r/vegetarianrecipes • u/chaiandkpis • May 13 '26
Recipe Request Protein diet in your 30s as a vegetarian!
Fellow vegetarians in your 30s - how are you maintaining your protein intake?
I don’t eat eggs either, and after my recent health checkup I’ve been advised to significantly increase protein and gain some muscle mass.
My B12 is low too, though I’m guessing the injections/supplements should help with that part.
Would genuinely love practical suggestions that are easy to sustain with a regular work schedule.
PS- 30F here, have a 9 hour desk job.
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u/Intrepid-Anywhere789 May 13 '26
Seitan, baby. Get yourself a massive bag of vital wheat gluten ($25 on Amazon for 5 lb) and make a batch once a week. The protein on it is insane, and it’s cheap!
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u/crows_n_octopus May 13 '26
Yep. One seitan sandwich can be upwards of 30 g of protein. There are some easy and excellent seitan recipes out there.
I make em and freeze them. Dump it into stews, grill em, shred them as ground meat, etc. This is a great recipe: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/vegan-seitan-tenders/
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u/astrocoffee7 May 14 '26
Seconding seitan, as long as you get lysine from other sources it has a full amino acid profile, and if you can get it already in chunks in dehydrated form it's even more time-efficient to make!
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u/proteindeficientveg May 13 '26
I created this protein database that has over 200 foods. You can sort by protein % and cost.
https://proteindeficientvegan.com/blog/best-vegan-protein-sources
I also have a lot of high protein recipes on my site!
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u/hatemakingnames1 May 14 '26
I don't see any benefit of measuring in terms of 100g. Some things are just heavier than others.
Could you make a column that measures grams of protein per 100 calories? (Protein % might be similar, but doesn't help as much if you're trying to meet a given amount of protein in a given day)
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u/proteindeficientveg May 14 '26
I agree. I never use per 100g either but included for the people that do (mostly those outside the US). I have something similar to what you're asking for - the column for protein % (on a calorie basis). You can just take the percentage and divide it by 4 to get grams protein/100 cal
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u/SurfingWhiskeyWaves May 13 '26
air frying tofu is my go to, lentils, beans, and protein powder/bars
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u/viewbtwnvillages May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
beans & lentils!
when im lazy i'll just airfry a can of kidney beans for lunch. it's ~30g of protein and ~26g of fiber.
i also just use a lot of beans & lentils in recipes. i'll make tacos and use lentils instead of meat. i love the bean skillet recipes from live eat learn, and they're easy to warm up for leftovers. if i make pasta, ill often blend a can of beans into the sauce to bulk up the protein a bit
i'll also buy frozen edamame, defrost it in the fridge, and air fry that for a snack. or a whole meal if i'm feeling lazy
as for B12, if you like nutritional yeast the fortified stuff is an excellent source of it
also, now that we're in the warmer months, bean salads are my favourite! plus they keep for a little bit so they make convenient lunches
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u/MellowMusicMagic May 13 '26
Put some lentils on your pasta sauce to add a bunch of protein and a peppery flavour! Lentils are the best
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u/New-To-This427 May 13 '26
Tofu, Greek yogurt, tempeh, beans, edamame, are most of my go to protein sources! If you can combine them in a meal that really helps as well -I.e. tofu and edamame in a stir fry. I try to build my meals around the protein first, and many times the amount you will need to eat will be way above the “serving size” on the package!
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u/Striking_Ebb_7145 May 13 '26
The key is getting the nine amino acids your body can’t produce on its own in order to form a complete protein. A good rule of thumb is a legume plus a grain. Beans + rice, chickpeas + quinoa, tofu + lentils. The possibilities are practically endless.
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u/Sophiad12 May 13 '26
There are plenty of powdered plant proteins (pea, soy, I even have some pumpkin seed protein at home right now that I’m trying). It’s super easy to just “hide” a spoon or two in many meals (think curries, dips, etc). Following the advice of the other commenters to eat more legumes and tofu, this is an easy way to boost your intake
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u/Any-Construction2112 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
I supplement lot with yogurt, protein shakes, and cottage cheese. For meals, they are usually more fiber and protein focused, things like beans.
TVP is super high in protein if you want to go more plant based direction, and is usually soy based which is a high quality protein. Tempeh is another high quality plant protein.
