Looking to eat less meat. Would like some recommendations on meeting the daily protein requirements for endurance athletes.
Thanks in advance.
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I’ve been eating greek yogurt (18g of protein), Kefir instead of plant-based milk in smoothies (+8g protein), and my plant-based protein powder has 30g of protein. Upping use of high-protein tofu as well.
Also, while I’ve been vegetarian (lacto/ovo) for a good 10+ years, I’ve recently started trying collagen. The powder I use is 19g of protein. I’m double-minded about using collagen but exploring for the supposed health benefits and to diversify my protein source. If I can find a “humane” source, maybe it’ll make it ethically easier for me.
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Pea protein, peas, rice and oatmeal mostly.
I think glycine can be substituted for collagen.
I don’t know how accurate the following is:
A weak link in metabolism: the metabolic capacity for glycine biosynthesis does not satisfy the need for collagen synthesis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20093739/
“Detailed assessment of all possible sources of glycine shows that synthesis from serine accounts for more than 85% of the total, and that the amount of glycine available from synthesis, about 3 g/day, together with that available from the diet, in the range 1.5-3.0 g/day, may fall significantly short of the amount needed for all metabolic uses, including collagen synthesis by about 10 g per day for a 70 kg human.”
Another one:
High glycine concentration increases collagen synthesis by articular chondrocytes in vitro: acute glycine deficiency could be an important cause of osteoarthritis.
IMO it’s going to be a lot easier if you’re okay with eggs and dairy (Personally, I can’t help if you’re not). Everything I’ve read or listened to on this subject has said that in general animal based sources are going to be absorbed at a higher rate.
Eggs, Whey Protein Powder are two staples for me almost on a daily basis. One of my 100% favorite training meals: White Rice, 3 fried eggs(fried lightly in olive oil) dumped on top, Sriracha, Himalayan Sea Salt. Mix it all up. It’s pretty much the bulk of what I eat in the days before a race too because it’s low-fiber.
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I eat a vegetarian diet. I just add 1-3 whey protein drinks during the day.
Just do that and dont stress about it.
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Ovo-lacto veg here. I eat a smoothie with ~50g whey protein powder pretty much every day. Without that, I think it’d be hard to meet my protein needs, especially since as others note many vegetable protein sources are not absorbed as well as dairy.
Beyond that, yogurt, tofu, soy milk, eggs and legumes (a lot of legumes!) are my main sources. We also eat Impossible or Beyond Meat a couple times a week; it contains a fair amount of protein, and is also pretty tasty if you want to have a meat-like meal without the meat. I don’t think it’s terribly healthy (definitely highly processed, lot of sodium) but more healthy and less environmentally impactful than equivalent meat.
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Lots of pulses, beans, legumes etc.
Wholemeal bread.
Nuts and seeds.
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Full Vegan… The “categories” are just general guidance… Not trying to spur a nutrition debate…
Whole Foods / Minimally Processed
-Tempeh (Lightlife)
-Canned Beans (Navy, Chickpea, Lentils, Great Northern, Black)
-Green Peas
-Cruciferous Veggies (Broc, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower)
-Edamame
-Hemp Seeds
-Quinoa
-Millet
-Spirulina (Kos)
-Whole Wheat Pasta
-Silken Tofu (MoriNu)
-Tofu Bites (Whole Foods 365 Lemon Pepper Bites)
-Firm Tofu (Aldi Earth Grown)
-Seitan (Uptons Or Franklin Farms)
-Red Lentil Pasta or Spaghetti (Barilla)
-Sprouted Bread or Wraps (Ezekiel)
Processed but minimal ingredients and low fat
-Pea Protein Powder (Inno, Sprouts, Naked)
-“Jerky” (Pleather) - Great for travel
-TVP (Anthony’s or Bobs Red Mill)
-Meati Steak or Chicken
-Fava Protein Soy Free Tofu (Big Mountain Foods)
-Pea Crumbles (Plant Basics)
-Chicken-less Mix (Jada Brands)
-Yves Brand Deli Slices
-Good Catch Tuna - Also great for travel
-Plant Boss Meatless Crumbles
-Chorizo or Italian Seitan (Uptons)
More Processed but good for every once in a while or recipes.
-Beyond Beef Tips
-Good Catch Crab Cakes
-Gardein Ground Beef
-Field Roast Sausages
-Herbivorous Butcher (Great for Holiday Roasts) - Will ship on dry ice.
