't vary what I eat.  The only way I can make this work is by eating the same thing up until dinner.  I don't have the executive functioning to manage different lunches every day.

[Laura Corin]

Just now, Terabith said:

I also don't really like beans.  I will eat black beans and lentils, but there is no way I'd sit down to a bowl of red beans and rice.  Even lentils and black beans are kind of a "I can tolerate them but I don't LIKE them."  

I also don't really like most of the food I'm eating these days.  I don't like oatmeal.  I don't like flax or chia seeds.  I don't like spinach or kale.  I'm just eating it anyway.  

But I'd really like to enjoy SOME of my food.  I like broccoli but and this sounds ridiculous, I can't make it myself the way I like the way it tastes.  My MIL makes great broccoli with just a little butter but I can never get it to come out right.  I tried to eat it raw because I know it's so much healthier and I really, really hated it and couldn't make myself do it.  

I am not crazy picky by picky people standards, but I have enough weird texture issues that I'm not great at eating in general.  Prior to deciding to eat 7-10 fruits and veggies a day, I lived on peanut butter sandwiches for at least one and sometimes two meals a day.  I also don't vary what I eat.  The only way I can make this work is by eating the same thing up until dinner.  I don't have the executive functioning to manage different lunches every day.

How do you eat your beans and lentils?  Is it texture or taste that aren't appealing? 

[Terabith]

Just now, Laura Corin said:

How do you eat your beans and lentils?  Is it texture or taste that aren't appealing? 

Lentils I mostly just eat half of one of those Lentiful meals.  Black beans I just open the can, pour a third of the can into a bowl, rinse in water, and microwave. Sometimes add nutritional yeast.  

I don't really like the taste OR the texture.  

And I hate cooking.  Like really, really hate cooking.  

[Rosie_0801]

For me the benefits of eating veggie-based are the reduction in grains, which I used to be able to eat very happily whenever I wanted, but can't any more. Also I require full fat dairy products or I will be miserably hungry all the time. When I was eating vegan, I needed legumes for at least two meals a day.

I hate cooking but still cook legumes from scratch because I like them so much more than out of a can. If you're going to eat beans out of a can the way you're describing, kidney beans taste better than black beans. But really, the world of dal has a whole lot to offer.

[Terabith]

Just now, Rosie_0801 said:

For me the benefits of eating veggie-based are the reduction in grains, which I used to be able to eat very happily whenever I wanted, but can't any more. Also I require full fat dairy products or I will be miserably hungry all the time. When I was eating vegan, I needed legumes for at least two meals a day.

I hate cooking but still cook legumes from scratch because I like them so much more than out of a can. If you're going to eat beans out of a can the way you're describing, kidney beans taste better than black beans. But really, the world of dal has a whole lot to offer.

Thanks.  This is helpful.  

[BeachGal]

Tofu scrambles are easy to make. They’re just sauteed veggies, tofu and seasoning. To save time, you could use frozen veggie mixes. I pre-make a big jar of seasoning — turmeric, paprika, cayenne, garlic salt and Brewer’s yeast (I think) but could be anything you like — so that it’s ready to go when needed. Takes about 5” to make.

[Carol in Cal.]

You might try Rancho Gordo beans.  I don’t know why but they just plain taste better than any others I’ve tried.  

Also, do you like refried beans, Mexican style?  You can make those with just veggies and olive oil—I don’t miss the lard at all.  The key is to use a lot of fully caramelized white or yellow onions in them.  OMGosh, so good.  And especially with homemade Masa Harina tortillas and chopped tomatoes.  I have made refritos from RG’s Maycoba beans, and also some variety of their black beans.  Equally great!

https://www.ranchogordo.com/collections/the-rancho-gordo-xoxoc-project

[Terabith]

5 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

You might try Rancho Gordo beans.  I don’t know why but they just plain taste better than any others I’ve tried.  

