I am not vegan as I eat eggs but I do not eat meat or dairy products. My question is to do with protein substitutes such as Tempeh, Tofu, chick peas, quinoa etc and I use unsweetened coconut yoghurt and oat milk. Is anyone in a similar situation and do the alternatives I’ve noted work OK?

Hi I’m not vegetarian but usually have veer towards . I’ve found all the meat suggestions too much so incorporated tofu in either scrambled with mushrooms for breakfast, roasted veg and tofu bake but you need to add some fat to it. I’ve also used chickpeas but all legumes also have carbs so you need to balance that out with your daily target. There’s a mushroom and quinoa soup on this site which is lovely and the stuffed peppers with moong dal lentils are good( I would replace some of onions with mushrooms). I usually have some soya milk and yoghurt for the calcium but your choices would be ok in small quantities . I think a lot of meat replacements may have carbs in but if you use fitness pal or other sites you can work out your carb content . Hope that helps

Hi guys
don’t worry too much about the carbs in chickpeas as they tend to be more of the hard to digest complex carbs than the bad simple type.
A lot of us have been using chickpeas and especially chickpea flour for making flatbreads and even pasta (thanks hashimoto) with no ill effects

Hi folks, there shouldn’t be any problems including tempeh and tofu in your diet. I use both and just count them in my daily allowance. Quorn (ughh) should be fine too if you like it.
Some of the usual protein sources might be higher in carbs, but the legumes as opposed to grains, are more beneficial as they are usually low GI.
Sunflower seeds are low carb and quite high in protein too. If you heat a small fry pan and add a few teaspoons of soy sauce then throw in the sunflower seeds and cook until coated in the sauce ( only takes 1-2 mins), you have a great crunchy topping for salads, soups etc. they will store well in an airtight jar and make a good snack for when you fancy crisps or crackers or just something salty to munch on.

Thank you folks for your responses. It looks like I’m on the right track. Cherrianne I feel the same way about Quorn, but love your idea with sunflower seeds. Thank you. Jackfruit is another thing I have used a couple of times but maybe too processed. The mushroom options work well for me too. Cheers.

I love Quorn but hate tofu. I guess it takes all sorts!