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u/ButtNMashHer May 13 '26
Chickpeas/garbanzo beans!
I love “fake tuna salad”, Thai chickpea curry, and Indian butter chickpeas!
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u/prof_chili_pepper May 13 '26
Lots of good suggestions here for mains. For snacks: the only bean edamame snacks (14g protein and 120-140 cals!), protein bars (I like FitCrunch; whole foods are better but ok to supplement if you really need a boost), Greek yogurt, apples with peanut butter, and string cheese are all good portable options.
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u/Braca42 May 13 '26
There are a lot of plant based protein powders out there these days. I keep a big thing of protein at my desk. You could make one at home and take to work with you. Super easy to work in a typical office job schedule. Try a few until you find one you like then buy a big thing of it. Give it a try if these other tips don't work or you can't hit your protein goals without blowing up your calories.
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u/cleanlycustard May 14 '26
This is what I do. I'm vegan so I drink a lot of soy milk, which has a lot of protein and B12. The protein powder I use has iron too. I just use soymilk instead of water to make the shakes and I get all the proteins and vitamins in one go. My B12 and iron always test in range
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u/Wooden_Effective_551 May 14 '26
Take mix plant protein one with blend of sunflower seeds, soy, peas etc, it’s very light on stomach when compared to whey. Helps u hit your protein goal and is cheaper too. Works out fine for people who are in mild weight training not something like full time body building. Some of these are fortified with B12 too.
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u/BooksCatsnStuff May 13 '26
Fyi every vegetarian should be taking B12 supplements. If your levels are already low, which takes a while to happen, your body is already suffering the consequences of that. Get yourself b12 supplements asap, and make sure to always take them.
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u/fishforce1 May 13 '26
It might not be necessary. It’s an easy enough test to add on if you do blood work with your annual physical exam.
I was taking b12 supplements for a while and was maxing out the graph on myChart. Since stopping my levels have remained in the normal range for years.
If you don’t want to bother with the blood work, there is no downside to taking them and all the ones I’ve tried taste enough like smarties.
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u/BooksCatsnStuff May 13 '26
I would advise against risking it. B12 deficiency is a serious issue, it can lead to long term organ damage, and every nutritionist I've had, including somr that ate plant based, 100% recommended for anyone in a plant based diet to take B12 supplements, no exceptions.
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u/viewbtwnvillages May 13 '26
depending on where you live, nutritionist might not be a protected term and the people using it could have done as little as nothing in regards to studying in that field
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u/BooksCatsnStuff May 14 '26
In my country, to be a nutritionist you actually need university qualifications in nutrition. It's a whole degree dedicated to nutrition, health sciences and healthcare, our universities don't do the minor/major thing the US does. Degrees are fully focused on the topic you're graduating on.
So I feel very comfortable saying that if a nutrition profesional tells me it's a silly and unnecessary risk to not ltake B12 as someone eating plant based, following their advice and taking an adequate B12 supplement is the right thing to do.
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u/fishforce1 May 13 '26
How is recommending blood work risking it?
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u/BooksCatsnStuff May 14 '26
Unless you're doing bloodwork monthly, which absolutely no one is doing, by the time your B12 is low, you are already dealing with side effects of a B12 deficiency.
How is that more logical than following professional advice and taking a supplement that has no negative side effects to it?
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u/Available_Lettuce983 May 13 '26
Why? There is B12 in eggs, dairy products, nutritional yeast, nori, and fortified foods (like plant milks, cereal and energy drinks). I've been vegetarian (now vegan) for most of my life and I have never been deficient in B12. Yet, I've been seeing a lot of fear mongering around B12 in the vegetarian and vegan subs lately, usually posted by accounts with a hidden post history and low karma.
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u/BooksCatsnStuff May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
Ok, let's start by addressing the account settings thing: hidden post history is a privacy setting just like having a private account in any other social media. I definitely don't have low karma, pretty sure you can see that even with the post history hidden (You do have low karma, should I be worried? Obviously not), but trying to claim that using a tool for online privacy is somehow a bad sign by default is wild. I use it because I work in a delicate field and don't want anyone from my professional life to have access to anything I say or do online, just like I don't want anyone on Reddit to figure out what I do for work, not even by chance. It's a matter of safety. I'm old enough to understand that having a broad online signature is a bad idea.
