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Is it possible to get 40 to 50 grams protein from a plant based diet?

Winnie53

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Messages
2,374
Location
United States
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
My friend has stage 4 chronic kidney disease and her glucose levels need to be better controlled. I'd like to support her in switching to plant based proteins and to a keto diet to help her lose weight and gain better control of her glucose levels. Any information you can provide would be most helpful. Her nephrologists want her on a minimum of 40 to 50 grams protein per day.
 
@WuTwo and @Mel dCP can probably answer or point you in the right direction.
 
Brit90. Thank you for the link. I'm not challenging the vegan/vegetarian diet. I'm trying to figure out how to get 40 to 50 grams of protein from a plant based diet for a type 2 diabetic.
 
I’m not totally plant based, but I do supplement with pea protein and regularly eat low carb meat substitutes to keep my protein up.
 
Winnie53 said:
Thank you. What is a low carb meat substitute?
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Things like Quorn, the meat substitutes you find in the vegetarian chiller section of most supermarkets. I have a rummage through, look at the labels, and buy things I fancy that will keep me under my 30g daily carb limit. Vivera is a current favourite brand, they do a pulled kebab meat kind of thing, and nice burgers and steaks. Tesco sell Beyond Meat burgers, which are quite expensive but low carb and really very good. Farm Foods do a pretty decent vegan meatball, and Linda McCartney sausages aren’t too bad on the carb front of you only have a couple. I’ll sometimes add pea protein to a curry if I’m a bit light that day, but I do eat fish and eggs.
 
They just did a Plant Based burger comparison on TV an hour ago, Beyond meat won, they are really nice, but expensive.
 
Brit90 said:
They just did a Plant Based burger comparison on TV an hour ago, Beyond meat won, they are really nice, but expensive.
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I initially thought that, at £5.50 for two - but you’d pay three quid for a decent meat burger, and as a treat I don’t mind.
 
Thank you so much. That is so helpful. Going to have a good look around in the vegetarian section of our local food co-op.
 
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Pulsin pea protein powder can be added to soups, porridge or shakes. I've seen in a few diff health food stores or you could prob buy online?
 
DawnOfTheZed said:
Pulsin pea protein powder can be added to soups, porridge or shakes. I've seen in a few diff health food stores or you could prob buy online?
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Home Bargains are selling pea protein at about three quid for a 250g pouch, less than half the price of the Pulsin stuff I’ve been using up to now.
 
Anything tofu is pretty good in protein or seitain or tempura. Some of the yogurts are high protein. Along with nuts and nut butters,
 
Is anyone else here having problems submitting posts? It's sometimes taking me 5-10 minutes to post or reply to posts today.
 
There are so many plant based powders around now, if you take a look at a few sites or shops and make some comparisons that’s probably a great way to get started whilst you’re researching other options!
You could also try googling plant based low carb foods or when you find some google recipes using those to help with variation
 
All legumes are protein foods, also seitan is high protein and available in many flavours and makes. I take it your friend might not able to manage making her own. Think chickpeas, lentils, green peas, black beans, haricot etc. Seitan is the basis for a lot of "tastes like meat" products, along with quorn. Seitan is a very chewy food, goes well as thin slices in casseroles and stir frys, or as not-steaks with veggies/salads/fries. Does very nicely diced and chucked into scrambled tofu. I make seitan steaks, tenders (a less chewy texture), not-bacon, even pepperoni for pizzas.

Also, she could maybe snack on nuts (unsalted is fine if she needs low salt).

There are soooo many tofu recipes. I have scrambled tofu most mornings, with a couple of strips of seitan bacon and some tomatoes and or mushrooms. That breakfast alone gives me about 25g of protein, less if I'm having a not so hungry day.

Lunch for me is usually a bowl of chopped veggies but I add sunflower seeds and a ground nuts mixture (cashew/macadamia/nutritional yeast - it is gorgeous, and high protein). Nutritional yeast is a dreadful name for a truly brilliant savoury product. 5g of nooch gives you 2.5g of protein. It is a dried flake product with a truly awesome flavour that enhances every savoury dish you chuck it in. Soups, casseroles, breakfasts - most of us get through a fair bit of nooch each week.

I have non-dairy yoghurt with milled flaxseed mixed in and tipped over berries for dessert. Plant based yoghurt is a protein source, a good source of calcium, B12 and D. And I love the stuff.....

I eat an easy 75g per day ie. 1g per kilo of bodyweight and I could push that up without thinking about it.

You need to speak to @Marie 2 - she is a long term vegan living in the States - she'll know makes of foods etc.
 
A lot of your meat substitutes are either soy based or wheat gluten and are a very good source of protein. Yves fake bacon is 5 grams per slice, Gardein or Beyond Meat products are usually around 20 grams for a serving. But these have a higher sodium content and I bet they have a low limit on salt intake.

A can of beans is about 20 grams. (You can get unsalted or cook dried beans) A container of refrigerated tofu is about 30 grams. You can make a sauce, dressing or pudding by blending the silk tofu in a blender and adding what you want to flavor it. Cucumber and basil dressing? Berry pudding? Mushrooms, Italian, or green bean dressing? The latest thing with tofu is I have coated it with nutritional yeast and baked it, nice and crispy snack. But I also slice it, marinate it and bake it at a low temperature for a jerky type snack.

There are some very famous body builders that are vegan and intake over 100 grams of protein and they usually use a protein drink for it. You can mix a smoothie, stick with a flavor like blueberries, ice and soymilk (About 6-8 grams 8 oz) and put half a scoop or a scoop in it of soy or pea protein unflavored and is usually about 20 grams per scoop. But they also have flavored ones, I prefer soy ones over pea protein. You won't utilize over about 25 grams in one sitting very well, so it's best to stay under the 25 grams each time. The unflavored powder can be added to various foods.

They also have a few sugar free vegan powder mix ones out there, sweetened with stevia or a mix of stevia and a sugar alcohol like xylitol. There is a nice premade drink not cheap though from OWYN that is only about 6 carbs and 22 grams of protein.

There are also some paleo vegan sites out there.

But make sure what amount of protein range they want, on dialysis they might want a min but also still a max? Protein is restricted a lot with kidney disease so you want to make sure of what they are recommending for her specific needs..
 
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Thank you all for your most helpful information. I'm learning lots from you. Will copy the information you've so generously shared and provide it to my friend.

If anyone here, particularly those with chronic kidney disease, wish to share additional information with me, please do so publicly here on the forum, or privately, any time. Thank you!
 
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