Hitting Protein macros w/ Whole foods

Zhenmentality
Zhenmentality Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I stopped consuming powder protein shakes and am going for more whole foods. Problem is, I don't always get enough protein. I'm a bodybuilder, so I aim for 30% or just under 120g protein daily. I'm sensitive to both Whey& Casein, so dairy is out of the question. Also try not to consume too much soy.
-Extra Firm Tofu&Tempeh in moderation

Staples in my nutrition:
-Edamame
- Lean ground Turkey 85-93% whatever's on sale
-Skinless Chicken thighs
-Starkist Tuna Packets
-Chia& Hemp seeds
-Quinoa
-White Rice
-Broccoli, Zuchinni& Carrots

Open to ideas& quick, easy recipes! I'm from NYS, so preferably whatever is in season.

Replies

  • Zhenmentality
    Zhenmentality Posts: 11 Member
    It isn't a processed kind of soy, so Idt they're terribly bad for me. I make roasted pods in the oven when im having a craving for crunchy, junkfood xP.

    🍳EGGS, HOW DID I FORGET?! LOVE EGGS! Perfect any time of day.

    Beans make me very gassy....hard to find low sodium cans (under 100mg Na), too, so I shy away from them. Unless I make lentil soup and sprout them over night. More tedious but, no gassiness😄.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Chicken breast, egg whites, shrimp, cod, tilapia, crab, lean beef. I usually make salads or zoodles (zucchini noodles) and add a protein and switch up the sauces/ dressings
  • mvrooman
    mvrooman Posts: 1 Member
    Have you tried peanut butter mixed in with oatmeal for breakfast? I mix it in after the oatmeal is cooked.
  • Zhenmentality
    Zhenmentality Posts: 11 Member
    mvrooman wrote: »
    Have you tried peanut butter mixed in with oatmeal for breakfast? I mix it in after the oatmeal is cooked.

    PB gives mr terrible ibs🤪 I have sunflower butter& GF oats in my pantry! Not a fan of oatmeal texture, but Could bake some homemade larabars again by pulsing dates w/ other dried fruit😀!
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I've always got some kind of legume in the fridge: chickpeas, hummus, black or red beans, lentils. They're great as is, smashed and smeared on a sandwich, or mixed into a salad as dressing
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Shrimp?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited August 2019
    zeejay19 wrote: »
    I stopped consuming powder protein shakes and am going for more whole foods. Problem is, I don't always get enough protein. I'm a bodybuilder, so I aim for 30% or just under 120g protein daily. I'm sensitive to both Whey& Casein, so dairy is out of the question. Also try not to consume too much soy.
    -Extra Firm Tofu&Tempeh in moderation

    Staples in my nutrition:
    -Edamame
    - Lean ground Turkey 85-93% whatever's on sale
    -Skinless Chicken thighs
    -Starkist Tuna Packets
    -Chia& Hemp seeds
    -Quinoa
    -White Rice
    -Broccoli, Zuchinni& Carrots

    Open to ideas& quick, easy recipes! I'm from NYS, so preferably whatever is in season.

    When I started reading this I assumed the difficulty in meeting your protein goals was that you were a vegetarian. But you're not. Eat bigger portions of chicken, turkey, and tuna, and whatever other meat or fish you like.

    There was a person recently who said she was eating salmon, but it was a minuscule amount in some sort of frozen meal. Bigger portions.

    ETA: ok, by "whole foods" do you mean "plant-based whole foods"? I think of meat as a whole food but Wikipedia says otherwise. In that case do figure out how to add more legumes without causing you intestinal distress.
    • Add high fiber foods slowly.
    • Do start lentils sprouting the night before.
    • Cooking dried beans and rinsing them several times during this process is supposed to be better for gassiness than canned.

    Also, there are low and no sodium brands of canned beans - Whole Foods 365 brand is about $0.79 per can and there's a major brand in regular supermarkets that offers low sodium - I think it is Bush's.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    mvrooman wrote: »
    Have you tried peanut butter mixed in with oatmeal for breakfast? I mix it in after the oatmeal is cooked.

