As vegetarians, we opt not to eat animals. Our reasons for not eating animals can be anything from health or religion to ethical reasons or for the environment. Whatever your reason is, next you decide if your life of vegetarianism includes eggs, dairy, gelatin, honey, casein, or other animal-based products. At some point, you might find yourself asking, should I eat eggs? If I don’t eat eggs, then what can I eat instead?
Tara’s Tuesday Tips: What Can I Eat Instead of Eggs?
Plant-forward, plant-curious, vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, plant-based, and everyone in between! So glad you are here! A place where all are welcome. Not sure what all those meatless terms mean? Pop over to my other Tuesday Tips + meet us back here after a little tour of plant-based vocabulary: The Difference Between Plant-Based Diets.
It doesn’t matter where you land on the plant-based spectrum. You can dabble in vegetarianism + to me, that takes you one step closer to optimal health! I couldn’t be happier that you included me + my Tuesday Tips on your journey. But what about eggs? Seriously, what side of the debate do the eggs land? I will start by saying that for me + Mr. MVF, we do not consume any eggs or products with eggs in them. Many of you have questioned how we do that as plant-powered athletes. It is VERY possible, I can show you how by showing you what I eat instead of eggs.
Nutrition Breakdown of One Egg?
For one egg you will consume
approximately: 6 grams protein, 75 calories, 5 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 0.5 grams carbs, 0 grams sugar, o grams fiber. When vegetarians consume eggs, I am going to assume that you do because eggs are high protein, are easy + portable. Adequate protein intake being at the top of the concern list.
How much protein do we really need?
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight for adults over 18. Adjustments are made for age, activity level, and for vegans. For vegans, the recommendation is 0.41 grams per pound to account for the way in which plant protein is digested. So, a 150 pound 30-year-old male should take in around 54 grams of protein per day to meet the minimum requirements of the RDA. However, if he is active or vegan that number is much higher (closer to 1 gram per pound depending on activity level).
Our bodies can only process between 20 and 30 grams of protein at one time. If we eat more than that at once, it is treated as excess. We don’t store protein as protein, we can’t just save it for later. It is stored as fat the same way excess carbohydrates, sugar, and overall calories are. So, spread your intake out to around 20-30 grams each time you eat.
What about the amino acids we get in eggs?
You might have heard that you need to eat eggs to get ‘essential protein’ or to have adequate amino acid intake. Let me simplify this for you:
- Protein is made of building blocks called amino acids.
- Our bodies need amino acids.
- We are unable to make 9 out of the 20 most common amino acids. Therefore, we must eat them. We need these 9 as building blocks for lots of functions in our bodies. This makes them ‘essential’ – a buzz word in the nutrition/diet world you have likely heard.
- There are some foods that contain all the essential amino acids and are considered ‘high quality’ proteins including eggs, fish, soybeans, quinoa + spinach.
- It is unnecessary to go out of your way to combine different proteins depending on their ‘essential’ status (something once considered very important to do).
- Eating a variety of plant-based protein sources is the best way to ensure you are getting enough of all amino acids. All plant-based proteins contain some amount of the essentials but in sometimes very small amounts, so variety is the best way to go.
With the Science Stuff Out of the Way, On to the Food …
Ready to give up eggs?
So, You Ask, What Can I Eat Instead of Eggs?
Quinoa
8 grams of protein in one cup!
Tofu
½ block extra firm tofu = 16 grams protein
Almonds
¼ cup = 6 grams protein
Black Beans
½ cup cooked = 8 grams protein
Lentils
½ cup cooked = 12 grams protein
Chickpeas
½ cup = 8 grams protein
Lentil Pasta
2 ounces uncooked = 15 grams (there are 4 servings in one 8-ounce box of lentil pasta. So, eating 1/4th of the box of pasta gives you 15 grams of protein!)
