Increase Protein...

mrydavis

I'm trying to increase my protein, but I always seem to be way under. I eat meat with lunch and dinner and usually my breakfast has greek yogurt or peanut butter. I thought about getting a protein supplement, but so many of them have a ton of carbs! Any ideas? I don't eat fish (I don't like it in any way shape or form and the smell makes me nauseous) so please don't tell me to include fish in my diet lol.

MassiveDelta

none of my protein supplements have more than 2g of carbs

mrydavis

What kinds do you use/suggest? I've looked at a few at the store and most of them have over 20. Granted, this hasn't been at stores known for fitness products. I also have to keep in mind allergies because I'm allergic to many synthesized or artificial products. Do you use whey or another kind? I feel so lost when I look at them, haha like I'm reading a foreign language. I just need some direction

stanvoodoo

Hard to comment without seeing your diary.

But for protein supplements just make sure it is whey protein.

Powders: Jay Robb and Pure Protein

Bars: Pure Protein

Shakes: Premier Protein, Muscle Milk Light!!

Best of Luck!!

Mustang_Susie

Add granola to your yogurt

Josee76

I use dymatize iso 100 and I think the carbs are at 3-4 grams per serving (and carbs aren't bad you know!)

Cottage cheese / 30 grams for 1 cup
Egg whites / 26 grams for 1 cup
Chicken / 8 oz 60-70 grams

km5dx

Some suggestions:

Greek Yogurt, Egg Whites (Egg beaters etc), low fat cheeses (generally hard cheeses)...

For Protein supplements, I like Dymatize Elite which is a bit pricey but I find it very helpful in controlling hunger. I make a shake with about 6oz of skim milk, a Greek yogurt, protein powder, and some ice after a hard workout and it helps stop me from wanting to eat everything in sight....

michellekicks

My protein staples are:

3-4 eggs
a can of tuna
a chicken breast
3/4 cup of cottage cheese
Pure Protein bars
Quest Bars
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey

My protein snacks are:

Beef Jerkey
Cheese Strings
A hard boiled egg

Here's the whey powder I use... http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/100-whey-gold-standard-p-201.html

CLFrancois

100% egg white protein

3dogsrunning

Optimum Nutrition is a pretty popular protein powder (and I like the taste) it has 3 g.

I don't really consider peanut butter a protein source, its more fat.

On top of other suggestions already made - I make turkey meat loaf cupcakes for snacks. Even cut up chicken can be a snack.

MassiveDelta

I cant remember the one I used that was super low it might have been Dymatize but the one im using now is http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/cytosport-muscle-milk-cookies-n-cream-powder-38281711

Its 9g of carbs still pretty low. Carbs arent bad.

MariaLivingFit

I love whey protein.
What about cottage cheese or eggs?

wildfirediva

2 of my recent favorites are:

BlueBonnet Dual Action Protein Powder - Quality Natural Whey + Casein
Made from cows not treated with hormones etc. It only has about 3g of carbs and 27g of protein per scoop. Stevia sweetened but I usually add a bit more.

http://www.bluebonnetnutrition.com/product/323/100%_Natural_Dual_Action_Protein_Powder

I also alternate in a Vegan powder mostly because of the quantity of BCAAs present (which assist with muscle recovery and maintenance):

PlantFusion (Chocolate is my favorite) - The texture comes off a bit chalky to some but I am not too hung up on texture.
It only has about 3g of carbs and 23g of protein per serving. Stevia sweetened but I don't have to add more as I do the one above.

http://plantfusion.us/

I mix both with almond milk and usually doctor both up with a little cinnamon and cardamon (mostly for flavor but they have many health benefits too) .

Generally I take one in the morning, eat my meats, veggies, greek yogurt, eggs etc. for lunch and dinner and often have one shake before AND after a work out (is what I am trying to fit in currently). I have been personally trying to get 40% of my Macros as protein and that puts me at about 120+ g a day. It can get tough, but over all strive to get no less than 100g/day.

You can order both on AMAZON which is often cheaper than getting them at my local chain health food store.

TMcSter

I'm always under my protein too. These suggestions are great.

Renee2817

Unjury protein is excellent, 21 grams protein.

staceypunk

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13002299

I use Giant Sports brand. I like the cookies & creme and vanilla flavors best. The chocolate tastes nice like cocoa powder. I usually mix 1/2 scoop in with my oatmeal in the morning.

h9dlb

reflex instant whey or optimum nutrition 100% whey

FluffyDogsRule

feel free to add me so you can see my food diary. i hit my protein numbers without shakes/bars...i'm not against them, i just haven't had to use them. be careful with low carb protein powders since they use artificial sweetners, hence the low carb. not everyone cares about that, but just in case you do.

Warchortle

You eat less than a portion at any given meal.. to my knowledge 2.5 oz is less than 1 serving size... I make tuna salad with greek yogurt, tuna, curry powder, and whatever diced veggies you enjoy.

turkeyhunter60

Hard to comment without seeing your diary.

But for protein supplements just make sure it is whey protein.

Powders: Jay Robb and Pure Protein

Bars: Pure Protein

Shakes: Premier Protein, Muscle Milk Light!!

Best of Luck!!

This!