Also, do you like refried beans, Mexican style?  You can make those with just veggies and olive oil—I don’t miss the lard at all.  The key is to use a lot of fully caramelized white or yellow onions in them.  OMGosh, so good.  And especially with homemade Masa Harina tortillas and chopped tomatoes.  I have made refritos from RG’s Maycoba beans, and also some variety of their black beans.  Equally great!

https://www.ranchogordo.com/collections/the-rancho-gordo-xoxoc-project

Nope.  I lived for five years in San Antonio and never could make myself like refried beans and barely got to tolerate black beans.

[Faith-manor]

Terabith, I have issues with broccoli. My mother always cooked it to a grey mush pulp, and in college it was never served cooked, only just fresh on the salad bar. My in laws didn't cook nor my dh so I didn't have much of a background to figure out if there is a way that I would like it.

I found a way. I cut most of the woody stems off, toss all the crowns with olive oil, garlic and a little salt (not a lot of salt, just for the flavor), and roast in the oven under the broiler on low until it catches color and is tender but still bright green. I have no idea if that will work for you, but I thought I would toss that out.

Polenta, cooked cornmeal mush, is high in B6 and folate as well as a source of protein. I cook it with savory herbs like basil, thyme, and garlic, and then top it with a variety of roasted vegetables. You can make it with almond milk instead of cow milk. You can also put honey and cinnamon in it instead of savory herbs and serve it as dessert with a little coconut milk on it.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Faith-manor

[GoVanGogh]

I went plant based 2 1/2 years ago and it has been life altering. I have Parkinson’s and fibromyalgia. My inflammation levels had been off the charts high all of my adult life and it was to the point that every movement was painful. My inflammation levels are now really good, as are - well all my labs are good now. My liver enzymes are perfect. My cholesterol is perfect. My pain level is manageable now. 

For myself, I do feel that having a glass of milk daily eliminates any benefit of being plant based.  A glass once a week is likely okay, but not daily. You would likely notice that your taste buds change considerably anyway so that it wouldn’t even taste as good as you remember. That said, I think everyone should fine a nutrition plan/approach that works for them. if you feel best having milk, go for it. 

calcium: I was worried about that as I was diagnosed with osteopenia about ten years ago. I tried to take calcium pills, but just wasn’t good about forcing myself to swallow such a large pill. I just had a bone density scan a few months ago and, honestly, was terrified to get the results. Turns out, I reversed my osteopenia. I asked my doctor when he called with the results and he said that calcium isn’t nearly as important as once thought and that weight training (I am working out weekly with a personal trainer) is very important for keeping bone density as we age. There is research about dairy consumption and increased risk of osteoporosis, though I know some discount it. 
protein: I don’t worry about protein, though I try to be on the lower side of protein consumption due to my Parkinson’s. I eat one serving of beans a day, sometimes two. 
b: actually, most people should probably be taking b vitamins, as studies show that most people are deficient in b12. Animals actually aren’t naturally high in b12, rather they make it when they eat grass. As our soils are depleted, the grass is depleted and - most animals aren’t even out grazing or eating wild grasses like they once did, so our meat supply is now deficient in b12. I take b12 a couple times a week. 
Rancho Gordo: love their beans!!! 

Edited September 22, 2023 by GoVanGogh

[GoVanGogh]

Re: beans

i make a pasta dish, though it is light on the pasta, mostly veggies. I cook some onion and garlic in veggie broth, then add a mix of whatever I have on hand - broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, etc. Always lots of mushrooms. Then I add a can of rinsed legumes - chickpeas, kidney beans, white beans - whatever I have on hand. Then I toss with a bit of pasta. I add additional veggie broth as needed. Sometimes I add in a can of diced tomatoes. I season it depending on my mood. The beans are really not even a taste in the dish, as it is primarily vegetables. 

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, GoVanGogh said:

Re: beans

i make a pasta dish, though it is light on the pasta, mostly veggies. I cook some onion and garlic in veggie broth, then add a mix of whatever I have on hand - broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, etc. Always lots of mushrooms. Then I add a can of rinsed legumes - chickpeas, kidney beans, white beans - whatever I have on hand. Then I toss with a bit of pasta. I add additional veggie broth as needed. Sometimes I add in a can of diced tomatoes. I season it depending on my mood. The beans are really not even a taste in the dish, as it is primarily vegetables. 

