help! need mega protein foods!

ok, so i've been a vegetarian for a long time, and i'm starting to lean more towards veganism. i don't think i'll ever give up dairy and eggs, because they're just yummy to me, but i'm being VERY careful to only buy what comes from organic farms that treat their animals right and don't use hormones or pen their animals up. but that's kind of a side note.

the thing is, when i went veggie, i just gave up meat and kept eating like usual. i added things like tofu, started eating more beans and whole grains, and that was enough. i've never needed mega protein foods before, but my lover (who is a new-er vegetarian) just started working as a laborer, and he's like... eating us out of house and home, and can't seem to get enough protein!!!! i've been cooking lentils and beans, and putting eggs in just about everything, but aside from the gastrointestinal issues of eating beans for every meal, i need something to help boost the protein intake for him!

i love to cook, and i like to make "normal" foods like lasagna, beans and rice, stuff like that. i put tofu in my lasagna, and we eat a lot of whole grains to help up the nutritional content... but i don't know what else to do. i'm kind of at the limit of my knowledge of how to prepare tasty recipes that are vegetarian, don't rely on TOO much animal protein (i.e. cheese/milk and eggs), aren't too expensive as we are on a budget, and can help keep him functioning healthily! his metabolism is SO high, and he's working really hard physically and has like... no body fat, so what he eats is the only fuel he gets.

if anyone has any great ideas as to things i can add to my regular recipes to up protein content, or new recipes that would be high in protein, or just has any ideas as to what grains/nuts/beans/whatever are really good sources of protein, i would be SOOOO appreciative!

thank you guys soooo much... i know so many of you are so much more knowledgable about vegetarian/veganism than i am, and i really love that you share with the rest of us!

much love,
~isis

 

http://www.hempfood.com/milk.html

hemp seed milk
its a protein rush

but chances are hes not really craving protein as he is just adjusting to the new diet
hes not getting that bloated full feeling meat leaves with you for houirs after add the hemp seed molk but then also work on eatting habbits
does he rush through meals? EAT REALLY fast
does he snack often

i think its more his style of eatting thats really the issue

 

Maybe more fat would help to supply the calories he needs. It helps keep you full longer as well. Protein is probably not the issue. Do you eat nuts, healthy oils, avocados? These are very calorie dense foods.

 

bananas
bananas and probly plantains as well digest very very slowly
what seems to be the issue is he digests what u feed him too fast so is hungry again in hours or less
adding slower digesting foods will help him not have to eat as much as often

start with breakfast ..cereal with a couple bananas and hemp seed milk

see if that lil change doesnt help alot

 

thanks guys for your responses! actually, he doesn't eat fast at all, he snacks a lot on nuts and seeds (mixture of almonds, soy nuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, etc.), and in general just eats and eats and eats! lol... maybe i'm just not used to feeding men in general, and am not used to what would be considered a healthy diet!

he usually starts with a breakfast of granola or multigrain pancakes, or sometimes eggs with toast.

for lunch it's usually leftovers from supper the night before, or grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwich.

for dinner i've made lentil soup, curried lentils, rice and beans, and lasagna the past 4 nights. he ate like... 4 peices of lasagna, which to me seems a lot, and said he was still hungry.

oh, and he's been vegetarian for a year, so he's definitely not used to eating meat anymore, i just meant he's newer to veggieness than me (i've been going for 11 years). we both used to have very low physically intensive jobs, but we just moved, and he's doing manual labor, and eating lots, and says he feels like he needs more protein. he drinks lots of water, and on his cereal he uses 2% milk. i've also been making fresh salads out of the garden and putting hard boiled eggs in it too for extra protein.

maybe the fats is something else he needs, though i don't want to add too much fat as i'm trying to decrease my own body fat and we eat the same foods. i could add avocado slices to the salads maybe?

thanks for the link soaringeagle about the hemp seed milk. i just learned more about hemp seeds/nuts. we've been living in a very not health conscious area, and just moved to california, and i've been seeing hemp seeds/hemp nuts... lol, whatever they're called... but i wasn't sure how to use them or what nutritional value they had. they won't cause drug test flunking will they? (just for clarification)

what other kinds of nuts/seeds have good fats and proteins in them?

 

hemp are very very high protein the seeds shouldnt contain thc in any tracebale amount if they contain anty at all
theyre also very high in omega 3

i only had the hemp seed milk 1 time and it can only be described as a protein rush
amazing stuff
maybe he shgould start with a shoit now and then instead of fullk on breakfast milk..its really strong protein

 

got a juicer?

 

actually, i don't... nor a blender... we had to leave a LOT of our stuff behind when we moved, and we're on REALLY tight money right now. but i'm going to attempt to make granola here in the next couple of days, maybe i'll get some hemp nuts and put it in the granola? it sounds like yummy stuff, so maybe that'll help!

 

great idea

 

cool, thanks a lot! and if anyone else wants to chime in i'm totally open to any and all suggestions!

 

I have the same problem with my boyfriend. I've tried making some protein/fat-dense meals but he still eats and eats and eats. He ate four bowls of the meal I cooked last night, and I was hoping to have it last for a couple of days. And he's so thin, I don't get it. It's gotten to the point where I insist on staying at his place when it's meal-time. Do you live with/share finances with your man? If so, maybe talk with him about your concern and ask if he wouldn't mind buying the extra food that he consumes himself.

 

actually, yeah... we do live together and share finances. lol... actually, i got the better end of the deal, because for a time i was the only one employed and i paid for everything, and now he's the only one employed... so i guess when i say i need money to grocery shop i shouldn't feel bad, eh?

it's the wierdest thing, he is the skinniest guy ever (though working shoveling shit and gravel all day is bulking him up a bit with muscle), and he never ever gains weight, but he's eating like, triple what he used to eat. he eats a big portion, something he used to not be able to eat in one sitting, and say "i'm still hungry." hopefully he puts some meat on his bones, he was too skinny.

i guess i'm more worried because i've never been around "manly" appetites. he's the first guy i've dated (i'm primarily a lesbian), and i'm just not used to the way men, especially physically working men, eat. and before all of this, he worked a mostly nonphysical job, then was unemployed, so he didn't eat nearly this much. guess it's all normal lol! just freaks me out a little!

 

Oh! Try banana and peanut butter sandwiches (it's important that the bread is whole grain). I made them for lunch and my guy wasn't hungry again until dinner. Amazing!

 

Does he eat bread with his meals? It seems that eating bread with meals makes some men feel full.

 

**update**

so he's been eating pnut butter and banana sandwiches for lunches, and i've been doing a lot more with avocados (they're pretty cheap here in california)... tacos and guacamole, grilled cheese w/ sprouts and sliced avocados, hearty bean soups with grated cheese, and it's been going pretty well. also keep a big thing of salted peanuts on hand and he eats the shit out of them. so we're starting to even out. i think part of it was just that his body was freaking out with so much physical activity suddenly after very little for so long... and now it's settling down and only demanding what it needs and not trying to store excess. at least he stopped waking up x2 in the middle of the night to snack lol!!!