Vegetarians - do you track your protein intake?

[Ombrax]

A while back there was a story in the NY Times (see below) suggesting that the ideal amount of protein for folks, especially those over 40 yrs old, involved in vigorous exercise / weight lifting might be higher than is currently recommended.

I'm a vegetarian (and much of the time also a vegan) and since I've read that most of us already get plenty of protein I haven't paid much attention to this, other than a teaspoon or so of protein powder twice a day. With this new info I'm wondering if it's worth figuring out how much I take in, then decide based on that whether I should increase (or decrease) my intake.

https://nyti.ms/2Bf9mSE

The researchers also looked for the sweet spot for protein intake, which turned out to be about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. In practical terms, that would amount to about 130 grams of protein a day for a 175-pound man. (A chicken breast has about 45 grams of protein.)

Beyond that point, more protein did not result in more muscle benefits.

That number is considerably higher, however, than the protein levels called for in the current federal recommendations, which suggest about 56 grams of protein a day for men and 46 grams a day for women.

[bisqeet]

nope.
I don't think its really necessary for a balanced diet,
i do take magnesium though -

[Ombrax]

I'm somewhat surprised there hasn't been more feedback on this - bisqeet and I can't be the only vegetarians on the forum.

[Dangerscouse]

I love fruit and veg but I also love meat and fish too much to be veggie

[JerekKruger]

I'm interested in the answer but am far from a vegetarian myself. Despite eating meat, I do sort of track my protein intake. More specifically I have chosen my breakfast, lunch and post workout shake such that they guarantee me 120g or protein, which means I am almost guaranteed to go over 1.6g/kg per day regardless of what my evening meal is.

[hjs]

I'm somewhat surprised there hasn't been more feedback on this - bisqeet and I can't be the only vegetarians on the forum.

Why would others not respond? Simply think there are not to many. The few vegetarians I know are far from into sports.

[VeloMark]

Been vegan for many years now, haven't measured my protein intake. From what I've seen, calling oneself a vegan or vegetarian doesn't necessarily equate to a healthful diet. I know many who primarily subsist on pastries and refined flour.

I put a lot of energy into following a whole foods plant based diet (WFPB), making sure I get a complete mix of foods each day. This includes several daily servings of whole grains, nuts/seeds, and of course legumes as my protein sources. And, lots and lots of fresh veggies and fruits (also feel herbs and spices are super healthy, I use them liberally). I do take one serving of a pea protein supplement each day.

I haven't ever felt deficient in protein, and have been training rigorously for many years. Rowing is a recent addition, but have been doing four hard interval sessions, and 3 recovery rides a week for about 20 years on the bike.

I do feel that my diet is an important part of being able to stay as fit as I have for so long, and have never felt it held back my performance in any way (other than it keeps me as a light weight!). I also believe there's a health benefit that each year becomes a greater priority (oh... if I'd only taken better care of myself in my youth).

It appears to me that diet ranks right up there with religion and politics in how strongly people feel, so I never argue for anyone to eat anything other than they prefer. For me, a WFPB diet feels appropriate.

[mdpfirrman]

If I could talk my wife into it, we'd probably go all in Vegan WFPB too. I married a meat and potato girl all the way but she developed health issues a few years back (Fibromyalgia). We cut out dairy/gluten first and then gradually moved more and more toward eating more WFPB. We eat poultry now once a week and seafood once a week and perhaps a Grass fed burger once a month. The rest of the time it's fairly clean vegan.

I do wonder if I'm getting enough protein at times. I think, personally, I feel a little better on more protein but perhaps it's just me still adjusting to this way of eating. I certainly think it helps, in general, with health and recovery. It has done absolute wonders for my wife. From debilitating chronic illness to back to her old self. I'm not one to debate either on the merits of one diet versus another, but it's certainly the only way that we'll eat.

Agree completely on there's a camp of Vegans out there that are far from healthy in their diets.

[bisqeet]

daughter has been vegan nearly 4 years (now 17)
we were very sceptiple to start of with, had her blood checked regulary for any deficiency, etc.

we stopped eating animal protein due to health reasons (wife and i both suffer from athritus) - idea was to try and reduce the pain, to avoid early ops.
nothng new to the theory, we decided to try it out and have kept up mostly. I certainly feel althoug i have less pain, but its very subjected.
we tend not to go fully vegan - simply because its a pain in the ass. we dont eat meat, try to avoid dairy, but if theres a bit of cheese in there, it would be eaten.

I do a lot of cardio, endurance but have not felt a lack of protein in my diet.

[Neorticros]

What?? Your daughter became vegan at 13-14? Shouldn't be able to become vegan, get a tatoo or listen to raeggaeton till you are 18 y/o.

[mdpfirrman]

What?? Your daughter became vegan at 13-14? Shouldn't be able to become vegan, get a tatoo or listen to raeggaeton till you are 18 y/o.

My daughter turned vegetarian at 10. What are you supposed to do? Tie them down and force meat down their throat? We simply researched nutrition, helped her make wise choices and had solid options for her (aside from carbs/pasta, etc.). As long as Vegans get enough Zinc, B vitamins and a few other things that meat typically provides (like Vitamin K2), they should be fine. Dean's a pretty bright guy (and healthy), so I would imagine (like me) he's making sure that she's doing it very smart. I'd rather my kid turn Vegan in my house where I can watch what they eat and assist them make smarter choices than at college, for instance, away from the family.

I'd rather have a healthy, WFPB Vegan teen than one that eats nothing but pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries, cola, energy drinks and burgers -- you know, 95% of the teens in the US currently.

[mdpfirrman]

I'll just add to the above that my daughter was an exceptional athlete, ended up graduating at the top of her high school class, got a full ride (academic) to college (paying for her spending money being an aerobics/fitness instructor) and is now a high-level consultant. I think it turned out OK that she was vegetarian at 10. I don't think any of this was because she was vegetarian. They've demonstrated most kids/teens that go vegetarian/vegan early are usually of much higher IQs, which makes sense, because they think larger picture than their peers.

[Neorticros]

Ohh Mike I missed your response. Ok, youngsters that worry about animals, the planet health and the big picture are on avg smart ones. Makes a lot of sense.
And there is lot of crap food all around us. Everything is poured with shit to save costs, make food prettier, make it last longer, make it tastier to some standards, etc etc. But there is important food I think noneone should skip (meat, eggs, honey, milk...). It's such a big deal that they should wait till they are 18 till they go vegan.

[JMac]

They've demonstrated most kids/teens that go vegetarian/vegan early are usually of much higher IQs, which makes sense, because they think larger picture than their peers.

That's a bold statement

If there are studies and research proving this, I'd like to read them!

[m06w41]

Late response to this. Wife has been vegetarian since right after our first was born (24 years ago). She's not a McDonald's vegetarian either so the shared parts of our diet included lots of legumes and spinach. She never tracked protein intake as she was mostly concerned with her iron intake.

Her words were that the protein concerns always seemed overblown but she did take an iron and magnesium supplement.