22 Oct 2015
Protein on a low FODMAP Vegan Diet
Do you ever feel it’s almost an automatic response for people who hear you’re vegan to say “but what about your protein!?!” It’s SUCH a common misconception that vegan diets are lacking in protein, as there are several protein-rich plant-based foods. Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds containing some, and often much, protein. Having said this, LOW FODMAP vegan diets can potentially lack protein as many beloved vegan protein sources – beans, many nuts, peas etc are all high in FODMAPs. But let’s not focus on what we can’t have. There’s always a silver lining & in this case the silver lining is that there are PLENTY of low FODMAP high protein sources.
Ensuring to include plenty of high quality protein in your diet is important for a number of reasons. Protein is vital to maintain metabolic health, as well as the health of your organs, muscles, hair, nails, and skin. Protein is also what keeps you feeling fuller for longer, and is especially important in those of us who are more active or the elderly, as it prevents muscle wastage.
OK, so now that we know what it’s good for … where do we get it in the diet? Here are just a handful of low FODMAP vegan options that are high in protein. I have specified quantities based on the research coming out of Monash University, however keep in mind that everyone will be different in the serving sizes & foods they can tolerate, so it is important to work with an appropriately qualified dietician/nutritionist and consult your food and symptoms journal. After all, the person who best knows your body and what it can tolerate is you!
Low FODMAP Vegan Protein Sources
Note: this list applies to any vegan (not just those with IBS) wanting to up their protein intake
- 1 cup tempeh = 31gm
- 1 cup tofu (firm or soft) = 11gm
- 1 cup cooked Quinoa, Amaranth, or Millet = approx. 8gm
- Brown Rice (1 cup) = 5gm
- Sprouted brown rice protein powder (Sunwarrior, Amazonia) 20g scoop = 17gm (depending on Brand)
- Gluten-free oats (1/2 cup uncooked) = 13gm
- Macadamia Nuts (20 nuts) = 3gm
- Peanuts (32 nuts) & Peanut Butter (2 tbsp) = 8gm
- Pecans (19 halves) = 2.6gm
- Pine Nuts (1 tbsp) = 3gm
- Chia Seeds (2 tbsp) = 4.7gm
- Hemp seeds (2 tbsp) = 11gm
- Pumpkin Seeds (2 tbsp) = 5gm
- Sesame Seeds (1 tbsp) = 1.6gm
- Sunflower Seeds (2 tbsp) = 4gm
- Walnuts (14 halves) = 4.3gm
- Almonds (10 max) = 3gm
- Hazelnuts (10 max) = 2.1gm
- Lentils (1/2 cup) – Monash app says ½ cup canned & ¼ cup boiled, however further research has shown most people can tolerate ½ cup boiled = 9gm
- Chickpeas (1/4 cup) – Monash app says ¼ cup canned – some people can tolerate ¼ cup boiled, others can’t even tolerate ¼ cup canned so adjust based on your own symptoms = 9gm
- Dairy milk alternatives (almond milk, rice milk, soy milk) – note: be weary of sweeteners & added inulin if using store-brought = 8gm (depending on Brand)
- Soy yoghurt = 4gm (depending on Brand)
- Spinach (1 cup) = 5gm
- Broccoli (1/2 cup max) = 2gm
Feel free to contact me to arrange a skype/in person FODMAP meal planning session.
Thanks so much for providing this list. I’m trying to get vegan, but beans bloat the hell out of my belly. This list helps.
You are more than welcome Adam .. thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for uploading this! I’ve been vegan for the past year and was vegetarian for 2 years before that, and I’d never found getting enough protein to be difficult. Now that my doctor asked me to start eating a low FODMAP diet, many of my “usual” high protein foods are now off limits. It’s been a stressful experience trying to find new meals and sources of protein. Still mourning the loss of certain foods (hummus!). Your site’s been very encouraging and helpful through this process. I really appreciate your posts here!
Hello there lovely Tamara,
Thank you for your wonderful feedback, it’s so rewarding to know my hard work is at least helping one person (keeps me motivated to keep studying … after so many years of being buried in books it’s easy to start losing motivation so comments like this really help lift my spirits!)
With regards to protein this is something that most vegans, let alone those restricted to a FODMAP friendly diet, struggle with. I think the important thing to remember is that the low FODMAP diet is NOT a diet designed to be followed long-term. It’s about doing an initial (and, let’s face it, awful) elimination phase, then determining through systematic re-introduction of each FODMAP which is your trigger. Therefore, I think you’ll find once you’ve narrowed down your “trigger foods”, your repertoire of “safe” protein-rich foods will grow significantly and you won’t feel so restricted.