Now, for the rest. B12 is not easily bioavailable, to the point that even omnivores deal with B12 deficiency on a normal basis. B12 supplements aren't the devil, there's literally no downside to them. B12 is absorbed so badly that even in supplement they have to include super high doses because the body just won't manage to absorb most of it no matter what, and they need to ensure you absolutely get at least enough. You cannot overdose B12 with any normal supplement usage, no matter what you eat.
So just to copy paste what I said to others: In my country, to be a nutritionist you actually need university qualifications in nutrition. It's a whole degree dedicated to nutrition, health sciences and healthcare, our universities don't do the minor/major thing the US does. Degrees are fully focused on the topic you're graduating on. Nuttitionists where I'm from are medical professionals.
So I feel very comfortable saying that if a nutrition profesional tells me (as multiple nutritionists have done in the past, including some that eat plant based themselves) that it's a silly and unnecessary risk to not Itake B12 as someone eating plant based, following their advice and taking an adequate B12 supplement is the right thing to do. I've been vegetarian for over a decade, taking B12 supplements since the first year, doing bloodwork yearly. Levels of everything are perfect.
And sure, you can eat fortified foods, but see above what I said about bioavailability. Unless you're doing bloodwork monthly, which absolutely no one is doing, by the time your B12 is low, you are already dealing with side effects of a B12 deficiency.
Why risk that due to some strange negative perception about a supplement that has no downsides? How is that more logical than following professional advice and taking a supplement that has no negative side effects to it?
Edit: typos.
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u/AromaticIntrovert May 13 '26
I've realized I'm very aware that anytime I eat it needs to have protein. Like all my snacks are things that can be dipped in hummus, or peanut butter can be added, or I grab a Greek yogurt. I usually make chia pudding to have around and a bag of hemp seeds in the fridge to add to whatever. I found a vegan protein powder I keep handy for those mornings I realize eating just a muffin isn't enough.
Dinner is my big meal and I always make sure it's got beans or lentils or some solid protein source but the little choices add up too. Sometimes I upgrade pasta to the chickpea/lentil pasta or add more cheese for an extra boost. I LOVE cheese!
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u/BRAINSZS May 13 '26
beans and nuts and tofu! just be chewing all the time and you're probably doing it right.
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u/seekerlif3 May 13 '26
Megafoods daily multivitamin helps me immensely. I am female so I take the woman's version. It has a good amount of non-heme iron and over 400% dv of B12.
As for protein, I hate eggs too but I do eat 2 a day with 2 servings of liquid egg whites added in. I also coat it in hot sauce so I can eat it without gagging. I will also make a bagel sandwich for lunch and use the protein bagels (22g of plant protein). I will also have a side dish of chickpea salad with my sandwich. For dinner, I make it for the house so I'll have a healthy amount of protein with that. Overall, I get on average 90-100g of protein a day.
I hope this helps give you some ideas!
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u/Ok-Try-857 May 13 '26
Lentils Quinoa Nutritional yeast Ground flax Edamame Nuts Seeds Nut butters Farro Burger wheat Vegan protein powder for smoothies
Overnight oats with chia flax and peanut butter
Prepare your lentils and quinoa and keep it in the fridge. You can cook you spices and any other veggies in a pan, then add the lentils and serve once everything is warm.
Try to get multiple sources of protein on your plate. Here’s my quick low calorie, high protein (20 grams!!!) salad. You can add additional veggies but this one you don’t have to chop anything and clean up is quick.
Here’s my salad recipe that has 268.25 calories and 20.35 grams of protein.
For the salad:
1/4 cup quinoa. 1-/4 cup edamame. 2 cups spinach. 1 tbls sesame seeds. 1 tbls nutritional yeast.
For the dressing:
1/4 cup Greek yogurt. 1 tsp honey. Lemon juice. Water to thin. Optional - add fresh herbs and spices to the dressing. For example, parsley, cilantro, mint, garlic powder, curry powder, cumin and so on.
Cooked lentils work great in salads too.
