Eaten like a horse to get enough protein..

cwolfman13

As other's have suggested, try adding some chicken and fish to your diet...at least one meal with chicken or fish. I definitely lean more towards poultry as fish can be rather pricey...but you can usually find good sales on poultry.

Also, add an egg in the morning and maybe drop down to 1 cup of the cherrios to balance out. Instead of the protein bar (that is most likely loaded with sugar, thus the calories) opt for a lower calorie protein shake and/or greek yogurt. The whey protein I uses clocks in at 26g protein and 150 calories. My greek yogurt (non-fat Voskos) clocks in at 140 calories and 24g protein per serving.

Firefox7275

If your goal is 1600 then your sugary/ junky/ refined/ processed stuff should only be 10% of that or 160 cals - today you had cereal, homemade baked beans, Sticky Squirrel (whatever that is?) and sweetened yoghurt. You don't say that you are a vegetarian but you are eating much like one - in which case maybe consider researching a balanced veggie diet. You eat little meat or fish and these are richer in protein than most vegetarian protein foods, not anywhere near enough non starchy vegetables. I would also note you eat an awful lot of sweet and high glycaemic index foods and not so many savoury ones. IMO add oily fish (canned is often cheaper than fresh) and omega-enriched eggs.

Evachiquita

Why do you think you need 100 grams of protein a day? I believe that we have been told that we need much more protein than we actually do. I know I am on the low end for protein but I feel fine, most of the time. I can only tell I am lacking on protein after a really hard workout because it takes my body a little longer to recover (tons of fresh fruits and veggies help a lot too). According to the Vegan Society's website the UK recommended amount of protein for women is only about 45 grams a day; based on 0.75g/kg of body weight. For a 200 pound person the total protein comes out to about 68 grams a day. If you feel fine I wouldn't worry about reaching 100 grams of protein a day. It's just a number (that's been established by the USDA who is backed by the farming, livestock, beef, and dairy industries).

joannathechef

quinoa. it's one of the only non-meat sources that is a complete protein.

No it is not - you should check the label

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Egg Beaters
Fage or Chobani yogurt - have higher protein levels
Protein powders 25-30 grams in 2 scoops, 200-300 calories
Chicken, lean beef, lean pork
and fish, fish and more fish. Canned salmon is a staple when I need extra.

If you would generally include them in your diet, don't discount lean beef and lean pork. Look for "Extra Lean" on the packaging.

Katiedid717

MFP has me eating 45 grams of protein a day (which seems absurdly low) and I almost always go over limit. I eat a lot of chicken (I can get a 2 1/2 lb bag of boneless skinless breast meat tenderloins for less than $10) and my recent thing has been salmon (two pre-cooked 4-oz filets for about $4), etc. If you look at my food logs, you'll see that a lot of my other food choices contain protein too - milk, cheese, bread, even grapefruit!

Looking for something cheaper? Last night I prepared 1/4cup of lentils and 1/4 cup of quinoa in 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth...22 grams of protein right there. You can get lentils, kidney beans, black beans, etc pretty cheap either pre-cooked/canned or dry in bags. Worth a shot.

Firefox7275

Why do you think you need 100 grams of protein a day? I believe that we have been told that we need much more protein than we actually do. I know I am on the low end for protein but I feel fine, most of the time. I can only tell I am lacking on protein after a really hard workout because it takes my body a little longer to recover (tons of fresh fruits and veggies help a lot too). According to the Vegan Society's website the UK recommended amount of protein for women is only about 45 grams a day; based on 0.75g/kg of body weight. For a 200 pound person the total protein comes out to about 68 grams a day. If you feel fine I wouldn't worry about reaching 100 grams of protein a day. It's just a number (that's been established by the USDA who is backed by the farming, livestock, beef, and dairy industries).

You are comparing apples to oranges: the UK recommended amounts are our absolute minimums not optimal or ideal. Our recommended amounts for many nutrients are lower than yours, for an adult female
Calcium 700mg (UK) 1000mg (US)
Magnesium 270mg (UK) 320mg (US)
Iron 15mg (UK) 18mg (US)
Zinc 7mg (UK) 12mg (US)

nc805397

If your goal is 1600 then your sugary/ junky/ refined/ processed stuff should only be 10% of that or 160 cals - today you had cereal, homemade baked beans, Sticky Squirrel (whatever that is?) and sweetened yoghurt. You don't say that you are a vegetarian but you are eating much like one - in which case maybe consider researching a balanced veggie diet. You eat little meat or fish and these are richer in protein than most vegetarian protein foods, not anywhere near enough non starchy vegetables. I would also note you eat an awful lot of sweet and high glycaemic index foods and not so many savoury ones. IMO add oily fish (canned is often cheaper than fresh) and omega-enriched eggs.

Sticky Squirrel is a peanut butter granola bar that is made local near by a company near my house (SO GOOD). But I agree it's probs got a lot of sugar I am definitely not a vegetarian (I LOVE MEAT) but I just don't eat enough of it I guess. Thank you for your advice! - I will do cut out the cheerios from now on.

NZhellkat

I took a quick look at your diary and I see that the choice you used for milk and yogurt show absolutely no protein. I did a check on that using the database and see that both do have protein. My suggestion to you is to check the database and make sure that your food options hare showing the required protein then look at what the difference is and work it up from there.

NikoM5

quinoa. it's one of the only non-meat sources that is a complete protein.

No it is not - you should check the label

It's also woefully low in protein. You'd need to eat a LOT to make any significant contribution to your daily protein goals.

LorinaLynn

I love meat but it's expensive so I don't eat it too often.

I found chicken breasts on sale at walmart for under $2/lb. Just gotta look for it.

I can always find boneless/skinless chicken breast on sale somewhere for that price. I have three local grocery store's websites bookmarked and check their online circulars before I shop.

A couple places regularly have pork tenderloins "buy one get one free," which brings them down to $2.99/pound.

CoderGal

Plain greek yogurt mixed with your favorite whatever. That's probably my favorite. I usually get mine from chicken. And I also drink milk and sometimes add protein powder to it. Those are probably my biggest sources.

When I want some snacks with a bit of protein that isn't going to go bad right away I go for pumpkin seeds.

fluffy925

Look up Chia seeds, ive have found out about them on the internet recently, supposly full of protein more than meat or fish!

http://chiaseeds.net/boost-your-immune-system/

WVprankster

Chicken boobs
Eggs, or, (a personal favorite) Liquid egg whites
canned tuna (ew!)
Whey protein powder is also really, really efficient IIFYM