I make a similar dish, and both my kids (who are not vegan) love it. Zucchini, green onions, mushrooms, red peppers, artichoke hearts, spinach or kale, cannellini beans, lots of garlic and fresh herbs, capers, and pasta, either with TJ's vegan kale-cashew pesto or just more garlic, olive oil, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts. So good!

ETA: Cannelini beans can also be turned into a creamy pasta sauce by blending with plant milk, garlic, herbs, and nutritional yeast.

[Corraleno]

4 hours ago, Terabith said:

Lentils I mostly just eat half of one of those Lentiful meals.  Black beans I just open the can, pour a third of the can into a bowl, rinse in water, and microwave. Sometimes add nutritional yeast.  

I don't really like the taste OR the texture.  

And I hate cooking.  Like really, really hate cooking.  

Will you eat hummus? Hummus with baby carrots, snap peas, cucumbers, red pepper strips, and whole wheat pita chips is a healthy and filling no-cook lunch with protein. If you live near a Trader Joe's, they sell lots of different types of hummus, including ones made with edamame or white beans, and different flavors like roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, chili-onion crunch, etc.

Can you just buy a few bagged salads and a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette and add extra veggies and some rinsed, drained chickpeas each day for lunch? I eat a lot of salads, and always add nutritional yeast, hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds for extra protein and crunch.

What kind of oatmeal are you eating? Is it the lack of flavor or the texture that bothers you? I've started having overnight oats for breakfast every morning, and I make enough for 4 days at a time: In each of 4 containers I add 1/4 cup rolled oats, 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 scoop (half serving) of Vega vanilla protein powder, 1 TBL chia seeds, sprinkle of cinnamon. Then in the morning I stir in a little coconut yogurt, add at least a full cup of blueberries (and/or strawberries), and top with chopped pecans. I eat it cold but it can also be microwaved. No cooking, only takes a minute to make enough for half a week, and it tastes like a blueberry muffin! There are a million recipes online for overnight oats, I bet you could find one you'd like. For example, you could add cooked spiced apples instead of berries for "apple pie oats," or use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla and add peanut butter or almond butter.

[Corraleno]

4 hours ago, Terabith said:

I know I COULD get more nutrients that I need from tofu and such.  The issue is more that the rest of the family isn't on board with going fully plant based, so if I want to eat with my family, I need to include some meat.  

Will your family eat one-dish type meals (pasta, curry, soup, stir-fry, etc) as long as there is some meat in it, or do they only want meat/potatoes/veg type meals? If they will eat soups and pastas and such, can you make the dish with lots of veg and plant-based protein and then let the others add meat separately to their portion? Like could you just grab a rotisserie chicken and chop it up and then they can just add some extra chicken to their bowl of vegetable curry with chickpeas, or the veggie pasta with cannellini beans, or the veggie fried rice with edamame, while you eat it without the meat?

[Laura Corin]

5 hours ago, Terabith said:

I also don't really like beans.  I will eat black beans and lentils, but there is no way I'd sit down to a bowl of red beans and rice.  Even lentils and black beans are kind of a "I can tolerate them but I don't LIKE them."  

I also don't really like most of the food I'm eating these days.  I don't like oatmeal.  I don't like flax or chia seeds.  I don't like spinach or kale.  I'm just eating it anyway.  

But I'd really like to enjoy SOME of my food.  I like broccoli but and this sounds ridiculous, I can't make it myself the way I like the way it tastes.  My MIL makes great broccoli with just a little butter but I can never get it to come out right.  I tried to eat it raw because I know it's so much healthier and I really, really hated it and couldn't make myself do it.  

I am not crazy picky by picky people standards, but I have enough weird texture issues that I'm not great at eating in general.  Prior to deciding to eat 7-10 fruits and veggies a day, I lived on peanut butter sandwiches for at least one and sometimes two meals a day.  I also don't vary what I eat.  The only way I can make this work is by eating the same thing up until dinner.  I don't have the executive functioning to manage different lunches every day.