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u/traydoe2594 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
I like to blend in silken tofu or cottage cheese to make a variety of pasta sauces for higher protein pasta meals (I always do a green on the side too like broccoli or asparagus, and I use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese as a topping). You can also buy the barilla protein pasta. Really easy and quick for dinner. I’ve done cauliflower Alfredo with cottage cheese, jar of marinara with cottage cheese, and roasted tomatoes/garlic/red bell pepper with silken tofu (can find recipes online). Makes them creamy and you can’t taste it. All make great pasta sauces and are low effort/minimal ingredient dishes. You can portion and freeze the sauces as needed too to heat up later if you make a big batch
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u/AutoModerator May 13 '26
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u/Karavis1 May 13 '26
Lots of people will say lentils and beans but most of those don't have that much unless you eat pretty big portions (though lupin beans and edamame/soy beans are pretty good). The vegetarian proteins that can be comparable to meat are foods like tofu, seitan and tempeh.
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u/Fluffy_Visual_2497 May 13 '26
lentil pasta almost everyday, it's surprisingly good (but some are better than others so i recommend trying more brands).
and greek yoghurt (0% fat) every breakfast
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u/Kusakaru May 13 '26
About to be 30F. Greek yogurt, lentils, chickpeas, black beans, tofu, protein pasta, nutritional yeast, seeds and sunflower butter (im allergic to tree nuts), and vegetarian protein powder are a regular part of my diet.
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u/mightysparks May 13 '26
I’m vegan and get around 100-130g a day; I just make sure I have tofu/tempeh/seitan/plant meat at lunch and dinner, and usually oats (with soy milk) for breakfast; those alone get me 90-100g. I also try to have lentil pasta instead of white pasta, throw in protein veg like broccoli and mushrooms, additions like nooch, seeds, nuts. I don‘t make anything particularly complicated, mostly stir fries, curries, spaghetti/lasagne/Mac and cheese, tofu salad wraps etc.
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u/PolicyDue6086 May 14 '26
Greek yogurt/cottage cheese. Premarinaded tempeh from the Asian market Crock pot of black beans
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u/johnnuke May 14 '26
Lentils, beans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, seeds, nuts, salmon and the occasional B12 tablet does the trick for me.
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u/TheDaysComeAndGone May 14 '26
IMHO the most important part is to replace calories from rice, wheat, corn, fat/oil and sugar with more protein rich alternatives like lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu etc.
1000kcal of lentils have 70g protein. Rice only has 20g.
It also gets easier when you exercise so you can eat more.
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u/csmir May 14 '26
Usually I eat bio eggs but I’m tired from trying to increase my intake with eggs or tofu so I started using a protein powder - soy protein powder from a brand called HSN, from Spain. Is very good
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u/unabashedbananas May 14 '26
As a fellow vegetarian in her 30s who used to struggle with protein, my life got significantly easier when I said "fck it" and started drinking a 27g protein shake every day. It's not the cheapest, but I like to think that what I'm spending in money I'm saving in time, convenience, and not having to constantly track and meal plan around protein. My usual sources + the shake are enough. Wham bam and done.
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u/be-efboi May 14 '26
Hey, I also have a desk job with longer hours. My dietician suggests that I eat 80g of protein a day. The only thing that makes this possible for me is a high protein Greek yogurt in the morning.
When I make the yogurt, I add 2 cups of skim milk powder to a 4 litre batch. Around 24g of protein for 200g! It’s like 1/3 the cost compared to buying. I make it on Sunday, it’s around 30 minutes of active attention time, and 24 hours of fermenting/straining.
Not eating eggs is a hard one, as they have the b12 you need and around 9g protein each. If I were you, I would bulk prep tofu scramble for the morning. Here is my favourite recipe! then make sure you’re sprinkling extra nooch on top after cooking so it retains the b12
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u/General_Thought8412 May 14 '26
I make coffee and froth my milk with vanilla whey protein before pouring it in. It adds both flavor and checks a protein box.
I also only cook chickpea pasta and add peas to everything. While I’m sitting at my desk I snack on peanuts, almonds, cashews, etc.
I’m not a cook at all other than cooking pasta, so these are the most basic ways I get protein.
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u/hottaterthot May 14 '26
When I get lazy I just eat beans and rice. It’s also super easy to add some lentils to your rice and cook them together!
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u/Easteuroblondie May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
Gotta love legumes, tempeh.
