Sometimes people ask me if it’s possible for post-ops to be vegetarians. Can they get enough protein without eating meat? Sure they can. Absolutely. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 14 years old and was not about to start eating meat when I had weight loss surgery. I get at least 70 grams of protein daily without any trouble, usually more, and later on in this series I’ll tell you how I do it.
Is it hard to get enough protein post-op without eating meat?
Well, I don’t think it’s too hard. Since non-meat foods usually have less protein per ounce than meat, it does mean I have less room in my pouch for non-protein foods. For instance, three ounces of meat has about 21 grams of protein but a half cup of black beans only has about seven grams of protein. That makes it even more important for me to focus on protein first.
Here is a list of foods and how much protein they contain. You might be surprised to learn that even broccoli has protein in it!
Food….Grams of Protein
Black beans, 1 cup…15
Kidney beans, 1 cup…13
Veggie burger (varies somewhat by brand)…13
Tofu, 4 oz…11
Peanut butter, 2 tbsp…8
Almonds, ¼ cup…8
Soy milk, 1 cup…7
Soy yogurt, 6 oz…6
Spinach, cooked, 1 cup…5
Broccoli, cooked, 1 cup…4
Kidney beans, 1 cup…13
Veggie burger (varies somewhat by brand)…13
Tofu, 4 oz…11
Peanut butter, 2 tbsp…8
Almonds, ¼ cup…8
Soy milk, 1 cup…7
Soy yogurt, 6 oz…6
Spinach, cooked, 1 cup…5
Broccoli, cooked, 1 cup…4
Don’t beans have a lot of carbs…and don’t they give you a lot of gas?
Yep, they do. They are complex carbs, though, and high in fiber. But depending on what they’re made of, beans and pasta are digested differently. Vegetarian post-ops will probably take in more carbs altogether than post-ops that eat meat, though.
Beans do give some people a lot of gas, and some post-ops have uncomfortable gas anyway. I’ll tell you a secret about how to make less gassy beans, though. If you buy dried beans instead of canned beans, and soak them in cold water with some baking soda for about four hours, then drain and rinse the beans, and finally soak them in cold water for another four hours, they will not make you fart as much. Dried beans are cheaper, too.
What about the first few weeks post op?
Your surgeon or dietician will probably give you a meal plan and it will probably include lots of meat, eggs and dairy products. Your surgeon and dietician may or may not be very familiar with a vegetarian or vegan diet. Your best bet is to find a dietician that is familiar with both weight loss surgery and a vegetarian or vegan diet, though it might be hard to do that, depending on where you live. You may end up having to educate your doctor or dietician!
You can substitute vegetarian or vegan options for the items on your standard post-op meal plan. Here are some options:
Clear Liquids
- Substitute veggie broth for chicken broth. You can even add unflavored protein powder to your broth (if your plan allows it) to boost the protein. See below for guidance on protein powders.
- Skip the Jell-O – it’s made from the hooves of horses and cows!
Full Liquids
- Use soy milk instead of skim milk in protein shakes.
- Use a soy protein powder instead of one made with whey, which is a milk product.
- Substitute soy yogurt for regular yogurt.
Pureed Foods
- Puree things like beans, tofu and vegetarian chili.
Protein Supplements
You may have noticed that protein supplements contain different types of protein.
- Whey isolate and whey concentrate are both types of milk protein. Whey isolate is what is most often recommended for weight loss surgery patients, but there are other good choices, too.
- Soy isolate is not found in as many protein supplements, but it’s a good choice for vegetarians and vegans. Make sure you read all the ingredients because even if a supplement contains soy isolate, it might also contain some animal ingredients.
- Rice protein, pea protein and hemp protein powders are likely to be labeled as vegetarian or vegan protein supplements. These are not as good a choice as whey or soy isolate because they don’t have all the amino acids we need. If you use one of these, I suggest mixing it with soy milk instead of water because then you get more amino acids.
- Collagen is a form of protein found in those little “protein shots” or “bullets” that promise large amounts of protein in just a few ounces of liquid. The collagen comes from boiling the skin and hooves of horses, cows and pigs, so it’s not a vegetarian form of protein. It’s also missing some important amino acids so it’s not absorbed well at all.
What about vitamins?
All post-ops should be taking vitamins. What kind of vitamins you need depends on what kind of weight loss surgery you had and on your labs (which you should be getting done regularly). Vegans can look for vegan forms of vitamins; many supplements contain animal ingredients. All vegans should take a B12 supplement, regardless of what type of surgery you had; even vegans that have not had weight loss surgery need a B12 supplement because plant foods contain very little B12.
In summary, what you need to know is:
- You can get enough protein as a post-op without eating meat.
- Because non-meat food sources have less protein per ounce than meat food sources, you have to be careful to put protein first in every meal. There isn’t a lot of room for non-protein foods, especially at first.
- Many foods including beans, tofu and even vegetables like broccoli contain protein.
- You might have to educate your surgeon or dietician about a vegetarian or vegan diet.
- There are many vegetarian alternatives to suit each post-op eating stage (clear liquids, full liquids, purees, etc.)
- All post-ops should take vitamins. Vegans need to take a B12 supplement, even if they have not had weight loss surgery.
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