Protein for the Vegetarian Mom to Be

By Natalie

My husband and I attended our first birthing class last night. One of the other mommy's is a vegetarian and was concerned about consuming enough protein daily. She said that she is not often hungry. Lucky her!

I've found a variation on the amount of protein that you need. According to "What to Eat When You're Expecting" you need 75-100 g of protein per day. But, "Prepared Childbirth The Family Way" is 60 g of protein per day. I found on About.com that you can apply a formula .37 * the number of pounds you weigh, is a good way to figure out the amount of protein you need daily. About.com's formula does not apply specifically to pregnant women.

If you are vegetarian reaching 60-75 g of protein per day may seem difficult. If you plan out your meals and be sure to have snacks high in protein, it's doable!

 

Here are vegetarian options that pack the most protein:

Clif Bars 12 g of protein, check each type because the flavors vary in the amount of protein

Cottage cheese- 1/2 c is 15 grams

Sunflower seeds- 1/4 c is 6 g

Tofu- 1/2 c is 20 g

Flax Seeds- 1/4 c is 8 g

Edamame- 1/2 c 11 g

Quinoa- 1 c cooked, 8 g

Couscous- 1 c, 6 g

Peanut butter, organic- 2 tbsp, 8 g

Peanuts- 1 oz, 8 g

Skim milk- 1 c, 8 g

Low-fat yogurt- 1 c, 9g

Flaxseed meal- 3 tbsp, 4 g

See this list for more ideas!

 

Here are some meal options to reach the daily intake:

 

Breakfast:

Cottage Cheese with fruit on top (15 g)

Quinoa with skim milk (16 g)

Quinoa with Orange juice (10 g)

Smoothie with yogurt and flax seed (14 g)

2 Egg Spinach Omelet (15 g)

 

Morning Snack:

Clif Bar (12 g)

Cottage Cheese and fruit (15 g)

Peanuts (8g)

 

Lunch:

Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich and glass of skim milk (16g)

Quinoa and beans (15 g)

Spinach Salad with carrots, avocado, and sunflower seeds (12 g)

 

Afternoon snack:

Hummus and carrots (4 g)

Edamame (11 g)

Yogurt, honey, and almonds (13 g)

 

Dinner:

Whole grain pasta with tomatoes and skim milk (16 g)

Tofu stir fry with brown rice and asparagus (24g)

Spinach salad with avocado, almonds, and strawberries (10 g)

 

I think if you are in danger of not reaching the recommended value then drink a glass of milk, eat some nuts, have a Clif bar or have some edamame.

For the vegetarians out there, what's your best source of protein?

photo credit: Amazon.com