Protein increase

debeaniebaby

Hi, I need to increase my protein intake. I eat fish a couple of times a week but only salmon and tuna. I'm confused about beans and pulses as everything I read says they are high carb but I thought they were protein? Also nuts, how many is a healthy portion as a snack? I would like to see my protein at least near my carb level at the moment it is way down?

kommodevaran

Beans is a good protein source, but still higher in carbs than protein. I eat around 25-30 grams of nuts (I occasionally overeat on more). You don't have to snack, or snack on anything in particular, you can eat anything you want as long as it fits your nutritional goals. Which have to be reasonable. What is your calorie goal and your current macro breakdown? If you don't eat meat, your diet will be heavy on the carb side. Protein needs is pretty consistent, so if you eat high carb, your protein goal is going to be lower than your carb intake; if you eat low carb, your protein goal could be higher than your carb goal.

RodaRose

Beans and lentils have protein and carbs of course. If you do not want to eat too much total carbs, then on days when you eat beans, eat less of something else like bread or fruit.
I love lentil soup. Also garbanzo beans with yogurt.

joelchmielak1

I’ve added chicken to my snacks. Helps get the protein up and not too high cal. Beans are high carb. Nuts are high cal so just find your balance with your carb and calorie goal. I was eating a lot of nuts for a while but hit a plateau. Once I stopped the nuts I broke through it.

spdaphne

Hemp seeds, chia seeds have protein which I put in my smoothies. Right now I'm not eating nuts (boo), so I'm upping my seed intake. Agreed, legumes have a decent amount of protein, but the awesome things about legumes is they are a slow carb, meaning they won't spike your sugar and leave you fuller for longer. Pair it with wild rice or brown rice, and grilled veggies or a salad and you're good to go.

Here's some veggies high in protein https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/19-high-protein-vegetables

AnnPT77

This thread should be very useful:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods by protein/calorie efficiency: Most protein for fewest calories. Use it to find additional protein sources you enjoy, and eat more of them.