    Since peanut butter has much more fat than protein, it is better thought of as a fat source than a protein source.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,162 Member
    The thread below links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods in order by protein efficiency, most protein for fewest calories, most of which are (what I think you mean by) "whole foods". I feel like it has good answers for almost any protein question.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    Chicken breast will give you better bang for your buck for protein than thighs.
    Lean ground beef or a low fat steak cut as well are good options.

    Also any type of seafood. Shrimp, tuna (the whole fish), salmon, white fish, etc.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Speaking of sprouting, I recently got these sprouting jar lids for my mom and LOVE them! (They were cheaper on Amazon but are currently out of stock there.)

    https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/bean-screen-lid-for-wide-mouth-mason-jar-set-of-2/5021372

    2.jpg
  • Emmapatterson1729
    Emmapatterson1729 Posts: 1,296 Member
    I've been trying to up my protein.

    I was making my tuna salad around 44 grams of protein as a snack. 1 can tuna, 2-3 eggs, mayo, lemon pepper.

    But got sick of it!

    Yesterday, first day I've gotten really high protein levels in awhile... Ate a lot of rotisserie chicken.

    I can't eat edamame anymore, I used to eat it as my go to snack. But I cut it.

  • jennaheft
    jennaheft Posts: 8 Member
    I snack on deli meat roll ups (just turkey or chicken breast) for extra protein during the day. I also like crab meat (really good in a stuffed portabella mushroom cap). Lobster, shrimp, scallops - all seafood really... I’ve also found that having a roasted chicken or even a rotisserie chicken in the fridge makes it easy for a quick snack that’s primarily protein.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    zeejay19 wrote: »
    I stopped consuming powder protein shakes and am going for more whole foods. Problem is, I don't always get enough protein. I'm a bodybuilder, so I aim for 30% or just under 120g protein daily. I'm sensitive to both Whey& Casein, so dairy is out of the question. Also try not to consume too much soy.
    -Extra Firm Tofu&Tempeh in moderation

    Staples in my nutrition:
    -Edamame
    - Lean ground Turkey 85-93% whatever's on sale
    -Skinless Chicken thighs
    -Starkist Tuna Packets
    -Chia& Hemp seeds
    -Quinoa
    -White Rice
    -Broccoli, Zuchinni& Carrots

    Open to ideas& quick, easy recipes! I'm from NYS, so preferably whatever is in season.

    When I started reading this I assumed the difficulty in meeting your protein goals was that you were a vegetarian. But you're not. Eat bigger portions of chicken, turkey, and tuna, and whatever other meat or fish you like.

    There was a person recently who said she was eating salmon, but it was a minuscule amount in some sort of frozen meal. Bigger portions.

    ETA: ok, by "whole foods" do you mean "plant-based whole foods"? I think of meat as a whole food but Wikipedia says otherwise. In that case do figure out how to add more legumes without causing you intestinal distress.
    • Add high fiber foods slowly.
    • Do start lentils sprouting the night before.
    • Cooking dried beans and rinsing them several times during this process is supposed to be better for gassiness than canned.

    Also, there are low and no sodium brands of canned beans - Whole Foods 365 brand is about $0.79 per can and there's a major brand in regular supermarkets that offers low sodium - I think it is Bush's.


    Also, since OP has no problem with edamame as a staple, maybe keep an eye out for other "shellie" or even "green" stage (when the pods are edible as well) legumes. I see shellie-stage cranberry beans at farm stands during the summer and early fall. I think frozen limas would be shellies (that is, frozen fresh from the pods without leaving them to reach the dried stage), but I'm not 100% sure on that. And of course there are fresh/frozen/canned English peas, snow peas, green and wax beans. I've started seeing fresh (in the pod) garbanzos in my grocery stores occasionally, but they're pretty pricey.

    But, yeah, if there isn't some reason not to eat more chicken, turkey, and tuna, that seems like the easy solution.

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