Protein vs Carbs

Barbiebum
Barbiebum Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
I have realised that without thinking my weekly eating routine consists of lots of bread, pasta and other complex carbs. Protein foods have been known to the best source of food while trying to lose weight and have heard the well known saying, 'go to work on an egg'.
However, I am not very clued up on protein rich food so could someone enlighten me on what protein I should include more and what I should swap my heavy carbs for? Thank You!

Replies

  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    The big sources are:
    -Meat
    -Dairy
    -Eggs
    -Legumes
    -Nuts
  • Barbiebum
    Barbiebum Posts: 6
    The big sources are:
    -Meat
    -Dairy
    -Eggs
    -Legumes
    -Nuts

    Sources of protein?
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    The big sources are:
    -Meat
    -Dairy
    -Eggs
    -Legumes
    -Nuts

    Sources of protein?

    Yes, isn't that what you were asking?

    Personally, I aim for 80-100 grams of protein a day.
  • Barbiebum
    Barbiebum Posts: 6
    It's strange because I see a lot of those foods as fatty!
    Thank You
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    It's strange because I see a lot of those foods as fatty!
    Thank You

    Nuts and dairy are, as a general rule of thumb, fatty. However, within all of the others (since they're pretty vague) there are quite a lot of choices, ranging from 0% fat up to 90% fat.
  • johnhubbs
    johnhubbs Posts: 33 Member
    I tried for a month on a 1600-2000cal food routine to get my protein up to 100 per day ,always fell short. Visited GNC and picked up some Protein low cal power mix. Mix it with almond milk unsweeten. Recommends 2 scoops , I cut it in half (full serving) and make it a snack 2 times per day (about 210 cals each). One right after work outs.
    1st time in 30 days I was just slightly over on protein goal.

    Eggs Whites are also another help to up protien with low cals
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
    My favorite lunch is a salad with chicken on it. My favorite dinner is beef stir fry. I use just a little olive oil, very lean meat, sprouts, green onion, and peppers.

    A tip that works for me: kerping my sugar (and carbs) low, means my body has to burn more fat to get energy instead of using sugar for energy. I know people say calories in, calories out, but keeping my cals the same but changing my macros - eating lmore protein (and even a little more fat) and less carbs and sugar, i lose more.
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    It's strange because I see a lot of those foods as fatty!
    Thank You

    are you implying that something is wrong with eating fat?
  • KainHighwind
    KainHighwind Posts: 9 Member
    yes i agree there are fatty but monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good fats while trans-fat and saturated fats are the ones you want to avoid
  • craigineson
    craigineson Posts: 88 Member
    Eggs are a cornerstone of my diet... I eat at least 4 a day, and anywhere up to 10. Perfect blend of protein and fat, and lots of nice fat soluble vits and choline to boot. Organic too, as often as I can.

    I also love turkey and chicken, occasionally beef and pork, and twice a week I'll have fish (mackerel or salmon).

    For training purposes, I use whey protein.

    My 180-220g of protein per day seems to fill up pretty quickly.
  • craigineson
    craigineson Posts: 88 Member
    yes i agree there are fatty but monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good fats while trans-fat and saturated fats are the ones you want to avoid

    Why are saturated fats bad for you? Why is polyunsaturated fat "good"?

    Just interested in your reasoning.
  • maa59115
    maa59115 Posts: 29 Member
    Fish, eggs, lean chicken breasts. You could also invest in a protein powder.
  • Soosannah
    Soosannah Posts: 270 Member
    It's strange because I see a lot of those foods as fatty!
    Thank You

    Good article on why we need Fats in our diet.
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/31233-need-lipids-bodies/
  • LisaGirlfriend
    LisaGirlfriend Posts: 493 Member
    I start my week day with a 1 egg omelette filled with protein and veggies. I try to keep my lunch to a salad with tuna fish or some other type of meat. I changed my MFP macro settings to 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat. MFP instantly sets you to 55% carbs which is way too much for me. I eat a lot of calories a day and try to watch the macros closely. Some of my go to snacks are:

    raw almonds
    apple with all natural peanut butter
    greek yogurt
    protein granola bar (home made)
    Protein powder in a smoothie

    If I eat too many carbs I feel really bloated and not good. If I eat lots of protein I feel lean and good. And there's nothing wrong with fat.... it's necessary for your body to function properly. Just keep within your macros.
  • KainHighwind
    KainHighwind Posts: 9 Member
    some fats are bad while some are good, the trans and saturated are bad because they can raise Ldl cholesterol levels which is not good cholesterol. saturated fat actually decreases your hdl cholesterol levels which is worse because hdl cholesterol is beneficial because it removes harmful cholesterol from the blood stream. it is a big topic and i don't remember much from when I took the nutrition class in college(why the hell do I want to learn nutrition when I am learning culinary arts I don't know, but it was a boring and informative class)
  • texastango
    texastango Posts: 309
    I have realised that without thinking my weekly eating routine consists of lots of bread, pasta and other complex carbs. Protein foods have been known to the best source of food while trying to lose weight and have heard the well known saying, 'go to work on an egg'.
    However, I am not very clued up on protein rich food so could someone enlighten me on what protein I should include more and what I should swap my heavy carbs for? Thank You!

    Without getting into too much detail - there are several things to know about carbs - You do need some if you exercise which is a good idea if your dieting. Knowing the right amount of carb to take in and when is part of the equation. PM me if you need specific details.

    Having said that, the ultimate thing to shoot for is spreading out, your carbs and protein and using complex carbs with lower glycemic index....the reason is that the won't be a sugar load which gets converted into fat and TG.

    Lean Turkey (beast or ground), chicken - you can eat the skin of these birds - while the fat is 9 calories per gram - the fat is good fat - Greek Non-fat Yogurt (avoid saturated fat). Cold Water Fish. Just a starter list.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    You should be getting at least 30% of your calories from fat. Yes, nuts contain a lot of fat, so you want to be careful with your portions. The amount of fat in meat depends on the animal, the cut, and the cooking method (some cuts of beef have even less fat than chicken). Dairy, you can usually get low fat versions of most products. If you are concerned about the fat in eggs, then you can usually substitute two egg whites for a whole egg. For example, you could make an omelette using one whole egg and a couple of egg whites.
  • Barbiebum
    Barbiebum Posts: 6
    Thank you for your replies. I am not saying that fat is bad..it is just that I used to eat a lot of dairy and meat anyway which made me pile on the pounds so I need to replace these with something healthier. I already use just egg whites and will start to eat more grilled chicken. I will also invest in some protein powder!
  • rushikareddy
    rushikareddy Posts: 604 Member
    Hard boiled egg whites! Best source of protein that's low in calories!
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    It's strange because I see a lot of those foods as fatty!
    Thank You

    fatty foods are irrelevant to weight loss. that old canard from the 80's has been debunked. the only issue with fatty foods relates to too much bad fat ingested over many years, perhaps leading to an increased incidence of heart disease and cardiovascular disease. you need fat in your diet, it's not bad.

    that said, to get protein, things like these are useful.

    - almonds
    - peanuts
    - yogurt
    - greek yogurt
    - eggs
    - beans
    -milk
    - chicken
    - tuna

    etc.

    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Thank you for your replies. I am not saying that fat is bad..it is just that I used to eat a lot of dairy and meat anyway which made me pile on the pounds so I need to replace these with something healthier. I already use just egg whites and will start to eat more grilled chicken. I will also invest in some protein powder!

    you 'piled on the pounds' because you were eating over your maintenance calories, not because you were eating dairy or meat.

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