To those of you who work out, how do you meet high protein requirements as a vegan? Do you supplement with protein powder? Track macros?

I don’t think I get the optimal amount of protein by body weight from natural sources alone and it’s not a topic I know much about.

Feel free to share your favorite recipes and tips for increasing protein intake.

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The importance of combining proteins
| Amino acid | mg/kg per day | mg/g proteinb | mg/kg per day | mg/g proteinb |
|---------------------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------|
| Histidine | 10 | 15 | 8-12 | 15 |
| Isoleucine | 20 | 30 | 10 | 15 |
| Leucine | 39 | 59 | 14 | 21 |
| Lysine | 30 | 45 | 12 | 18 |
| Methionine + cysteine | 15 | 22 | 13 | 20 |
| Methionine | 10 | 16 | - | - |
| Cysteine | 4 | 6 | - | - |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 25 | 38 | 14 | 21 |
| Threonine | 15 | 23 | 7 | 11 |
| Tryptophan | 4 | 6 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Valine | 26 | 39 | 10 | 15 |
|---------------------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------|
| Total indispensable amino acids | 184 | 277 | 93.5 | 141 |

| Amino acid | WHO requirement (mg) | 612g of whole rice | 522g of canned chickpeas |
|---------------+----------------------+--------------------+--------------------------|
| Histidine | 700 | 1236 | 1274 |
| Isoleucine | 1400 | 2056 | 1984 |
| Leucine | 2800 | 4021 | 3294 |
| Lysine | 2100 | 1854 | 3095 |
| Methionine | 700 | 1095 | 606 |
| Phenylalanine | 1800 | 2509 | 2479 |
| Threonine | 1100 | 1781 | 1717 |
| Tryptophan | 280 | 618 | 444 |
| Valine | 1800 | 2852 | 1942 |
The insufficient amino acid is called the "limiting" amino acid: for rice it's
lysine and for chickpeas it's methionine. Consuming the specific quantity for
long periods of time might result in deficiency of the amino acid.

In the above example, the combination of both whole rice and canned chickpeas has
no limiting amino acids, that means that only consuming rice and chickpeas, in
these specific quantities of 306g/day and 261g/day respectively, for long periods
of time, would not result in any of the essential amino acid deficiency, at least
to the extent they are metabolized at the time.

Complementary protein combinations make for delicious recipes - they are combinations
that formed the basis of the world’s traditional cuisines. We use them naturally
in our cooking without even being aware of it. The three most common complementary
protein combinations are:
Grains (rice, corn, wheat, barley, etc.) + legumes (peas, beans, lentils)
Grains and milk products
Seeds (Sesame or sunflower) + legumes

There’s nothing really special about being a vegan, other than making sure you’re getting enough of things. Omnivore bodybuilders don’t get enough fibre; vegans have their own challenges.

Soy, beans, lentils, and there are a few options for protein powders. As an omnivore it’s hard to hit macros so most people use protein powders; it would be the same for a vegan. There’s only so much protein rich food you want to eat whether it’s soy or chicken breast. Be wary of protein claims when looking at products or recipes; check the macros yourself. It could have 20g of protein but it comes with 50g carbs and 20g fat - that might not gel with the macronutrient distribution you’re targeting. For an example, almonds are primarily a source of fat, even though they contain protein.

If you’re new to this, I suggest at least looking at MacroFactor. I’m just a customer, not sponsored, but it’s quite good.

If you're eating a healthy diet, meaning it includes daily fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and a full serving of legumes 2x/day, with sufficient calories, you don't need to worry about protein. That shit is for competitive athletes who are making their body unhealthy for the purpose of being sculpted for competition. If your goal is just "look good, feel good" then eat healthy.

I can assure you, this isn't true. I eat a vegan diet, generally pretty healthy, but I play two or more soccer games per week, Tuesday rolls along and I'm basically ravenous but in that, "I'm lacking some nutrient" sort of way. I've figures out over time that I just need a little extra protein that day. Sometimes a sports drink mix with sodium, potassium, magnesium et al.

It's not terribly hard to hit protein goals, but it does take paying attention. Protein powders do help, but a lot of the plant based ones don't taste very good (to me).

I hit 160-170g per day at 195 lbs eating a range of the following things: tofu (solid, general option), tofurkey + tempeh bacon sandwiches, gardein be'f crumbles or similar beef replacement crumbles, but a hidden gem if you're struggling is soy-free tofu made from fava beans. The macros are crazy, I think it's entirely protein, so something like 16g protein in a 70 calorie serving.

Thank you! I’ll try to find fava bean tofu. It sounds like an interesting product, protein aside, and regular tofu is already a staple food for me. I heard seitan also has high protein content, so maybe I’ll make my own someday.

Thanks for your advice. I’ll check out MacroFactor. Right now now I’m relying mostly on tofu, beans, lentils, and chickpeas as a protein source. I was mostly curious about what other people are doing and whether it’s worth it to include protein powders.

Don't build muscle, it's a trap!

Haha, I realize that this is a purely cosmetic goal. Even though I have a mostly healthy diet now, I would just like a bit more definition and it feels good to see progress :)

No problem! Here's the link/company that makes the one I buy: https://bigmountainfoods.com/products/soy-free-tofu

And for seitan, I know it's has a lot of protein, but I heard it isn't a complete protein source. Its fine to have, but just make sure you mix other stuff in so you can get all the essential amino acids you need.

A good protein supplement is very helpful. Some people argue it’s not necessary but I think that may be technically correct but you’re not going to progress the same way.
I’ve been able to get by without it, but that’s been when I’m bulking, with a high TDEE, and as an omnivore eating a lot of dairy. 3800cal with 140g protein wasn’t hard :) Now I’m cutting and need 160g protein at 2400cal. My expenditure swings a lot!

The recommended protien requirement is around .8g per day per kg of body weight, and double that is enough if you work out (you can go even lower to around 1.2g per kg, while still seeing significant gains), everthing above that get diminishing returns:

• https://blogs.cdc.gov/nchs/2010/03/03/953/
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096
• https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/protein
• https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/articles/how-much-protein-when-working-out
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8978023/

Assuming you weight 80kg, then you will need only around 96g -- 128g of protien per day, and everything above 160g will likely be a waste and they can even cause digestive problem for me.

One pack of super firm tofu https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/high-protein-organic-tofu-083089 or 500g of falafel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falafel#Nutrition provides around 70g of protien. Plus many daily food like grain, beans also provide a good amount of protien: https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/page-files/Protein.pdf
For example:

• one cup of all purpose flower gives you 12g of protien
• one cup of pasta, again, 12g
• one cup of long grain rice, 13g
• a bagel provides 10g of protien.

So I feel it is pretty trivial for me to reach the required protien in take if I just add some tofu and plant-based meat in my diet, and perhaps most importantly, eat 3 meals a day.
If anything, I need to sometimes scale down a bit in protien intake, since it is very easy to go over board and cause problem in digestion.

For me, most of the high protien source are tofu, gluten, and plant-based meat. I also mainly eat mix grains, and add chickpeas in my rice.

Thank you for this detailed, helpful answer with sources :)