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High Protein Low-Fat Vegetarian Foods

Vegetarian diets need to be planned carefully to include sufficient amounts of protein while keeping fat intake to a healthy range. This is no different than non-vegetarian diets, as proper nutrition is important for everyone. When shopping for low-fat, high-protein foods, take the time to read nutrition labels to ensure that you know the nutritional content of the foods you eat.

  1. Soy Products

    • Soy is found in many vegetarian foods at the grocery store, including soy milk, tofu, veggie burgers and meat substitutes. Pay attention to the nutritional label on the packaging when purchasing soy products as they may contain high amounts of fat depending upon on the method of preparation. Soy milk generally contains 4.7 g of fat per cup, which is the same amount of fat as 2-percent milk. The soy milk does provide 11 g of protein per cup, which is much more than milk at 8 g per cup. This amount may vary slightly from brand to brand, and flavored soy milk can contain higher levels of fat. An average serving of tofu provides 4 g of fat and 8 g of protein, but beware of deep-fried or flavored tofu which often contains added fats.

    Low-Fat Dairy Products

    • Most dairy products are available in low-fat or fat-free varieties such as skim milk or fat-free cottage cheese. Low-fat yogurt or low-fat Greek yogurts are also good protein sources that provide a minimal amount of fat. Reduced-fat cheeses are made with 2-percent milk or skim milk and contain less fat than their whole milk counterparts, although the fat content may still be too high for your personal nutritional needs. While dairy products are not suitable for vegans, they are an easy-to-prepare protein source for lacto- or lacto-ovo-vegetarians.

    Legumes

    • Legumes include beans, lentils and peas. These foods are generally very low in fat and high in protein and fiber. 1 cup of lentils provides 18 g of protein and less than 1 g of fat. Surprisingly, 1 cup of green peas contains 8 g of protein and zero fat, according to the CDC. Watch out for canned baked beans, as they may contain added fat or animal products.

    Egg Whites

    • Lacto-ovo-vegetarians can enjoy egg whites as a low-fat protein source. Whole eggs usually contain 5 g of fat and 6 g of protein each. Removing the yolk drops the fat to less than 1 g and still provides 3 g of protein.

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