Do you have available the equivalent of these ready-cooked-and-flavoured pouches? Check the ingredients to make sure all the ingredients are roughly healthy - not weird emulsifiers, lots of added sugar, etc.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jamie-Oliver-Lovely-Lentils-250g/dp/B09C6NMDJM/ref=asc_df_B09C6NMDJM/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570875687030&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14702096113109536474&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046861&hvtargid=pla-1703397691877&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

As you like predictability and don’t like to cook, you could add one portion to whatever veggies you are having for lunch, top with some nuts and seeds, and you have a good amount of protein.  You could experiment with a few flavours - they aren't expensive here, at least - and then have a reliable repertoire. 

[Terabith]

6 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Will you eat hummus? Hummus with baby carrots, snap peas, cucumbers, red pepper strips, and whole wheat pita chips is a healthy and filling no-cook lunch with protein. If you live near a Trader Joe's, they sell lots of different types of hummus, including ones made with edamame or white beans, and different flavors like roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, chili-onion crunch, etc.

Can you just buy a few bagged salads and a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette and add extra veggies and some rinsed, drained chickpeas each day for lunch? I eat a lot of salads, and always add nutritional yeast, hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds for extra protein and crunch.

What kind of oatmeal are you eating? Is it the lack of flavor or the texture that bothers you? I've started having overnight oats for breakfast every morning, and I make enough for 4 days at a time: In each of 4 containers I add 1/4 cup rolled oats, 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 scoop (half serving) of Vega vanilla protein powder, 1 TBL chia seeds, sprinkle of cinnamon. Then in the morning I stir in a little coconut yogurt, add at least a full cup of blueberries (and/or strawberries), and top with chopped pecans. I eat it cold but it can also be microwaved. No cooking, only takes a minute to make enough for half a week, and it tastes like a blueberry muffin! There are a million recipes online for overnight oats, I bet you could find one you'd like. For example, you could add cooked spiced apples instead of berries for "apple pie oats," or use chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla and add peanut butter or almond butter.

Hummus is fine. My main lunch includes two cups of spinach and kale with a drizzle of dressing.  Could add chickpeas to that.  The oatmeal I eat is just regular plain Quaker Oats. Not the steel coat but not instant either.  I tried a bunch of overnight oats recipes and plain with a bunch of cinnamon is the best I’ve found.  

[regentrude]

12 hours ago, Toocrazy!! said:

and 100 grams of protein a day. 

That seems excessive. That would require a pound of steak, or over a dozen eggs, or six cups of chickpeas. 

Edited September 22, 2023 by regentrude

[lmrich]

Do you like smoothies? 

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

That seems excessive. That would require a pound of steak, or over a dozen eggs, or six cups of chickpeas. 

I work to 1.2g per kg of bodyweight,  as I'm older. That makes 72g for me.

Most people don't realise that eating copious plants already offers one quite a lot of protein before one even starts stressing pulses. Steak is made of concentrated plants,  after all.

[Paige]

Eating more plants will absolutely be beneficial regardless of whether you cut meat and dairy. I try to make salad for lunch and I can pack so much into that. A typical one could include greens, seeds, nuts, cucumber, tomatoes, snap peas, bell pepper, blueberries, strawberries, olives, lightly steamed broccoli, and black eyed peas. It's very difficult to get as many plant servings when we run out of salad. 

[lewelma]

18 hours ago, Toocrazy!! said:

 100 grams of protein a day.

I can't make this happen (not even close) with just plant products using only 1700 calories and no dairy. How specifically do you reach 100g? 

[lewelma]

6 hours ago, regentrude said:

That seems excessive. That would require a pound of steak, or over a dozen eggs, or six cups of chickpeas. 

Don't want to derail the thread, but I've been upping my protein because 1) I'm always cold, 2) my metabolism is lowering which means I have less muscle, 3) I am unable to increase muscle mass no matter how hard I try. This tells me I am low in protein intake and not making/supporting muscle mass.

