# Non-meat, non-dairy quick protein sources?



## jolie-fleur (Nov 20, 2006)

Analyzing our diet, we eat only about 12% protein per day! We do eat meat, but sparingly (because our budget can't afford the better, pastured organic meats but in small quantities). My children are vegetable lovers, can tolerate meat but do terribly on dairy. We eat good protein rich dinners, but breakfast and lunch are nutrient poor protein wise. Any suggestions?


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## Whistler (Jan 30, 2009)

I have been trying to think of protein sources ever since that thread on raw sources of protein. It's hard to come up with one outside the box!

As far as I know, proteins are gained from these foods:
meats (including eggs)
dairy products
beans (including soy products)
nuts and seeds (need the right combo to get complete protein)

I think certain whole grains like oatmeal have a little bit, but not much.
Do some veggies like avocados have protein in them?

I am interested in learning more about alternate sources of protein because honestly these are all I know about. My kids eat some meat but mostly dairy for protein. I think it is really important for young growing bodies to have adequate protein, so I'd love to hear more.

For your kids in the mornings, I'd try foods like Hummus or eggs or soy milk to add protein to their diet.


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## BrooklynDoula (Oct 23, 2002)

beans
lentils
hummus
nut butters
nuts
things like Cliff bars (soy protien)
eggs
soy foods (milk, fake meats, tofu)


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## Ola_ (Sep 5, 2008)

Eggs, soy/tofu (maybe in a fruit milkshake?). I've also heard you can cook quinoa like oatmeal for breakfast (maybe with some chopped dried fruit too) and I believe quinoa is fairly high in protien. You could do it in the crock pot if you're short on time too: link


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

If your main limitation is budget, then I'd say eggs and beans/lentils. While beans aren't particularly "quick", you can cook a big batch of them and freeze them in smaller portions. Lentils can be made fairly quickly though.

Nuts are great but may be a bit expensive, and I don't agree with soy at all.

Check out your whole grains. Protein varies from almost none to lots.

For breakfasts, there are lots of different ways to prepare eggs to keep things interesting. Eggs can also serve for lunch as egg salad, deviled eggs or even just hardcooked. Or you can make bean dips like hummus for veggies, or nut butter dips for hard fruits. Don't forget mung bean sprouts, which have a fair amount of protein in them and are great for eating straight or tossed with a light dressing or topping a sandwich/salad.

And it looks like your dark green veggies have a bit too - broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, collards, peas, dandelion. They're in the neighborhood of 5g per 1 c cooked, but it's still something.

You say they don't tolerate dairy very well... can they handle yogurt (or kefir)? If they can, incorporating yogurt into a breakfast smoothie or making a dip like tzatziki for veggies can give a boost to their protein intake, too. I always drain my yogurt really well, and that gives it more protein per fluid ounce since you're removing the water.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

Whole wheat bread typically has 8 grams of protein per slice, so that can really add up quick, especially when pared with a nut or seed or bean (peanut/almond/sunflower/etc butter, hummus, bean dip, etc).


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## delicious (Jun 16, 2003)

we keep a big dish of boiled eggs in the fridge for the kids to snack on. there is also always hummus and some sort of whole grain crackers or pita for them. whole wheat is pretty high in protein.

whoops, sorry i was just echoing some PPs i see!







great minds and all.


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## veganfox (Nov 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jolie-fleur* 
Analyzing our diet, we eat only about 12% protein per day! We do eat meat, but sparingly (because our budget can't afford the better, pastured organic meats but in small quantities). My children are vegetable lovers, can tolerate meat but do terribly on dairy. We eat good protein rich dinners, but breakfast and lunch are nutrient poor protein wise. Any suggestions?

As a vegan pregnant woman who has to eat lots of protein,
I have to say it's not that difficult, especially if your kids like soy, nuts etc. For breakfast some good ideas are:
tofu scramble
cereal with soymilk (I get the Soydream which has 7 grams of protein per cup) served with nuts.
Whole wheat bread with nut spreads or veggies and hummus

What I found very helpful was this site
http://www.nutritiondata.com/
You can search for the foods higher in protein in different categories eg. meats, vegetables and so on and plan your meals accordingly.

Hope this helps!!!


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## Liquesce (Nov 4, 2006)

When I was on a low-cal vegetarian diet if I didn't eat lentils primarily and beans/split peas secondarily pretty much every day I'd have never gotten enough protein. 1 cup of cooked lentils alone has 18g protein.


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## JaneSmith1010 (Apr 22, 2007)

quinoa with nuts and raisins. can be eaten like cereal or made into bars.


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## brennatsi (Jan 22, 2008)

We get bags of mixed nuts from Whole Foods (with no salt). My preschooler eats them right out of the bag for a very quick, high protein snack. She loves them!!


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