What does 30g protein for dinner look like?

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Feb 17

I often get asked how I get protein on a vegetarian diet. Can you get enough protein on a vegetarian diet? The answer is yes, but you have to be intentional about it. I try to get 80-100g protein per day: 30-40g from a smoothie in the morning (grass-fed whey protein powder) and then 20-30g from lunch and dinner.

Here’s a quick breakdown of my favorite sources

Animal products tend to be more concentrated sources of protein for the same amount of carbs/calories. If you do eat dairy, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese are excellent sources, delivering about 20g protein in a cup (240g). I will often swap out regular yogurt for Greek yogurt in a raita, and serve it as an easy side to an Indian meal. You can also make dips or toppings out of cottage cheese (eg. add garlic, salt, smoked paprika and blend).
Plant-based high-protein options tend to be soy-based. Tofu, tempeh and edamame are all excellent sources, delivering upwards of 12g per 100g serving.
Now for lentils, legumes and the like. These are non-trivial sources of protein, but it’s good to remember that they are bigger sources of carbs than protein. I would eat up to 3/4 cup cooked lentils/beans per serving, to get about 10g protein. But they also come with plenty of fiber and are great for your gut.
Similarly, nuts are bigger sources of fat than protein, but can provide a great complementary source of protein in a meal, about 6-8g per ounce/28g serving. An egg has 6g protein as well.
Remember that vegetables (especially non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, etc.) have protein too: about 2g/cup raw, which is an excellent bonus considering that they come with so many additional benefits.
Cheese is also an good source of protein - it depends on the varietal but many of the commonly used cheeses like mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan have 7-9g per ounce/28g serving. I’ll often do 2 eggs plus cheese to get 20g protein in a meal.
What did I miss?

Food for Thought

Speaking of cheese, did you see this recent revelation that cheese might be healthier than you think? Reductionist thinking in nutrition science has rung alarm bells in the past about saturated fat in cheese, leading many to believe that cheese is something to “indulge” in and feel guilty about. I’m no nutritionist - but I have come to firmly believe that when it comes to food, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Obviously nothing is good in excess, but if we’re eating fat from whole foods like full-fat dairy, there must be something about that nutritional matrix that will still be good for us.

Nutritional research is hard and often there is industry money at play, influencing results. However, a big problem with most research on saturated fat is that it lumps together fat from whole foods (dairy and meat) with processed, sugar-laden junk like Twinkies. Anyway, it does seem that perception appears to be changing, albeit slowly, with increasing research showing that saturated fat from whole foods may actually be protective against heart disease. Okay, rant over. But if this struck a chord with you, you might find one of my older articles interesting: When Fat Hit The Fire.

Before I get back to protein, please RSVP to this month’s cooking club by clicking the button below! It is scheduled for Friday, Feb 24th, 11am-12pm EST (over Zoom). I will be making my Hazelnut Brownies that are uber-fudgy, intensely chocolatey and sweetened naturally with dates! I would love for you to cook along with me, but will be happy enough if you watch :)

I’ll share tips and tricks and there should be time for a Q&A! If you don’t have the book yet make sure you get it beforehand so you have the recipe. Event details including Zoom link will be updated next week for those who RSVP.

RSVP Here

Winner, Winner, Protein Dinner!

Here are 3 high-protein dinners (REAL dinners that I had recently, that’s why the photos aren’t very styled). They are very quick to put together, and serve up an impressive 30g protein.

Dinner 1: Fridge clean-up

This one was pretty last-minute. Stovetop pesto-roasted rainbow cauliflower, garlicky sauteed chard in olive oil, steamed edamame with sea salt and 2 eggs soft-boiled in my Instant Pot. Remember, 2 eggs is not enough protein in a meal, that’s why the edamame is important! You could also do pan-roasted tofu in place of the eggs to make this completely plant-based.

This one has the Siete almond flour tortilla, Trader Joe’s channa masala (you can use any packaged lentils) and Greek Yogurt Raita, served with garlicky broccoli sauteed in olive oil on the stovetop (try to cut broccoli and garlic an hour earlier to activate sulforaphane). Avocado and cucumber slices round out the meal.

Last, but certainly not the least, this one is a high-protein pasta, served with a beet-walnut pesto (you can use any pesto with nuts - but I’m probably sending out this beet pesto recipe next week), sauteed collard greens, garnished with parmesan and dotted with fresh jalapeno.

I hope this post gave you some actionable protein ideas! What are your favorite sources of protein?

It is challenging to get 100g protein in a day from whole foods on a vegetarian diet - you would have to eat an awful lot of food. Or use the same 2-3 sources of concentrated protein every day, which doesn’t work for me as I get bored easily. That’s why I supplement with a protein smoothie in the morning to get a strong start to the day. I will send out some smoothie recipe ideas in the coming weeks. Feel free to share this post with anyone you think will benefit!

v8well Good Things

Brand new recommendations section!

To read

I recently got a copy of the Brain Health Kitchen cookbook by
Annie Fenn, MD
and highly recommend it! The most powerful tool we have today to prevent or slow down Alzheimer's is food. And this book is an invaluable resource, with inventive and alluring recipes that use brain-healthy ingredients like nuts, spices, alternative baking flours, fermented vegetables and fatty fish. I am always looking for more interesting ideas for tofu and have bookmarked the Spinach Tofu 'Ricotta'. And the Roasted Strawberries with Almost Instant Cashew Cream are crying out to me! I also love the digestible bits of scientific knowledge provided - just enough to add value yet not straying too far away from being a cookbook.

To listen

If you get headaches often, listen to this episode of the Huberman Lab podcast which goes over the different types of headaches and how to prevent or treat them using food, supplements, spices and more.

To eat

I made the Harissa and Manchego Omelette (~25g protein) from Ottolenghi Simple. I have fallen hopelessly in love with this cookbook and plan to cook from it every week.

Cookbook News

Listen to my interview on the SoCal Restaurant Show, it was really fun - part 1 and part 2 (each about 9 mins).
My toddler, Mira, signed a copy of the book at Barnes and Nobles on the Upper West Side in NYC :)
If you are on Facebook, join my cookbook group here and share your pictures as you cook along from the book! You can also ask questions about recipes and I will help in any way I can.
Australia friends, I know more people who just got their book so I live in hope that Amazon is close to sorting out this issue!
Write a review. Pretty Please. It is the most impactful way to support my work and help others.