3 Tips for a Vegetarian Meal

Creating a vegetarian meal is often challenging. We asked nutritionist Cindy Laplante to show us how to put together a complete, balanced meal that meets all our nutritional needs while satisfying our appetite and cravings. A good start is to add a variety of fresh foods to our menu. Here are three easy rules to follow.

1. A balanced meal

Get inspired by the Canada’s Food Guide balanced meal model to prioritize fresh, minimally processed foods. They contain better quality fats and little or no added salt and sugar.

There’s no need to recreate this meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner all year long. Just use it as a guide to find foods that deserve a greater place in your diet and, ideally, in what proportions.

2. Vegetarian proteins

They contribute to satisfying your hunger (providing a sense of satiety) until your next meal. Here are some examples of the quantity of protein per serving for a given food, in grams (g). Aim for 15 g to 30 g of protein per meal.

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TOFU: firm, about 12 g of protein per 85 g serving; soft, approx. 5 g per 85 g serving
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TEMPEH: about 15 g of protein per 85 g serving
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TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (TVP): 20 g of protein per 1 cup (250 ml) of rehydrated TVP (or ¾ cup dry / 180 ml)
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EDAMAME (SOYBEANS): 12 g of protein per ½ cup (125 ml)
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LEGUMES: 11 g to 13 g of protein per ¾ cup (180 ml), cooked or canned
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EGGS: 6 g of protein per egg
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NUTS AND SEEDS: 3 g to 7 g of protein per ¼ cup (60 ml)
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DAIRY PRODUCTS:
- Milk: 9 g of protein per 1 cup (250 ml)
- Greek yogurt: 17 g of protein per ¾ cup (180 ml)
- Hard cheese: about 14 g of protein per 50 g
- Soft cheese: about 10 g of protein per 50 g

Some lesser-known proteins to add to your menu:

• Hemp seeds: 13 g of protein per ¼ cup (60 ml)
• Chickpea flour: 6 g of protein per ¼ cup (60 ml)
• Soy flakes: 12 g of protein per ¼ cup (60 ml)
• Seitan: 20 g of protein per 85 g serving
• Wheat germ: 7 g of protein per ¼ cup (60 ml)
• Nutritional yeast: 4 g of protein per 2 tbsp (30 ml)
• Spirulina seaweed meal: 5 g of protein per 1 tbsp (15 ml)

3. Plant fibre

Bet on fibre—truly and madly! It promotes a diverse and healthier microbiota, as well as optimal intestinal regularity. Here are some examples of the quantity of fibre per serving for a given food, in grams (g).

FRUITS:

Apple: 4 g of fibre per fruit, with skin
Strawberries: 4 g of fibre per 1 cup (250 ml), sliced

LEGUMES:

7 g to 9 g of fibre per ¾ cup (180 ml)

VEGETABLES:

Broccoli: 4 g of fibre per 1 cup (250 ml), cooked
Sweet corn: 3 g of fibre per cob, cooked

NUTS, SEEDS AND THEIR BUTTERS:

Various nuts: 4 g of fibre per ¼ cup (60 ml)
Peanut butter: 3 g of fibre per 2 tbsp (30 ml)

TEMPEH, EDAMAME AND TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (TVP):

Tempeh: 7 g of fibre per 85 g
Edamame: 4 g of fibre per ½ cup (125 ml)
TVP: 13 g of fibre per 1 cup (250 ml), rehydrated

WHOLE WHEAT CEREALS, PSEUDO-CEREALS AND THEIR FLOURS:

Quinoa: 6 g of fibre per 1 cup (250 ml), cooked
Whole wheat flour: 3 g of fibre per ¼ cup (60 ml)

Many people worry about not getting enough protein with a vegetarian diet. The truth is that protein deficiency is rare. Rather, fibre is more commonly lacking in some people’s diets, especially those who frequently eat large servings of meat with few vegetables. Replacing meat more often with vegetable proteins also means eating more fibre!

The numbers are included simply for you to have fun learning which foods contain fibre and protein. Well-balanced meals, with abundant vegetables, should adequately fulfill your daily needs. So you don’t have to calculate everything to get there! Enjoy!

Refer to our vegetarian section for all our meatless recipes.