lacking protein

Lola2248

I struggle to get protein in my diet.

I don't eat red meat. Eggs give me migraines.

My diet seems to be around 18% protein a day. Would protein shake be beneficial? I shy away from them due to calories but maybe I should factor them in?

Confused

br3adman

Try high protein nuts or yogurt.

dawnna76

I dont eat red eat but am able to get 140 grams a day on average. i do eat eggs (egg whites in a sandwhich in the mornings) i use one scoop of protien a day mixed in my oatmeal. i love fish, chicken, turkey and eat those daily as well. the rest add up from the tons of veggies i eat everyday.

livingleanlivingclean

WPI is nearly all protein - not sure why you'd be afraid of the calories, as all food has calories..it can't be nothing! Adding protein powder to shakes or food (yoghurt, cottage cheese etc) is an easy way to get more protein if you don't want to eat more

dawnna76

oh and there really isnt a lot of calories in a protien shake, it what you add to the protien that adds up. mine is usually just vanilla whey protien and water (110 calories)

SnuggleSmacks

Seafood seems to have the highest concentration of protein for the lowest number of calories, plus it's super tasty, and some, like talapia and flounder, tend to be fairly inexpensive.

Chicken tenderloins are also fairly concentrated protein, and you usually end up with less fat than on the full breast, and it's often cheaper, plus the size is so convenient. It cooks fast and is easy to portion out into servings than large chicken breasts.

Ground white turkey is good good for anything you would normally use ground beef in, like burgers, shepherd's pie, meatballs, chili, whatever.

Many pork cuts have very little fat, so they end up high in protein and low in calories. Plus the larger cuts are great for roasting once and eating for several days.

AliceDark

Protein powder is the equivalent of throwing chicken in the blender. It doesn't do anything for you that an additional chicken breast wouldn't do -- it won't make you bulky or anything crazy like that -- so if it helps you reach your goals, awesome. There's a giant range in terms of taste, calories, % of protein, etc., so try a few different powders to see if you can find one you like.

SonicKrunch

dry cottage cheese is 22g per 1/2 cup and only 110 calories. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners Costco sells a Premier Protein drink that's 30g @ 160 calories. Real/Canned salmon is another great source since it also has some good amount of the good fats included. If you like Sushi, Tuna as well. Personally I don't like cooked tuna.

SnuggleSmacks

AliceDark wrote: »

Protein powder is the equivalent of throwing chicken in the blender. It doesn't do anything for you that an additional chicken breast wouldn't do -- it won't make you bulky or anything crazy like that -- so if it helps you reach your goals, awesome. There's a giant range in terms of taste, calories, % of protein, etc., so try a few different powders to see if you can find one you like.

The difference for me is that it's often easier to whip up a shake than it is to cook, plus the shake is in delicious dessert flavors so I feel like I'm having a treat, whereas the chicken, as good as it is, doesn't satisfy quite the same itch.

jgnatca

I think whey protein is a great idea if you are having trouble. I try and include protein in every meal, every snack. Then I don't have trouble getting it in. Do you like fish like tuna? I like all of @dawnna76 's suggestions. How about legumes?

MoiAussi93

I eat red meat only on occasion. But I eat a lot of chicken...it has plenty of protein. Dairy also has a lot of protein, especially greek yogurt and cottage cheese.

Protein shakes don't need to have a lot of calories. Just get one with no added sugar and be very selective about what you mix it with. I use an unflavored whey protein on occasion and 20 grams of protein is only 88 calories.

SezxyStef

AliceDark wrote: »

Protein powder is the equivalent of throwing chicken in the blender. It doesn't do anything for you that an additional chicken breast wouldn't do -- it won't make you bulky or anything crazy like that -- so if it helps you reach your goals, awesome. There's a giant range in terms of taste, calories, % of protein, etc., so try a few different powders to see if you can find one you like.

Mine actually is better for protein...I add it to a fruit smoothie in the morning. Sugar free whey protein powder.

Seafood is good too...shrimp is great I had it tonight.

chicken, salmon, greek yogurt

AliceDark

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

AliceDark wrote: »

Protein powder is the equivalent of throwing chicken in the blender. It doesn't do anything for you that an additional chicken breast wouldn't do -- it won't make you bulky or anything crazy like that -- so if it helps you reach your goals, awesome. There's a giant range in terms of taste, calories, % of protein, etc., so try a few different powders to see if you can find one you like.

The difference for me is that it's often easier to whip up a shake than it is to cook, plus the shake is in delicious dessert flavors so I feel like I'm having a treat, whereas the chicken, as good as it is, doesn't satisfy quite the same itch.

I totally agree with you -- I've been buying unflavored powder and mixing it with milk so I can have cookies and milk before bed I just meant that it's not really anything other than a protein source that you drink instead of chew. People get so weird about "is it okay for me to add a shake?", but you'd never see anyone worrying about "is it okay for me to add a chicken breast?" Sure, if it fits, go for it.

sixxpoint

Lola2248 wrote: »

I struggle to get protein in my diet.

I don't eat red meat. Eggs give me migraines.

My diet seems to be around 18% protein a day. Would protein shake be beneficial? I shy away from them due to calories but maybe I should factor them in?

