Vegan/Vegetarian diet and IVF

[KDA0510]

Hi ladies - I am due to start IVF Cycle #2 in the next couple of weeks. Though I eat generally well, I know I will need to start increasing my protein intake. As I am lacto-vegetarian, I am struggling with meal ideas to make sure I am consuming 60g of protein a day.

Hoping some ladies can offer some advice/suggestions/ideas please? x

[Lizzielizzielizzie]

Have you discovered quinoa? It’s an excellent source of protein and you can use it instead of rice/couscous.

I also eat plenty of eggs and tried to add more nuts and seeds as snacks.

[Lilli79]

Hi Kiran I am mostly vegan/veggie (don't eat meat, eggs, milk - occasionally eat fish, cheese). I use the Nutracheck app to track my protein, you can do a free trial for a week and then its about £12 (I think) for 3 months. Well worth it though. I need about 61g protein per day and I find it easy to get to this. I don't know if you're aware but plenty of basic foods have quite a substantial amount of protein - like one slice of toast with marmite is about 11g!! You can also get high protein alternatives - for example, tesco do high protein bread, weetabix do a new high protein version cereal. I try to limit soya but obviously if you occasionally have soya meat substitutes you can normally get about half your intake from something like a spag bol made with soya mince and high protein pasta. Maybe try the Nutracheck app first and see how you get on xx

[Alicefff]

I actually find it fairly easy to eat that much protein, some high protein foods that I include in my meals are:

Tofu - I’ve been having lots of stir fries, Thai curry, tofu scramble, tofu burgers

Skyr yogurt or Greek yogurt (full fat) it’s low in sugar and high in protein. I have it for breakfast or a snack

Black beans - the highest protein of all the beans, great in Mexican food

Chickpeas - hummus

Lentils - make nice soup or curries

Eggs - omelettes

Linda McCartney sausages - I love these and they are high in protein

Almonds and cashews - they are my fave nuts to have as snack and they are also nice as “milk”

Peanut butter - for breakfast or with sliced apple as a snack

Oats - porridge and overnight oats

Chia seeds - are a bit strange but are a good thickener eg to add to overnight oats

Cheddar Cheese - is actually high in protein so good in moderation

Veg- broccoli, spinach and kale

I hope that helps x