Not sure whether or not you have the book but this may also give you some ideas (more shopping lists & recipes). I also offer FODMAP meal planning & coaching services, however see what will best work for you – some people like flying solo and, provided you know what you’re doing, that’s great too!
Thanks again for stopping by 🙂
Hi!
Im wanting to switch to a vegan diet and wondering with lentils and chickpeas, if the idea of soaking the legumes reduces their galacto levels? also does soaking refer to dry or canned chickpeas/lentils?
Thanks!
Hi there Claire 🙂
How wonderful to hear of your vegan journey! You are correct, pre-soaking DRIED lentils/chickpeas makes them much easier to digest by breaking down some of the tougher protein molecules. Remember to rinse them thoroughly after soaking (some people cook with the soaking water, which is essentially defeating the purpose). I’m hesitant to recommend canned chickpeas/lentils (despite being more FODMAP friendly, as they are soaked in their own juices for longer periods and therefore softer/lower in GOS content), but I dislike the preservatives that are used, as well as the whole canning process. If you do decide to use canned, remember to rinse any pulses thoroughly to remove the GOS-soaked water. Good luck!
[…] I need to get back to you because it’s skipped my mind now. This is how frequently I eat it, but there are good vegan proteins out there. There’s one run by a guy who is a vegan and a weightlifting champion. His name is Billy […]
I just read an article that said soft tofu is high FODMAP, but firm tofu is low. Have you heard of this difference?
Hi there Katalina,
Thank you for visiting The FODMAP Friendly Vegan, very thankful for your support 🙂
As for your query: the “hard” Tofu block, floating in water, unseasoned- has been measured and is low in FODMAPs. Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk, cutting it into blocks, pressing, and draining off the resulting liquid. The GOS/FODMAP is in the liquid, which is not consumed. It is suitable for the elimination phase of the diet.
Silken tofu: this type of tofu is made by coagulating soy milk. Instead of being pressed and drained, the whole thing is packaged and ultimately consumed. it stands to reason the FODMAPs are still in it, so it is probably not suitable for the elimination phase of the diet. Most people find they are able to reintroduce it at a smaller stage and it depends to be quite dependent on brands as to what can / can’t be tolerated. I personally use it in a lot of my sweet recipes e.g., mousses because it blends better than the hard variety (especially if you don’t have a Vitamix or other high-powered blender). Hope that helps 🙂
What about soaking and sprouting chickpeas or lentils, does that help remove any fodmaps? I find store bought hummus is harder to digest then sprouted soaked chickpeas at home.
Hi Danielle,
Thanks for stopping by! Yes definitely soaking all nuts, grains and pulses will help remove Phytates and oxalates in these products. The important thing to remember if enjoying home made as opposed to canned chickpeas and lentils is that your serving sizes should be smaller (Monash says 1/2 cup boiled lentils has a moderate oligosaccharides content for example) than if you were to enjoy the canned variety. Hope that helps! X
Hi.. ive been on low fod map diet for 6 weeks.. 100 % worked for me.. however
I am finding it very difficult to get protein meals.. alot of things on the vegan list i don’t like so im very limited. I am vegan.. so im finding that i am eating more carbs.. also a fitness instructor so im use to eating high protein foods and now a lot of those foods i know i cant have cause they do make me sick.. what are some more high protein foods low fodmap..please
Hi Nicole,
The above article gives you ideas for adding more protein to your diet – e.g., creating tofu smoothies or puddings, sprinkling nuts and seeds over your dishes, peanut butter. While I usually don’t promote protein powders, if you feel you are still not meeting your protein requirement (although you’d be surprised we don’t need as much protein as what most people think), you may want to invest in a quality vegan sprouted brown rice protein powder.
Well after many tries for vegan protein powders (i suffer from severe Crohn disease and sometimes feels like my body can’t take the nutriments to feed himself), i strongly recommend hemp protein which is very more digestible than brown rice. Hope it will help some of you.
hi, so glad I’ve found your page as I’m really struggling. Dietician says go FODMAP friendly but urologist says cut out animal protein to stop recurrent kidney stones. Help!!!!!
Hi Sharon (great name by the way!) there is no reason why you can’t do both. Have a look at the shopping list and high FODMAP foods under the resources pane. They are PDF so you can print. That will give you a good starting point 🙂
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Thanks again for this great post!