Protein help needed!!

CoryIda
CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been having a hard time getting enough protein lately. I am allergic to milk products. I have a smoothie every morning that consists of almond milk, vegan protein powder, a banana, and some berries (either strawberries or blueberries, usually). I eat pretty nutritious foods (I did have a couple of treats over th weekend, but stayed well within my calorie goals, and that's the first time I've treated myself since I started this almost 2 months ago).
I eat lots of veggies, fruits, lean meats, and whole grains. I don't really know what more to do. Would it be ok for me to just add two scoops of protein powder instead of one in the morning? I have been losing weight consistently, but I am more concerned with being healthy and I know I need to incorporate more protein. It's not that I'm consistently really far under my goal, but I am usually under it somewhat.
My diary is public so feel free to look through it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

***Oh, I was eating a snack of almonds every day but I keep forgetting to buy more. Even with them, though, I fall short of my protein goal.

Replies

  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    I think 2 scoops would be fine. Do you like beans, they have protein in them??
  • rw4004
    rw4004 Posts: 157
    Wow awesome congrats on your progress!It's great to meet someone else eating healthy vegan food.Yes I would absolutely add another scoop.Do you like the vegan meat substitutes?They have a lot of protein.Beans do also jacki's right.Good luck
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    I love beans, but only refried beans or canned black beans. Growing up, we were realllllllllllllllly poor and beans were just about the only thing we had to eat for months on end, so normal beans (like in soup) make me want to gag a little bit.

    I wish I could find some good low sodium refried beans, or maybe I could make them myself (which would also mean they would be healthier, because I would know exactly what goes into them).

    Hmmm... On the other hand, I eat a LOT of fiber as it is. It's hard to balance!
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    Wow awesome congrats on your progress!It's great to meet someone else eating healthy vegan food.Yes I would absolutely add another scoop.Do you like the vegan meat substitutes?They have a lot of protein.Beans do also jacki's right.Good luck

    Oh, I'm not vegan - just allergic to milk, so I eat a lot of vegan products because they are milk-free. I don't eat pork, but I do eat chicken, turkey, beef, and some fish.
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
    Eggs, chicken, beans, fish, nuts, steaks. Eggs, fish, chicken and steak will give you the biggest jump.
  • ♥_Ellybean_♥
    ♥_Ellybean_♥ Posts: 1,646 Member
    2 scoops should be fine, most protein powders require 2 scoops.. Also you might want to look into another protein powder if yours does not have adequate protein. My trainer said we should be eating about 1/2 our body weight in grams of protein. So @ 200lbs you would need 100g of protein.

    Another good idea is beans and lentils, they are packed with protein and have really great health benefits.
  • JillTwiss
    JillTwiss Posts: 139 Member
    If you want to make your own refried beans, I have a recipe that I make quite frequently. They're made in the crockpot, so they're not truly "refried" but I love them.
    The recipe is posted here:
    http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/veganvegetarian-unfried-beans
  • karastar
    karastar Posts: 7 Member
    One egg white has 4 proteins and only 17 calories
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
    The nutritionist I use told me that we need at least 60 mg of protein each day to avoid hair loss and other things going wrong with our bodies, and that 80-100 mg protein per day is a good range for a majority of otherwise healthy people.

    I can't see anything wrong with adding an extra scoop of the powder, it certainly is the easiest way to keep the protein numbers up.
  • gambitsgurl
    gambitsgurl Posts: 632 Member
    Oh God, whatever Binary_jester says take with a grain of salt O_O

    :D

    Oh and egg whites are an AWESOME way to get protein.
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    If you want to make your own refried beans, I have a recipe that I make quite frequently. They're made in the crockpot, so they're not truly "refried" but I love them.
    The recipe is posted here:
    http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/veganvegetarian-unfried-beans

    Thanks! I'm going to try this! :smile: :wink:
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
    Whey protein is a high quality protein powder from cow's milk. If you are allergic to milk I would avoid it.

    Casein is also made from milk but also from eggs. You can get a casein isolate that is made solely from egg whites.

    Shoot for Casein!
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
    One egg white has 4 proteins and only 17 calories

    One cup of egg whites in a shake you cant even taste and you will get about 25-30 grams of protein from it. I know I drink it like water.
  • lordofultima
    lordofultima Posts: 293
    Whey Protein! Casein is slow-absorbing protein and is typically for the end of the day, before bed.
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    I am always way over on protein - without protein powder. Tuna in a pouch, seafood in season (wild caught of course), and quinoa (next to mother's milk in protein content). I also love chicken, hummus and buy the half turkey breasts (fresh meat aisle). Peanut or Almond Butter is GREAT too!

    Just in case you or someone else does not know how to cook quinoa:
    Rinse quinoa (need a real fine sieve) and saute with a bit of olive oil and chopped shallot. Add low sodium vegetable broth and cook per package directions. When done I toss in slivered almonds and a handfil of dried cranberries. Yummy! You can add anything you like to it!

    You can rinse the canned black beans to lessen the salt!