I can make it to 100g with homemade chicken bone broth topping up my diet. It contains 10g of protein for 1 cup and only 40 calories as it is all from protein. I use broth to make all my quinoa, which is also really high in protein if you make sure to whole grain quinoa (which is hard to find and identify here because of poor labelling). I have switched from salads to brocolli (which is way higher), and from corn/rice to quinoa cooked in chicken broth, and I make sure I have 1 serving of chicken breast/lean pork/eggs each of 3 meals. That plus drinking chicken broth that I make that gels in the frig can get me to 100g. This is why I'm interested in how you would possibly do it with only plant based foods with only 1700 calories.

Edited September 22, 2023 by lewelma

[Corraleno]

6 hours ago, Terabith said:

Hummus is fine. My main lunch includes two cups of spinach and kale with a drizzle of dressing.  Could add chickpeas to that.  The oatmeal I eat is just regular plain Quaker Oats. Not the steel coat but not instant either.  I tried a bunch of overnight oats recipes and plain with a bunch of cinnamon is the best I’ve found.  

That's super super bland, so I'm not surprised it's not enjoyable. Is the lack of variety and flavor a taste preference or something else? Like is your salad just spinach and kale and nothing else because those are the only veggies you like to eat raw, or because you don't want to cut up other veg, or...?

What do you normally eat for dinner that you do enjoy? Do you prefer more of a plain meat + potatoes + veg dinner, or do you like more flavorful dishes like curries, chili, soups, stir fry, etc., but would rather not have to cook things like that? What kinds of things do you order if you get take out or go to a restaurant?

[Laura Corin]

12 minutes ago, lewelma said:

I can't make this happen (not even close) with just plant products using only 1700 calories and no dairy. How specifically do you reach 100g? 

@Toocrazy!! says she eats meat at every meal.

[Terabith]

My breakfast is a half cup of oatmeal, 2 tablespoons of flax seeds, a spoonful of chia seeds, and a bunch of cinnamon.  
 

At preschool I usually eat an ounce of almonds and some kind of vitamin C heavy fruit:  kinda rotating between oranges, kiwis, pineapple, occasionally grapefruit. 
 

For lunch I eat two cups of mixed spinach and kale with a drizzle of dressing, half a red bell pepper, an apple, and a bunch of baby carrots.  Sometimes I’ll do half an avocado but not often.  More often I’ll do a serving of black beans or lentils.  
 

For later snack I do 3/4 cup of blueberries and sometimes a 1/3 cup of dried edamame.  
 

I try to do a protein and two veggies at dinner but I don’t really sweat it.  I don’t cook dinner ever, though I do often plan it, but it has to be something my husband and youngest like and sometimes my in laws. (We eat with them once a week usually but sometimes twice.) I try to include broccoli as often as I can but last night it was asparagus for green veggie. I am trying to switch us over to sweet potatoes more often than regular potatoes but my family doesn’t really like sweet potatoes as much as I do. 
 

I had been drinking a glass of whole chocolate milk (locally sourced) after exercising a couple times a week and it felt good and reduced my cravings for chocolate, but it sounds like dairy isn’t really the best.  

[lewelma]

1 minute ago, Laura Corin said:

@Toocrazy!! says she eats meat at every meal.

Right, skimming too fast clearly.  But I'd still love to hear more on this, as just a bit of meat each meal won't make 100g. I've tried. 

[Corraleno]

2 minutes ago, Terabith said:

My breakfast is a half cup of oatmeal, 2 tablespoons of flax seeds, a spoonful of chia seeds, and a bunch of cinnamon.  
 

At preschool I usually eat an ounce of almonds and some kind of vitamin C heavy fruit:  kinda rotating between oranges, kiwis, pineapple, occasionally grapefruit. 
 

For lunch I eat two cups of mixed spinach and kale with a drizzle of dressing, half a red bell pepper, an apple, and a bunch of baby carrots.  Sometimes I’ll do half an avocado but not often.  More often I’ll do a serving of black beans or lentils.  
 

For later snack I do 3/4 cup of blueberries and sometimes a 1/3 cup of dried edamame.  
 

