Need help getting Protein & Looking for best AM Cereal

ace314159 · January 2015

Hi All,
I've been on this journey for quite awhile and have had success losing about 45 pounds with a combination of counting calories and exercise (I still have about 25 more pounds to lose). At this point in time I would like to make sure to balance out the nutritional content of the food that I am eating and not just look at calories. So here are some questions that I've been having with regard to the particular dietary restrictions I am on.

1. It has been working well for me to eat cereal in the morning with unsweetened almond milk. I've currently been doing 3/4 cup bran flakes mixed with 3/4 cup of Special K. I know there are better/healthier options out there but have stuck with these since they have worked in helping me lose weight. But at this point I'm looking for a better cereal that still has nutritional benefits but is low in sugar (and preferably 1.5 cups is 200 calories or less). Any ideas? I've seen some with better nutritional information but have encountered some awful tasting cereal doing that.

2. I have dealt with some pancreas problems the last 10 years that have required me to limit the amount of meat that I eat (I still eat chicken and turkey on occasion...but I try not to eat much of it) and also limit fats and cholesterol. This has led me to some difficulty in getting enough protein. Any ideas for getting protein that I am missing? I've stayed away from eggs because of cholesterol and have nuts in limited quantities (i.e. sometimes a few in a dish but not as a stand alone snack) because of the fat content (I know it is healthy fat but need to keep my total fat grams pretty low...maybe I should relax this restriction and eat more nuts?). I have been getting protein from beans and Greek yogurt (not the best because of the sugars...but I can live with it) and soy proteins. I feel like I must be missing out on something. Any tricks? Should I be trying tofu?

Thanks in advance all. Sorry if these seem like silly questions. I've been searching the internet and haven't come up with many good answers yet. Figured some of you might have some ideas to help.

Best regards,
Ace

brandy__d_o · January 2015

Most of the cholesterol in eggs in the yolk. Egg whites could be an option. There are a number of misconceptions about eggs. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/expert-answers/cholesterol/FAQ-20058468

Have you thought about consultation with a nutritionist? Many grocery stores now offer free consultations with a nutritionist as a service to customers. Seems like some of your restrictions are medically necessary and some self imposed, which could be why you are struggling. I have trouble reconciling your assumption that processed sugars in store bought yogurt or cereal are OK but the healthy fats and proteins in nuts should be avoided. I see it the other way around. Maybe try adding some oats to get more protein.

Francl27 · January 2015

I don't think you can do much better than those two if sugar is what's bothering you. Cheerios maybe?

But yeah, unfortunately the first thing to ditch if you want more protein is breakfast cereal, IMO. Or you could try some of those 'protein' cereals but the protein per calorie ratio still isn't great with those. Cholesterol in eggs doesn't impact cholesterol levels as much as you'd think, so I'd go ahead and have eggs. Or egg whites. Fish is great too. But if you want to increase your protein, you probably need more protein for breakfast. Maybe mix your cereal with plain Greek yogurt?

Nuts are not a good source of protein anyway. A good source of protein will have 10g of protein for 100 calories.

Anyway, sugar isn't the devil either, especially lactose sugar from Greek yogurt, so you don't have to worry about it that much unless you're diabetic...

ace314159 · January 2015

Thanks for the tips. I think I might try adding some egg whites at breakfast, that sounds like a good option. As far as my dietary restrictions it isn't that I think the healthy fats in nuts should be avoided, rather that I personally need to keep the total fat grams that I eat per day very low because of my past struggles with pancreatitis. I also limit processed sugar (and sugar in general) but agree with Franci27 that it isn't the devil as long as you watch your levels.

amandarunning · January 2015

You could have porridge for breakfast and add a scoop of protein powder?

cerad2 · January 2015

Consider a moderate amount of protein whey. Mix a scoop in with some oatmeal as a high protein cereal alternative. Or just dissolve a scoop in water or milk.

EatPaleoStyle · January 2015

ace314159 wrote: »

[...]But at this point I'm looking for a better cereal that still has nutritional benefits but is low in sugar (and preferably 1.5 cups is 200 calories or less). Any ideas? I've seen some with better nutritional information but have encountered some awful tasting cereal doing that.