Danny_Boy13

Chicken breast and fish are very high in protein... maybe try adding in more of those...

justjenny

Thanks for posting this, because I had the same question. I have a hard time meeting me protein intake for the day as well.

aakaakaak

I was told I need to boost the heck out of my protein the other day, so I did some stalking of high protein food diaries. Here's what I found:

Common factors
Chicken - People eat the hell out of some chicken breasts and thighs. It's surprising they don't cluck.
Beef - Be it burgers or steaks or meatloaf, most people are hitting beef pretty strong.
Salmon - I'm going to call this the more flavorful alternative to tuna. A few people are into it, but not everyone.
Pork - Not much bacon to be seen. Mostly different varieties of chops and such. Most people had some though.
Sausage - Comparing standard ball park beef hot dogs to sausage is like night and day. This was a real eye opener for me.
Turkey - Plenty of them are doing turkey slices on sandwiches.
Eggs - The other end of the chicken. Wow, that's a lot of chickens that won't be born. Almost everybody is eating these on the daily.
Milk - How else to drink a protein shake, than with more protein? If you do powder you're doing milk, as far as I can see.
Cheese - The same here. Most people are eating a little cheese every day.
Peanut Butter - I'm possibly the only person here who's not eating some peanut butter daily.

Supplements
Personally, I'm using Pure Protein - High Protein Bars. It's like I get to eat a free candy bar and not feel guilty about it. They taste pretty good too. Here's the list of what others are eating:

Balance Bar High Protein - Yogurt Honey Peanut
Simple Truth - Double Chocolate Protein Bar
Pure Protein Corrected - Whey Protein
Pure Protein - High Protein Bar - Chocolate Peanut Butter
Nature Valley Protein Bar - Peanut, Almond & Dark Chocolate
Met-Rx Big 100 Colossal Meal Replacement Bar - Super Cookie Crunch
Eas Myoplex - 100% Whey Protein Powder - Chocolate
Optimum Nutrition - Pro Complex Protein Powder
Optimum Nutrition - Gold Standard 100% Whey - French Vanilla Creme
Optimum Nutrition - Whey Protein, Gold Standard 100%, Double Rich Chocolate
Trutein - Cinnabun Protein Powder
Luna (of various types)

The following items are things that really surprised me for their protein content. A couple were my own brainstorms, but most are from looking at everyone's diaries.

Surprises
Lentil soup - Surprisingly low calorie to protein rate. I'd have never thought of lentil soup as a big protein food. Now I do.
Peanut Butter - I may keep a jar of this stuff at work. It might be the best price per gram, depending on various factors.
Chinese buffet - Just go with the meat dishes; particularly the ones that aren't breaded and doused in sweet sauces.
Sushi buffet - Hit the sushi buffet. Sushi is really good on the protein scale. Sashimi is da bomb.
GREEK Yogurt - Look into Walmart plain if you're looking for an insane calorie to protein ratio.
Cottage Cheese - I wouldn't have thought about it, but it's pretty high protein.
Brussel sprouts/brocoli/coliflower/spinach - There are a bunch of low calorie, high protein, highly filling veggies out there..
Yuba noodles (soy skin noodles) - Straight up soy protein noodles. I have no idea how they taste.
Shrimp - Another super high protein from the sea. I didn't think they'd be that high.
Tuna lite - Yep, the old bodybuilder standard. If you stay at a can a day you'll never get problems with mercury poisoning.
Starbucks - Yes, starbucks latte's are surprisingly high protein. Check their website and figure out what's good.
Chipotle - I really didn't expect to see a burrito shop popping crazy protein. The capicola burrito bowls have surprised me.
Hormel turkey Chili - Cheap? Yes. Tasty? Yes. Low on calories? Yes. High on protein? YES! I didn't think Hormel could do that.
Tilapia - If you're worried about mercury poisoning then tilapia is a nice alternative to tuna, this is on the lower levels of fish.

Edit: Also, have some math on protein vs. calories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

achonator

Cottage cheese, eggs(I personally eat atleast 10 a day(8-9 whites, 1-2 yokes), beef, pork,chicken(breast,thighs),turkey , lamb, beans, lentils, nuts(though pretty calorie dence), yoghurts

Herohorse

I am intolerant to lots of foods, and many protein powders make me feel bleh.

I am a vegetarian, and have had trouble getting enough protein, but I have met my protein goals daily by using Jay Robb's Egg White protein powder (vanilla is my favorite), or Rainbow Light's Protein Energizer, in 1/2 a cup of almond milk, or 2% milk.

I drink 1 scoop before each meal.

I also love Quest bars. They have carbs, but it is from the fiber.

Pumpkin seeds are surprisingly high in protein, too, I find.

Hope this helps!

elana87

Chances are, you don't NEED to take a protein supplement. I'm always a fan of food over supplements. Eggs are great snacks, as are nuts (though, obviously, in small portions). Cottage cheese, yogurt, and milk are all good options as well. Personally, my favorite snack is just a spoon full of peanut butter and some milk to wash it down. Chicken and legumes are also really good ways to increase your protein, and both are super versatile and can be thrown in with salads or stir fries. Also vegetables with hummus make for a good snack.

cals83

I have a lot of food sensitivity issues as well and have had luck with Optimum Nutrition Natural Whey protein powder. Some of the protein in it does come from soy though...in some forms I am sensitive to soy but this doesn't really bother me.

My main staples are the protein powder, cottage cheese, string cheese, lean meat. Also don't discount sources of protein like beans even though they are also high in carbs. Try roasting some chick peas for a yummy snack that is full of protein and fiber!

Dewdropps

I have a problem with muscle atrophy and was ordered to begin taking extra protein as part of my long term treatment. I use EAS soy protein 3 times a day. It's quite cheap compared to some of the others out there and has nothing but good in it. You can buy it in small or large canisters and can mix it with either milk or water. (I prefer milk, but water wasn't totally horrible)

jeedsjds13

I use interACTIVE nutrition's ISOWhey Breezer brand protein powders. Mix 1 scoop with 2 cups of water and it gives me 20g protein, 1g carb, and 90 cal. I have the iced tea flavour now (yum!) and next I will be trying to mango/pineapple/peach whatever flavour it was (Found at Popeye's)