Peanut Butter
2 tablespoons peanut butter = 8 grams protein
JUST Egg
3 tablespoons of liquid JUST Egg = 5 grams protein
One folded JUST Egg = 6 grams protein
Steel Cut Oats
1 cup cooked = 5 grams protein
Sprouted Grain Bread
1 slice = 5 grams protein
Chia Seeds
3 tablespoons = 6 grams protein
Beyond Meat Breakfast Sausage
One serving (2 patties) = 11 grams protein (from pea protein)
What Can I Eat for BREAKFAST Instead of Eggs?
Idea #1:
Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl – 14 grams protein
- 1 cup steel cut oats (5 grams protein) + 2 tbsp peanut butter (8 grams protein) + 1 cup blueberries (1 gram protein)
- *you could increase this one to 20 grams protein by adding 3 tbsp chia seeds and an additional 7 grams by making this with plant-based milk
- Try one of these: Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats, Pumpkin Chia Seed Overnight Oats, Instant Pot Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
Idea #2:
JUST Egg Sandwich – 16 grams protein
- 2 slices sprouted grain bread (10 grams protein) or your favorite bread + 1 folded JUST Egg (6 grams protein) + everything but the bagel seasoning + a dollop of plant-butter for the bread
- *you could increase this to 20 grams protein by adding 1 avocado into your sandwich or to 27 grams by adding one serving of plant-based sausage patties
- Try one of these: JUST Egg Muffin Breakfast Bites, JUST Egg Hack (Baked JUST Egg)
Idea #3:
Quinoa Breakfast Bowl – 21 grams protein
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (8 grams protein) + ¼ cup almonds (6 grams protein) + 1 cup plant-milk (approx. 7 grams depending on source) + cinnamon + pumpkin pie spice
- *you could increase this one to 27 grams of protein by sprinkling on ¼ cup of almonds, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds
- Try one of these: Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast Bowl, Basic Instant Pot Quinoa
Idea #4:
Tofu Scramble Wrap or Sandwich – 22 grams protein
- ½ block tofu made into a tofu scramble (16 grams tofu) + whole grain wrap (5 grams protein) + hot sauce or salsa + ½ avocado (1-2 grams depending on the size)
- *you could increase this one to 30 grams of protein by adding ½ cup black beans in
- Try this: Easy Tofu Scramble
Idea #5:
Protein Smoothie – 23 grams protein
- Garden of Life Unflavored Plant-Based Protein Powder (22 grams protein) + 1 cup greens (1 gram protein) + 1 orange or a handful of berries
- *you could increase this to 25 grams protein by adding another cup of greens and another cup of blueberries or more by switching to a higher protein green mixture
- Why I Drink a Smoothie Every Day
Want to Learn More About Protein for Vegetarians?
Vegetables with the Most Protein
The Vegetarian’s Guide To Protein
Tara’s Tips For Plant-Powered Athletes
A Few More Of Tara’s Egg Articles:
Food For Thought
When you make food choices, ask yourself, am I being intentional with this food choice? Is it for convenience, portability, protein, fiber, vitamins, taste, in celebration of something? All very good reasons to choose a certain food. If you are intentional with your food choices, you will choose wisely for your body, for your life. If you are making food choices for health or disease prevention, be very intentional! Alternatively, if you are celebrating something, go for it!
Remember, what you do most of the time matters most.
Eggs are an expensive choice with questionable ethics with the way chickens are fed and farmed, some given hormones or antibiotics. If you are eating eggs solely for the purpose of adequate protein, there are better options. If you avoid eating animals for health or ethics, there are definitely better options for you too! So many options, you are in the right place. Click around MVF + if you don’t find what you came for, reach out to me directly: tara@myvegetarianfamily.com 💚 You are always welcome in my kitchen 👩🏻🍳
Above all, make sure you enjoy good food in the company of good people.
All the best,
Tara 🪺
⭐So ….. What Can I Eat Instead of Eggs? What will you eat, eggs or no eggs? Leave a comment below, we love comments!
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