Getting enough protein

Options
2»

Replies

  • Nutbutt24
    Nutbutt24 Posts: 34 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    To add to the list above. if you can find and want to take the time to make. Look for Lupini beans. They have 26 grams of protein per 1 cup. 197 calories and only 16 grams of Carbs
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,838 Member
    Options
    I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian (have been for 40+ years (not a typo) and typically get 75-100g protein daily. Others have made lots of great suggestions for specific foods. What I'd like to add is more a way of thinking about your way of eating. This would be to put you over the top, in addition to getting those "big" protein sources in a good spot.

    Take a look at your diary for a few days, especially items that are (relatively) calorie-contributing, but have no protein. Are there other alternatives to those foods that are equally tasty & satisfying, but include at least some protein?

    Examples: Thicken a sauce or soup with pureed white beans, dress a salad with a homemade yogurt-based dressing, eat crunchy chickpeas or dry-roasted soybeans instead of chip/cracker kinds of snacks, find breads or pastas that have a little more protein, put seeds or nuts on salad instead of croutons, substitute vegetables with a little protein (cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, green peas, more) for veggies with less or no protein. I could go on and on.

    If you were to look at my diary (open to friends only, by intention), you'd find relatively few items that contribute significant calories, but zero protein. These tend to be vegetable sources, so lower quality, but quite varied so one can hope the amino acids balance out.

    And let me be explicit: I'm *not* suggesting eating things you don't like. (I mostly don't like fake meat products, or protein powder, so I mostly don't eat them.) Life is too short to eat yuck. I'm suggesting finding things you *do* like, across all categories of food in your day, that contribute a bit more protein. It's surprising how a gram here and 5 grams there add up.

    Also, if you haven't reviewed it, this thread has an excellent resource (has animal & non-animal sources): List of foods with highest Protein Calorie Percentage

Categories