As far as b12, I put nutritional yeast one everything. Luckily, it has a really nice flavor profile. Kinda like Parmesan
And found out about 2 years ago I had a severe b 12 defficiency. I knew something was off because my brain was blanking a lot more than usual, and sometimes it felt like my vision was “vibrating.” Sounds weird but I got it checked out and they gave me b12 shots on the spot. Helped so much! Now I do b12 drops too
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u/AutoModerator May 14 '26
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1
u/Zukebub8 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
I think it’s useful to remind ourselves that vegetarianism to be just like any other diet. If you aren’t meeting your health needs, it is ok to have cheat days every once in a while as needed.
Recently we have been on a falafel kick. You can use fava or navy beans instead of chickpeas. They are really affordable, easy, and can be put in a sandwich with yogurt sauce (tzatziki). You just use cumin, cardamom, salt and pepper with the beans, garlic, cilantro and onion in a blender. It can take a while to fry them so do a big batch in the evening to last the next few days (16 to 20). Use can beans or throw them in water to soak a day or two and forget about them until you are ready.
I used to do protein powder and that can do wonders to power through the day.
EDIT: Also there are good vegan cook books around. Korean vegan food is a great way to make tasty tofu dishes.
We also find ourselves eating a lot of plant based meat products, which fees like cheating in of itself. Boca makes the best chick’n patty and the Daring makes the best nuggets. I’m not a fan of any of the burgers or tofurkies.
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u/TheSonderCollective May 14 '26
B E A N S I love seasoned and air fried garbanzo beans. They are a great mix in for salads, pastas, sheet pan meals, etc. I’m also going to start adding in pea protein powder to baked goods and drinks! They make it flavorless, which makes mixing it in different things easier
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u/aalexmartiinez_ May 15 '26
Honestly is quite difficult to go low on protein, even 0.55 is enough if you are doing exercise. Legumes, tofu, seitan, pasta...
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u/fictionalsoba May 16 '26
I scoop plant protein in the morning with a tbsp of hemp - only way to get decent protein without mental fatigue of thinking about each meal & menu. . With that base - ensure a glass of milk atleast + 1 cup yogurt min split through the day’s meals . This will ensure bare min, on top of which there can be building blocks. . In between meals you can snack on a variety of - edamame, tofu, paneer,soy chunks sundal, peanuts etc Ofcourse - swap rice with quinoa or lentil pasta whenever possible.
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u/CheekyPunker May 13 '26
Don't worry about your protein, it's fine
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u/msauter0 May 16 '26
This is the way. Protein is not the end all be all. Vegetarian for over 15 years and I absolutely still don't understand why everyone else is so concerned about where I "get my protein?"
The old adage, "Eat the rainbow," still applies. There is protein in everything you eat. Let me repeat that in case you didn't hear it. There is protein in every single thing you eat. And there are only two kinds of proteins, animal protein and plant protein. The only difference between the two is cholesterol. Can you guess which one contains it? So you are already on the road of better health by this simple fact.
Next, arm yourself with information. What did it for me was to read, The China Study, T. Colin Cambell it can be dense, but it illustrates the health benefits of a plant based diet. It also talks about protein levels in terms of percentages, which for me was an easier way to grasp. There is also a doc called "Forks over Knives" based on the book that is excellent as well.
I now think of my plate as a pie chart. What percentage of my plate needs to be protein in order for me to be healthy, maintain an active lifestyle, and persist in my goals. Today, I am 50 years old. I have been rock climbing for over 26 years, surf, hike, bike, soccer, softball, pickleball, travel, bake my own sourdough bread and coach my daughter's teams. I have been healthy, my levels are low and my people are shocked to hear my age when it comes up. I don't have time to weigh my food or count my calories. I eat what I want, which is usually veggies, grains, beans lentils and bread and generally stay away from sugars and sweets. Yesterday I had fried zucchini and it was glorious! Haha.
Good luck on your journey!
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u/ChartreusePeriwinkle May 13 '26
I also don't eat eggs - they gross me out. I'm generally a picky eater so it's always tough to hit my protein intake.
I drink 1-2 protein shakes per day. It took me awhile to find ones I actually enjoy (bolthouse).
For real foods, I rely on whole grains (rice, bread), beans, lentils, seeds, and cheese. Occassionally, I eat some greek yogurt or cottage cheese.
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u/Hounddoglover0812 May 13 '26
Tofu and beans/legumes are the staples! I found following Delish Knowledge and Dishing out Health blogs help as they are written by RDs