-Tofurky Turkey and Ham Slices
-Unreal Deli Various Slices
Some vegan high protein IG follows…
that.veganbabe
julianhierro
veganfatlossmeals
sophsplantkitchen
davidclearyveganpt
Some vegan recipe IG follows…
plantyou
itdoesnttastelikechicken
natsnourishments
veganexplorergirl
jackfruitfulkitchen
rabbitsandwolves
I just got a PDF copy of Fit Vegan Kitchen by Natalie Matthews. Prob the best cookbook I’ve seen for high protein and nutritious vegan recipes. If you message me I will figure a way to send it to you.
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What protein powders are you guys taking and do they make you fart? lol
Wow! Awesome response. Thanks for going to all that effort. Will DM you.
xo
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In my experience, if it is plant based (e.g. pea, soy, seed, rice) you should not have any gas from the protein. Also most plant proteins include probiotics or digestive enzymes which mitigate any bloating (again this is entirely my opinion).
Typically the gas associated with protein powder is caused either by the lactose in whey or sugar alcohols. If you do not have lactose sensitivity it should not be an issue.
If whey does cause you bloating, simply try a different powder such as one that is naturally sweetened that r has whey isolate. Protein powders are not regulated so the mixtures are wildly inconsistent and the quality varies widely.
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Just realized you are Australian. A fellow Aussie, Simon Hill, is a good follow. His podcast The Proof is an excellent resource for plant based health. He advocates a high protein, plant based diet and has many free resources on his site. He, himself, is vegan, but not dogmatic in his approach, so his content is more “plant-based.”
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Oats
Bread made with strong wheat
Pulses
Nuts
Seeds
Low fat yoghurt
The biggest issue is how carb and calorie dense non-meat based protein sources are. You get almost all the carbs you need from them which means much smaller portions of traditional sources of carbs like rice or potatoes.
If you don’t eat cereals or bread made with fortified flour, you’ll need to eat a ton of leafy green veg or a folic acid supplement, I found out the hard way.
I use Gold Standard Extreme Milk Chocolate. One of my go to meals/snacks is Frozen Mixed Berries from Costco (or whoever you have locally), scoop of protein powder, a little bit of milk (Or Almond / Soy Milk if that’s your thing) and blend into a smoothie in the Vitamix.
No gut distress from protein whatsoever. What will make me nearly blow the siding off the house is too many fruits, veggies, especially things like legumes, and I suspect too much milk does that to me too (although not the whey)
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I’m pretty sensitive to dairy and have found this pea protein to be perfect for my needs. No gastro issues! And the price isnt terrible.
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Im Swedish and live in Sweden so its a different market. Unfortunately not available outside of the nordic countries. To bad because they are alot better then the big american ones. Atleast all the big ones I tested while traveling. (Better = better price, taste and less shady production and contaminated products.)
Otherwise I would say any product works if you like the taste and price. There is no difference in effect and no super wheyproduct that are worth spending more money on.
This post reminded me that when I started using protein powder, I had some gut issues. I had forgotten since my gut hasn’t had any issues since then. However, it passed pretty quickly (I want to say after 2 weeks, but I’m not sure). Really, my gut just needed time to adjust. YMMV, of course.
I use NOW Sports Nutrition, Whey Protein Isolate
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Nuts and seeds
Frozen Green Veg (Spinach, brussel sprouts, Broccoli etc)
Other Frozen Veg (Mushrooms, sweet corn, bean etc)
Quorn (or other meat substitute products)
Baked Potatoes (Including Skin)/ Wedges
Rice
Brown Bread
Cereal/Porridge
Milk (mainly with the Cereal/Porridge)
Yoghurts
Peanut Butter
Occasionally Protein Bars, eggs or cheese etc
I will occasionally however eat chicken, fish or turkey though when I am home for Christmas or weddings but thats pretty infrequent but I don’t stress about the mix of what I eat.
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If you’re vegan:
Loads of peanut butter, more brown rice & beans than you’d ever imagine, and plenty of vegan protein powder between meals when you need it. I’ve been using Naked Pea for a while, and it works pretty well.
If you’re vegetarian:
Everything from above plus lots of high-quality eggs, milk, and yogurt.
if you are willing to move into a pescatarian diet canned fish (sardines, tuna, or salmon) are really hard to beat for good protein and Omega-3s 
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Question about canned tuna: do you eat it straight out of the can, or do you prep it some way?
Mi wife doesn’t eat fish, so turning it into a dish as part of a meal won’t work.
I’ve tried to add some mayo and sour cream mixture to make it into a “tuna salad” but that adds a lot of fat
Thoughts?