I try to do a protein and two veggies at dinner but I don’t really sweat it.  I don’t cook dinner ever, though I do often plan it, but it has to be something my husband and youngest like and sometimes my in laws. (We eat with them once a week usually but sometimes twice.) I try to include broccoli as often as I can but last night it was asparagus for green veggie. I am trying to switch us over to sweet potatoes more often than regular potatoes but my family doesn’t really like sweet potatoes as much as I do. 
 

I had been drinking a glass of whole chocolate milk (locally sourced) after exercising a couple times a week and it felt good and reduced my cravings for chocolate, but it sounds like dairy isn’t really the best.  

Oh ok, that makes more sense — from the previous post it sounded like you were just eating a bowl of spinach and kale with a little dressing, and I was thinking that's not very tasty or filling!

[Terabith]

3 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

That's super super bland, so I'm not surprised it's not enjoyable. Is the lack of variety and flavor a taste preference or something else? Like is your salad just spinach and kale and nothing else because those are the only veggies you like to eat raw, or because you don't want to cut up other veg, or...?

What do you normally eat for dinner that you do enjoy? Do you prefer more of a plain meat + potatoes + veg dinner, or do you like more flavorful dishes like curries, chili, soups, stir fry, etc., but would rather not have to cook things like that? What kinds of things do you order if you get take out or go to a restaurant?

I love the dinner we had early in our marriage at least once and sometimes twice a week:  salmon, asparagus or broccoli, and some form of potato. But the fish allergy makes that hard.  My family loves chicken and pasta (often with butter and cheese, occasionally with a tomato and veggies sauce).  My kids love Mac and cheese. I do really like Indian and Thai food when we go out, but more often we go to sandwich places.  Or Chick Fil A.  Honestly, we love chick fil a.  We do Hello Fresh or Marley Spoon twice a week often though I had them on hiatus this month due to not loving recipes, and they’re pretty protein/ starch/ vegetable.   I like soup and curries but my kids don’t.  My oldest is a picky eater to the point that it probably is an eating disorder but we finally gave up on trying to get them to eat with us and now they’re at college, but youngest isn’t moving out any time soon.  

[Corraleno]

3 minutes ago, lewelma said:

Right, skimming too fast clearly.  But I'd still love to hear more on this, as just a bit of meat each meal won't make 100g. I've tried. 

I aim for around 65 g of plant-based protein per day, within about 1500-1600 calories.

This is 100g of plant protein  @ 1845 calories, without using any kind of protein powder:

[livetoread]

Have you tried seitan? It's high in protein and quite tasty, I think.

[Corraleno]

7 hours ago, Terabith said:

I love the dinner we had early in our marriage at least once and sometimes twice a week:  salmon, asparagus or broccoli, and some form of potato. But the fish allergy makes that hard.  My family loves chicken and pasta (often with butter and cheese, occasionally with a tomato and veggies sauce).  My kids love Mac and cheese. I do really like Indian and Thai food when we go out, but more often we go to sandwich places.  Or Chick Fil A.  Honestly, we love chick fil a.  We do Hello Fresh or Marley Spoon twice a week often though I had them on hiatus this month due to not loving recipes, and they’re pretty protein/ starch/ vegetable.   I like soup and curries but my kids don’t.  My oldest is a picky eater to the point that it probably is an eating disorder but we finally gave up on trying to get them to eat with us and now they’re at college, but youngest isn’t moving out any time soon.  

If you like curries, you might try some of the Tasty Bite pouch meals, like the Madras Lentils. You can get them from Costco and Amazon, and they have 12 g of protein in a 10 oz pouch. You can even get brown rice or rice/quinoa blends in pouches, or frozen, and just add some to a bowl, dump a pouch of Madras Lentils and some frozen chopped spinach or kale on top, and pop it in the microwave. Add a couple TBL of nutritional yeast and you'd have a really filling, healthy meal with 20-25g of protein. My DS eats that all the time at college because it tastes great, is really filling, and takes 5 minutes to make (although he doubles the quantities of everything so it's more like 50g of protein for him).

