[FF30X FAQ] How can I make the Fit Father Meal Plan vegan/vegetarian friendly?

#1: Plant-based protein will be one staple for you (ideally use for your breakfast shake).

I prefer you use a blended plant-based protein (rice, chia, hemp, etc) as opposed to a pure single plant protein powder (i.e. just pea... or just rice).

Our very own Super Fuel is a great blended protein (link here).
Jarrow is another brand that makes a very good-value blended plant protein (link here).
No Cow bars are clean protein bars that are made from pea protein (link here).

Here's the "trick" with designing a proper high protein vegan diet:

All plant foods that are packed with protein naturally also contain healthy carbs and healthy fats. Eating a vegetarian/vegan diet, you won't have as many pure "go-to" protein foods as I describe in the Fit Father Meal Plan (i.e. animal proteins) - that simply add protein to your meals without adding carbs or fats.

Lean animal products that contain mainly protein make our Fit Father Meal combination rule (protein + carb + fat) a bit more simple. This is because natural plant-based protein foods that are high in protein also (almost always) contain carbs and fats.

For you, we will use the following high protein plant foods (that also happen to contain carbs + fats):

Organic hemp seeds (very great protein source). 3 tablespoons = 14g fat, 10g protein

Organic Tempeh (fermented soy product). Funky taste - incredibly good for you. Here are some recipes I found (I have made NONE of these, so they aren't taste vetted :) - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/08/tempeh-recipes-vegan-vegetarian_n_5658418.html) - 6oz tempeh = 18g Fat, 30g P, 18g Carbs

Tef (an awesome "ancient grain" like quinoa) - 1 cup cooked = 10g Protein, 50g Carbs

Quinoa - 1 cup cooked = 10g Protein, 45g carbs

Chia seeds (more of an "additive" than a go-to food). You won't really be eating more than 2 tbsp included with your meals.

Note: Greens like spinach/kale/chard etc are AWESOME for you (and they do have protein in them) - but not nearly enough to be a main contributor to your protein targets. 1 cup spinach has less than 1 g protein. You'd have to eat 10 cups to have an appreciable amount of protein. That said, spinach is still great to add-in for its many other health benefits.

For breakfast ( 10:30am ):

Make a shake using plant-based protein powder & cacao - following the general Fit Father Shake recipe - using plant-based protein powder (or Whey if you can tolerate it... there are a ton of benefits to using whey from a muscle building, immune strength, and metabolism standpoint).

For lunch ( 2:30pm ) have either :

A big salad with chia seeds, hemp seeds, and 1/2 cup of quinoa/tef/brown rice.
A "bowl" of sorts that starts with 1 cup of cooked grains (quinoa, rice, tef) and has the tofu and/or chia/hemp seeds sprinkled on top.

For dinner ( 6:30pm ):

Follow the same structure as lunch.

Essentially: your "go-to" carbs (quinoa, tef, etc) are also some of your best sources of protein. We'll add in the nuts/seeds to augment the protein. Do not go overboard with too many additional fats (avocado/oils). Your nuts & seeds already have good "built-in" fats.

With this framework, your average lunch + dinner will come out to the following macronutrient stats: 30g P, 65g C, 25g F = 600-700 calories.

Here's An Average Day Calorie Breakdown:

Shake = ~350 calories
Lunch = ~ 600-700 calories
Dinner = ~600-700 calories
Incidentals: ~200 calories
Totals: ~2000 calories (which is a good starting point for most guys looking to lose weight).

( And if looking for additional information, check out this video that shows even more Breakfasts, Lunches, Snacks, and Dinners.) I hope this helps with the vegan diet modification.

-Dr. Anthony Balduzzi
Founder, The Fit Father Project