Excellent sources of protein?

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MintyStarshine
MintyStarshine Posts: 91
in Food and Nutrition
So according to the website, I need a substantial amount of protein daily. I've already purchased some protein pills to help me along but they haven't arrived yet, but will in a few days. Lately, I've been looking to chicken breasts for protein but they seem to contain a lot of sodium. Is there any way to get a low sodium chicken breast? Are there really good sources of protein out there (not the powder stuff or shakes) that aren't high in sodium, cholesterol, fat, or other things that I need to keep under control?

MFP says I need about 150g of protein daily.

Replies

  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    FISH! Canned tuna, salmon, ling cod, shrimp, scallops, all of it!

    Vegetable protein (soy stuff that looks and tastes like chicken). It's loaded.

    Turkey (lean and delicious)

    Cottage cheese!

    Don't worry so much about sodium unless you're retaining a lot of water or have a medical problem. The "goal" of sodium is a goal, not a limit. We need it every day to perform metabolic functions. Excess sodium is flushed away when you drink enough water.
  • grouch201
    grouch201 Posts: 404 Member
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    My favorite sources of protein:

    Tuna
    Cottege Cheese
    Chicken tenderloin or breasts
    Eggs!
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
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    I buy Foster Farms skinless boneless chicken breasts with no salt added. It's fairly low in sodium
  • dawnemjh
    dawnemjh Posts: 1,465 Member
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    plain fat free greek yogurt!!
  • foodforfuel
    foodforfuel Posts: 569 Member
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    Yes, you can find raw chicken with a lower sodium content but you do have to look for it! Always read the nutritional label on the back. Some of them have 350mg of sodium per serving before you even cook it! The ones I look for usually have about 180mg per serving. I buy fresh, but I have seen the lower sodium boneless/skinless in the freezer section with lower sodium and a whole lot cheeper. Just be sure to check the label!
  • heatherb77
    heatherb77 Posts: 6
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    Agreed on the yogurt! Chobani non-fat is tasty and usually 14 grams of protein.

    Eggs (I like the "4 grain" vegetarian or cage-free brand)

    And I love the morningstar farms "sausage" patties. 10 grams of protein each.

    Tofu and tempeh.

    (obviously meats have protein but I was thinking of alternative vegetarian options since I'm cutting back on meat)
  • ChrisR0128
    ChrisR0128 Posts: 86
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    Edamame basicly roasted soy beans, kinda nutty, great on a salad
  • cmmull67
    cmmull67 Posts: 170 Member
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    Milk, nuts, flax, and beef. Yes, beef. Beef is one of the highest sources of protein, and if you get lean cuts, not very high in calories or fat.
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    people only need 40-60 grams of protein a day. so if you eat meat you get plenty in your daily diet.

    look it up on the american heart association and mypyramid.gov
  • Autumn1206
    Autumn1206 Posts: 126
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    Agreed on the beef, and there are some really great lean cuts that are really inexpensive. Sirloin is usually pretty affordable. We just tried some eye of round tonight for the first time - ok not like a nice tender juicy prime rib, but it was tasty. Fish is awesome for protein and so very good for you for so many other reason, not the least of which is the omega-3 fatty acids which will help you in your journey towards healthy living. If you do powders, I have been told that the best type of protein for weight loss is whey protein. I personally limit my egg intake because they are super high in cholesterol and I need to keep an eye on my levels. Good luck to you!
  • ellenangel
    ellenangel Posts: 106 Member
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    Meat and fish aside, Greek yogurt is awesome ans so easy to incorporate into breakfasts and snacks- a typical breakfast for me when I was requiring a lot of protein was 1/3 cup oats cooked in water, add 1/2 scoop protein powder after cooking (might need to add a little extra water), then top with Greek yogurt and sliced banana. That packed in about 30g protein at breakfast alone. Followed by 3-4oz fish at lunch and chicken for dinner, that was about 60-70g, not even mentioning additions like topping a salad/baked potato with cottage cheese instead of sour cream/butter, throwing some hard boiled egg whites or edemame onto salads...and snacks! I made a lot of protein muffins that were about 120 cals each and 5-6g protein. They made awesome snacks crumbled into Greek yogurt (again, 20-ishg protein for a > 200 cal snack which was much healthier/tastier than some of the protein bars out there!) Also high protein granola bars used in place of cereal mixed with yogurt for breakfast is great (Atkins do some nice ones though not had them for years so check ingredients if you have specific requirements).

    I do like bars on hand for convenience though- I tend to stay away from too much soy, and bars vary a lot in terms of protein content but one of my favorites is Carbrite (200-ish cals, 20g protein). Used to love Pureprotein (the small ones are around 200 cals w/ 20 g protein) but now they taste weird to me and I discoverd they use GM soy so stay clear.

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