There are also lots of great vegan Instant Pot meals with tons of veggies and good protein that are basically just dump-&-go and require no real "cooking."

Edited September 23, 2023 by Corraleno
typos

[lewelma]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

I aim for around 65 g of plant-based protein per day, within about 1500-1600 calories.

This is 100g of plant protein  @ 1845 calories, without using any kind of protein powder:

Awesome. I think perhaps I'm not counting the baby stuff I eat all the time that give me 1g here and 1g there. For example, my intuitive estimate of your dinner would have been 30g of protein. Do you have the ability to show me how much protein is in each of these specific ingredients?

[lewelma]

1 hour ago, livetoread said:

Have you tried seitan? It's high in protein and quite tasty, I think.

I do thicken with hemp protein powder. 

[Corraleno]

2 hours ago, lewelma said:

Awesome. I think perhaps I'm not counting the baby stuff I eat all the time that give me 1g here and 1g there. For example, my intuitive estimate of your dinner would have been 30g of protein. Do you have the ability to show me how much protein is in each of these specific ingredients?

Grams of protein in each item in the dinner (41 g total):
5 oz tofu 15
2 oz (dry) soba noodles 8.2
6 med. mushrooms 3.3
1 c broccoli 2.3
1 c bok choy 2.7
2 TBL nutritional yeast 8
Stir fry sauce 1.7

Lunch (36 g total):
2 TBL hemp seeds 6.3
2 TBL nutritional yeast 8
3 TBL pumpkin seeds 6.6
1 c chickpeas 10.7
2 c power greens 2.0
8 cherry tomatoes 1.2
1/2 cucumber + 1/2 pepper 1.2

It's surprising how much protein you can add with just a few tablespoons of seeds and nutritional yeast — just those 3 items = 21 g

[Note: I just realized I didn't include any kind of dressing with the lunch salad, so that would bump up the total calories by 100 or so. But I could tweak the meals to get the calories down and still get 100g of protein, for example by doing a higher protein/lower calorie breakfast, like a tofu scramble, and then using edamame instead of tofu with dinner.]

[lewelma]

It's surprising how much protein you can add with just a few tablespoons of seeds and nutritional yeast — just those 3 items = 21 g

This is brilliant. I'm closer to 1600 calories so it is still a stretch for 100g, but this gives me ideas!

Anything specific that I should look for in nutritional yeast? It's been a long time since I bought it. 

And do you need to grind the hemp seeds like you do with linseeds/flaxseeds?

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, lewelma said:

It's surprising how much protein you can add with just a few tablespoons of seeds and nutritional yeast — just those 3 items = 21 g

This is brilliant. I'm closer to 1600 calories so it is still a stretch for 100g, but this gives me ideas!

Anything specific that I should look for in nutritional yeast? It's been a long time since I bought it. 

And do you need to grind the hemp seeds like you do with linseeds/flaxseeds?

No, I buy hulled hemp seeds and don't grind them. You can add them to so many things because they don't have much flavor, and they're practically unnoticeable when mixed with grains like oatmeal, rice, and quinoa, or sprinkled in salads. Great source of omegas.

My favorite nutritional yeast is Anthony's nonfortified. I take a multivitamin with B12 so I dont need the fortified version and I think the plain version tastes better. Anthony's is also high in iron compared to some of the other brands. I believe the yeast is grown on molasses?

Edited September 23, 2023 by Corraleno

[history-fan]

The blue zones website has a lot of recipes that are quick and each one we’ve tried so far has been good.

[Corraleno]

@lewelma  This is 98.8 g protein for 1650 calories: tofu scramble for breakfast, Southwestern quinoa & black bean salad for lunch, and lentil soup with toasted WW sourdough for dinner (and you could get it to 100 g under 1600 calories by replacing the almonds with 2 more TBL yeast in the lentil soup). I didn't include the flavorings, like garlic, herbs and spices, that I would add to each of these, since they won't affect the calorie or protein content. This day's menu includes 3 different legumes, 2 different whole grains, 3 servings nuts/seeds, and 10 different veg plus mushrooms.