Looking for a protein boost, but have an almond allergy

spara0038
spara0038 Posts: 226 Member
in Food and Nutrition
When I started out, my calorie goal was around 1200. After making some adjustments- more strength training, following more of a TDEE approach- I'm realizing that my caloric intake was probably too low, so I'm upping it to 1400 and want to get more protein. I was hoping to add some sort of protein bar or snack that I could take with me to lunch, since that's when I found I was most hungry at 1200 cal/day.

The problem is, I'm mildly allergic to peanuts and VERY allergic to almonds, and a lot of the protein bars I've found have either peanuts or almonds. I can ususally get by on items that say "may contain traces of... " those two ingredients, but I can't have anything that has peanuts or almonds as a main ingredient. I'm ok with walnuts, soy (in small amounts), wheat, milk, and macadamia nuts... unsure with cashews and other kinds of nuts.

Anyone have any ideas for a high-protein, non-allergen snack?

Replies

  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
    For a protein boost why not Greek Yogurt, beef jerky, chicken breast, etc??

    There are much better protein options for snacking than nuts.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    For a protein boost why not Greek Yogurt, beef jerky, chicken breast, etc??

    There are much better protein options for snacking than nuts.

    this plus cheese, eggs, all lean meats, fish like tuna, crab...I often snack on crab meat, cheese and crackers.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    Protein shake. Greek Yogurt. Jerky. String cheese.
  • karlbaxter
    karlbaxter Posts: 5 Member
    spirulina powder?

    I eat no meat, fish or dairy, do heavy weight training and swim a good few miles per week so have to seek out protein wherever I can get it... It tastes like pond water, but zipped through some soya milk (or milk if that's your thing) with some frozen berries and a bit of banana it's filling, good for you and very protein and amino acid rich.

    it's roughly 55-60% protein, by the way
  • insomnical
    insomnical Posts: 24 Member
    I like making protein pancakes with protein powder + fresh fruit. Almost comes out tasting like a muffin at times, even if it looks weird (I tend to just use hemp protein powder because of the omegas in it).

    As bad as farting can be, beans are great. Quinoa, tofu (if you can make it in a way you enjoy). Hemp seeds to add to aforementioned pancakes or a smoothie.
  • beansjellytots
    beansjellytots Posts: 4 Member
    that is a very low calorie count for one day :(
  • spara0038
    spara0038 Posts: 226 Member
    For a protein boost why not Greek Yogurt, beef jerky, chicken breast, etc??

    There are much better protein options for snacking than nuts.


    I was hoping for something shelf-stable to keep in my office, so that's why I was thinking of nuts, protein bars, etc. Greek yogurt isn't a bad idea (we have a fridge in our office), although I can't stomach it plain. I'm concerned about the sugar content of it too, does that make a difference? The plain stuff I've noticed has about 8g of sugar. According to my MFP limits, it looks like I'm almost always over on my sugar anyway so I'm a little concerned about adding more.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    For a protein boost why not Greek Yogurt, beef jerky, chicken breast, etc??

    There are much better protein options for snacking than nuts.


    I was hoping for something shelf-stable to keep in my office, so that's why I was thinking of nuts, protein bars, etc. Greek yogurt isn't a bad idea (we have a fridge in our office), although I can't stomach it plain. I'm concerned about the sugar content of it too, does that make a difference? The plain stuff I've noticed has about 8g of sugar. According to my MFP limits, it looks like I'm almost always over on my sugar anyway so I'm a little concerned about adding more.
    Ignore the sugar limit for MFP; it's a carb, and there's no reason to track it twice. It's also the recommendation for "added sugar", but fruit gets logged there also, so it's just not a useful item to track.

    And protein suggestions: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    You don't need to eat nuts to get protein. Protein bars? No, no, no! Unneeded sugar and/or salt, unless you're making them at home somehow. Get your protein through lean meats and things like tuna and eggs. If you still want more protein or can't fit enough food-based protein into your caloric limit, go for a protein shake. Make sure you get one that has very little added carbs, sugar, or fat. It should be mostly protein. You mentioned wanting to keep something at your desk - I always have tuna pouches with multigrain crackers in my desk drawer and protein powder will definitely keep at your desk. You can mix it with water or, if you can keep some skim or almond milk refrigerated at work, use that instead of or along with the water!

    I use CSN 100% Pro Whey Standard that only has 3 ingredients, 115 calories per scoop and only 1 g of fat, sugar, and carb each. I mix one scoop with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk. Tastes like melted vanilla ice cream, and for only 130 calories - YUM!
  • oc1timoco
    oc1timoco Posts: 272 Member
    Try some dry roasted edamame. It comes in many different flavors.
  • Anelda
    Anelda Posts: 99 Member
    If you aren't vegetarian, I love having beef jerky around. It's lean, has a lot of protein and it's quite tasty.
  • spara0038
    spara0038 Posts: 226 Member
    that is a very low calorie count for one day :(

    I'm working on it. 1200 is actually UP from what I used to eat, so I'm trying to find my sweet spot :-) I just don't usually feel hunger, so it's kind of hard to force yourself to eat if you're not hungry. I used to only eat 600-900 because that's all that I ever had the appetite to eat, but that made me put on weight.
  • spara0038
    spara0038 Posts: 226 Member
    If you aren't vegetarian, I love having beef jerky around. It's lean, has a lot of protein and it's quite tasty.

    Hm. I may give that a try. I'm a super picky eater and have never liked it before because I found it to be too salty, but I may try to force myself to like it. I always gagged eating bananas but now I can at least force myself to eat it, even if I don't like it. Baby steps :-)
  • ratchet2
    ratchet2 Posts: 87 Member
    I add a cup of fruit (thawed from frozen) to my 3/4 cup of yogurt. It makes the taste much better. I do not like the taste of plain yogurt. When portioning it, and I don't even lick the spoon as it tastes chalky to me.

    I dropped a bit on the floor once, and the cats liked it. But what do they know, they like mice.:ohwell:
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    that is a very low calorie count for one day :(

    I'm working on it. 1200 is actually UP from what I used to eat, so I'm trying to find my sweet spot :-) I just don't usually feel hunger, so it's kind of hard to force yourself to eat if you're not hungry. I used to only eat 600-900 because that's all that I ever had the appetite to eat, but that made me put on weight.

    Hunger is not a good indication of what you body needs...

    I found this out the hard way on Sunday...I ate 1200 calories..not on purpose just wasn't hungry...late breakfast, homemade pizza for supper and I wasn't hungry but ate yogurt and chocolate to get to 1200...I've been out of sorts for 2 days now...and my lifts suffered yesterday because of it and I still feel weak even after eating my regular 1600-1700 calories yesterday.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    For a protein boost why not Greek Yogurt, beef jerky, chicken breast, etc??

    There are much better protein options for snacking than nuts.

    this plus cheese, eggs, all lean meats, fish like tuna, crab...I often snack on crab meat, cheese and crackers.

    Agreed. My nutritionist told me to eat more protein because I do a lot of exercising. She suggested eggs, cheese, chicken. She also suggested that I make up a small amount of protein to take with me to eat right after exercising. I don't find that protein bars are worth the calories given the amount of carbs they are full of. ;-)

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