    Good luck!
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    If you want to make your own refried beans, I have a recipe that I make quite frequently. They're made in the crockpot, so they're not truly "refried" but I love them.
    The recipe is posted here:
    http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/veganvegetarian-unfried-beans
    Thanks! I will try these next weekend!
    2 scoops should be fine, most protein powders require 2 scoops.. Also you might want to look into another protein powder if yours does not have adequate protein. My trainer said we should be eating about 1/2 our body weight in grams of protein. So @ 200lbs you would need 100g of protein.
    Wow that would be a lot of protein for me! I'm still over 250 lbs! My vegan protein powder says 1 tablespoon, but I'll try 2.
    One cup of egg whites in a shake you cant even taste and you will get about 25-30 grams of protein from it. I know I drink it like water.
    Ummmm... do you cook them first? I'm not sure I could stomach raw egg whites!
  • mybutterflower
    mybutterflower Posts: 90 Member
    My husband and I make peanut butter protein balls using one cup of peanut butter, one cup of oats, and one cup of chocolate protein powder. Nuke the peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds to soften it up, then mix everything together, form into little balls, and store in the fridge. We use a little cookie scooper for uniformity and one batch makes 20 balls. With the specific ingredients we use, one ball is 65 calories, but has 4.5g of protein. They taste great and are a good energy boost before we hit the gym. I'm not sure how they would taste using vegan protein powder, but sacrificing once scoop each of powder, oats, and peanut butter might be worth the experiment :smile:
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    Whey Protein! Casein is slow-absorbing protein and is typically for the end of the day, before bed.

    Allegic to milk, so no way am I eating whey (yes, I realize what a lame joke that is, but I couldn't resist).
    I will look into egg casein, but I am very leery of trying anything that MIGHT have milk derivatives or by-products because they make me so sick.
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
    Whey Protein! Casein is slow-absorbing protein and is typically for the end of the day, before bed.

    Not true. Casein is the smarter all around use in the body. Whey is a short lived protein. Overall Casein is the better of the two for substaining muscles and quality growth over time.

    "Casein is the most abundant protein in milk. It is relatively insoluble and tends to form structures called micelles that increase solubility in water. During the processing of milk, which usually involves heat or acid, the casein peptides and micelle structure become disturbed or denatured to form simpler structures. As a result, a gelatinous material is formed. This is the basis for why casein has a slower rate of digestion, and results in a slow but steady release of amino acids into circulation.

    In one study, researchers gave healthy subjects 30 grams of either whey protein or casein protein and made several measures of the anabolic and catabolic effect for 7 hours after the meal.2 Whey protein resulted in a rapid increase in blood amino acids and protein synthesis, but it was short-lived. Casein, on the other hand, resulted in a prolonged increase in blood amino acids that resulted in a 34% reduction in protein breakdown. The net protein balance remained more positive after intake of casein protein over a 7-hour period. The superior long-lasting effect of casein was attributed to a delayed gastric emptying and slower absorption rate from the gastrointestinal tract to the blood."

    For the original poster-You have to understand that Whey is a milk protein, casein is a protein for the lack of a better term ripped from milk. One contains milk one is derived FROM milk.
  • lainey137
    lainey137 Posts: 39
    Scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast- use three egg whites and one whole egg- tasty!
  • Yarnpiggie
    Yarnpiggie Posts: 181
    I keep a good supply of low sodium tuna in the house (though you wouldn't know this by looking at my cupboard... i am down to my last can!) At the end of the day when I see i am too low, or after a workout I will open the can, drain the water, and chow it down right out of the can. (yeah this may not be normal for most people...lol)

    I am having the protein struggle myself. I am outrageously opposed to anything like atkins-type stuff, and thusly every time i think about bulking up on protein my brain rebels. I know i need more so i am forcing the issue and eating protein bars whenever i need to, but i don't wanna! Soooo... slowly working on adding more in to my diet without having to resort to things like bars and powders and such.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    My husband and I make peanut butter protein balls using one cup of peanut butter, one cup of oats, and one cup of chocolate protein powder. Nuke the peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds to soften it up, then mix everything together, form into little balls, and store in the fridge. We use a little cookie scooper for uniformity and one batch makes 20 balls. With the specific ingredients we use, one ball is 65 calories, but has 4.5g of protein. They taste great and are a good energy boost before we hit the gym. I'm not sure how they would taste using vegan protein powder, but sacrificing once scoop each of powder, oats, and peanut butter might be worth the experiment :smile:

    I used to love peanut butter balls when I was little (before i developed the milk allergy) but we used evaporated milk and oats back then. I will try it with my vanilla rice protein and some unsweetened cocoa powder (and oats, obviously). Thanks!
  • elmct57
    elmct57 Posts: 594 Member
    nuts are a great source--almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts pistachios and almond butter. Seeds-- flax, hemp, sunflower, sesame, pine nuts, and pumpkin.
    also tempeh
  • caitlinclock
    caitlinclock Posts: 528 Member
    When I was vegan I cooked with chick peas like every night. My house had like 10 cans of chick peas at all time. I just love them so much. There are a lot of things that have protein that you wouldn't expect.

    My favourite place for recipes is vegweb.com! You should check it out!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Two scoops of protein powder would be fine, but I would add real food like eggs, beans and rice, etc.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    You can try powdered egg whites. I use them occasionally in smoothies. My body doesn't deal well with the whey protein, but I am not allergic. The doc doesn't want me using soy products, so the egg whites were my only option. You can find a small canister in the baking isle of the grocery store if you don't want to invest in a larger canister from the health food store. They have no flavor so you do need to add something to them. You can also mix with water and use as a regular egg white in a pinch (not the same consistancy though).

    I also bake off boneless skinless chicken breasts and always have them in the fridge to munch on. Chop it up and toss on a salad, slice it for a sandwich, cut it into "fingers" and dip it in bbq sauce... lots of things to do with it. Boiled eggs work as a good snack too, I was suggested to eat one whole egg at least 3 times a week for the good fats in the yolk.
  • stravis40
    stravis40 Posts: 3
    I take the chicken and teak route. I buy in bulk and freeze it individually and use as required
  • mommyjos
    mommyjos Posts: 98 Member
    these are some great ideas! I want to save this to read fully later! Thanks!
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