Confused

It's unnecessary to avoid meat, or red meat... Unless you have a very specific medical condition. Eggs per se, most likely don't give you migraines.

Don't go by ratios or recommended percentages. There is a scientific target protein and dietary fat range, unique to you. Research.

Protein shakes are fine. But they are a convenience food. They are also a processed food. Do not rely on more than 10-20% total processed foods for your daily diet.

Also, most protein shakes in water average at our 150 calories per 30 g protein... Not exactly a meal replacement.

Sarasmaintaining

I'm on day two of being intentional about my macros, especially my protein intake. I do eat red meat and eggs, but couple other things I've found so far-cottage cheese and Greek yogurt (Greek has more protein than regular yogurt for some reason). I opened my diary today-feel free to take a peek and see what I've been eating to get my protein over 100g a day. Again, I've only done this for two days so far, but both days I've hit my protein target, go me

eta: both days I've eaten regular yogurt, because I didn't need the extra protein from Greek, but it's in my fridge waiting to go I went to the store yesterday and realized how many different varieties of yogurt there actually are-kind of fun to try all the new to me ones! Regular yogurt is a solid protein source too, so if you like it you could start eating a serving a day to get your protein up a bit.

Sarasmaintaining

double post

johnbowman22

Maybe try an isolated protein powder,it has less carbs and calories

Lola2248

sixxpoint wrote: »

It's unnecessary to avoid meat, or red meat... Unless you have a very specific medical condition. Eggs per se, most likely don't give you migraines.

Don't go by ratios or recommended percentages. There is a scientific target protein and dietary fat range, unique to you. Research.

Eggs, bananas and yoghurt are all migraine triggers, especially for me.
I chose not to eat red meat, but forec down white meat and fish.
I get my % from MFP.

Lola2248

Sarasmaintaining wrote: »

I'm on day two of being intentional about my macros, especially my protein intake. I do eat red meat and eggs, but couple other things I've found so far-cottage cheese and Greek yogurt (Greek has more protein than regular yogurt for some reason). I opened my diary today-feel free to take a peek and see what I've been eating to get my protein over 100g a day. Again, I've only done this for two days so far, but both days I've hit my protein target, go me

eta: both days I've eaten regular yogurt, because I didn't need the extra protein from Greek, but it's in my fridge waiting to go I went to the store yesterday and realized how many different varieties of yogurt there actually are-kind of fun to try all the new to me ones! Regular yogurt is a solid protein source too, so if you like it you could start eating a serving a day to get your protein up a bit.

Ooh I will take a look. Thanks!

DanPonting

A rule of thumb would be to eat 1g per lb of bodyweight.

Lean meats like chicken breast, and white fish, are high in protein, and have negligible amounts of carbs or fats in them, which makes them an ideal source of protein that's kind on your overall calorie intake.

Red meat won't kill you. Steak and chicken are the two protein sources that contain the highest amounts of an amino acid called leucine. Leucine is paramount if you want to optimise muscle protein synthesis, which is necessary for repair.

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lisalsd1

I add tofu and peas to most meals.

365andstillalive

Lola2248 wrote: »

sixxpoint wrote: »

It's unnecessary to avoid meat, or red meat... Unless you have a very specific medical condition. Eggs per se, most likely don't give you migraines.

Don't go by ratios or recommended percentages. There is a scientific target protein and dietary fat range, unique to you. Research.

Eggs, bananas and yoghurt are all migraine triggers, especially for me.
I chose not to eat red meat, but forec down white meat and fish.
I get my % from MFP.

As a chronic migraine sufferer who's been handed countless lists of trigger foods by neurologists and other specialists, I'm surprised to see yogurt on your list. I would encourage you to try yogurt that doesn't have aspartame or any other "fake" sweetener in it, as that's more likely the culprit than the yogurt itself.

If those things are going to be triggers for you, totally get it, avoid them like the plague.

Some high protein foods you should definitely stock up on though: lentils, chickpeas, beans of any kind, rice/pasta has a surprisingly high protein count depending on the brand, cottage cheese, greek yogurt (it's processed differently, so worth a try), etc.

Lola2248

365andstillalive wrote: »

As a chronic migraine sufferer who's been handed countless lists of trigger foods by neurologists and other specialists, I'm surprised to see yogurt on your list. I would encourage you to try yogurt that doesn't have aspartame or any other "fake" sweetener in it, as that's more likely the culprit than the yogurt itself.

If those things are going to be triggers for you, totally get it, avoid them like the plague.

Some high protein foods you should definitely stock up on though: lentils, chickpeas, beans of any kind, rice/pasta has a surprisingly high protein count depending on the brand, cottage cheese, greek yogurt (it's processed differently, so worth a try), etc.

Yes I was suffering terribly with them so was advised of a trigger free diet for two weeks and then to add back certain known trigger foods.

I can eat 1 yoghurt, and be fine. But I Couldn't eat eggs for breakfast and yoghurt after lunch today, and not get a migraine.

Greek yoghurt is a little better so will try and factor that in my diet.

Am looking more in to protein shakes now, as they could help.

I only questioned all of this as if I don't up my protein, my carbs are ridiculously high. I don't want a low carb diet, but more around the 50 % mark at the end my day would be good!