There are no cereals that have such nutritional benefit, most of grains are fortified otherwise they can't be sold, but you can get the same and more nutrients from other food sources so why bothering? Anyway, it is kinda hard to find low sugar cereal basically because cereals are, pretty much, sugar (starch), so try to get the "healthier" one that you can find.

ace314159 wrote: »

2. I have dealt with some pancreas problems the last 10 years that have required me to limit the amount of meat that I eat (I still eat chicken and turkey on occasion...but I try not to eat much of it) and also limit fats and cholesterol. This has led me to some difficulty in getting enough protein.

Why are you limiting protein consumption from animal sources and cholesterol? is the opposite of what you should be doing. What kind of pancreas problems do you have?

ace314159 wrote: »

Any ideas for getting protein that I am missing? I've stayed away from eggs because of cholesterol and have nuts in limited quantities (i.e. sometimes a few in a dish but not as a stand alone snack) because of the fat content (I know it is healthy fat but need to keep my total fat grams pretty low...maybe I should relax this restriction and eat more nuts?). I have been getting protein from beans and Greek yogurt (not the best because of the sugars...but I can live with it) and soy proteins. I feel like I must be missing out on something. Any tricks? Should I be trying tofu?

Good news for you, stop worrying about cholesterol, it is the biggest myth in the history of nutrition that dietary cholesterol is going to affect your heart.

You don't need to keep fat low, it is actually the opposite, fat has no impact in blood sugar, fat is just fuel, and good fats help you burn fat, oxidised fats don't.

Soy or bean proteins are definitely not a good option, they are very uncomplete, mostly GMO and the bioavailability is questionable.

Step back to high quality meat, grass-fed meat, pastured eggs, free range poultry... if you tolerate some dairy, get grass-fed cows whey protein, whey is probably the best and moore bioavaiable protein for humans.

jgnatca · January 2015

I love my breakfasts most of all. I dislike Special K particularly because of it's horrible glycemic index and added sugar (I am a diabetic in remission). Alternatives include: puffed wheat, shredded wheat, oatmeal (extra protein, yay!), and red river cereal. Try eating it with Greek Yogurt for extra protein. The puffed wheat will be a surprising volume, but you will have to test out the portions of my other suggestions to hit your 200 calorie target.

For proteins:

Get some PB2 from the health food store and mix it with water for a no-fat peanut butter.
Egg whites for sure. No fat, no cholesterol. You can get them in cartons now. Dress them up with onions and vegetables.
Lentils in your sauces for extra fiber and protein.
Try Edamame seed pods, though they are higher in fat.
Someone mentioned fish. Great idea!
Someone mentioned whey protein powder; another great idea!

ace314159 · January 2015

Thank you for the suggestions jgnatca. Very helpful!

bkthandler · January 2015

I like to make an omelet with three egg whites and one whole egg (with a little cheddar cheese and salsa), you can also add a cup of spinach.

Instant oatmeal with light soymilk and toasted walnuts or pecans is also good.

Greek Yogurt with Bear Naked Granola with Protein is also good.

lemurcat12 · January 2015

Oatmeal with milk or yogurt is going to have more protein than the usual cereal. You don't seem anti dairy (given that you eat greek yogurt), so why not use milk instead of almond milk--there's more protein. You can also add egg whites to it. I like my breakfasts to have more protein and somewhat less carbs as a percentage, so when I do oatmeal I add protein powder as others have suggested and can recommend that. The only drawback to that breakfast (I also add veggies or fruit) is it's too low in fat for me, so it would be good for you.

I'm otherwise not helpful on the first question, since I really hate all cold cereals.

Plain greek yogurt (or plain regular yogurt, for that matter) isn't going to have "added sugar," that's either a myth or perhaps some off brand. None of the ones I've tried have it. (I'm not overly concerned about added sugar if it's in reasonable amounts, but that's a pet peeve of mine.)

jgnatca · January 2015

Hubby ate tofu this way. In fact this is the only way he will eat it. Use firm tofu.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463845600652/

You can also make this alternating zucchini and eggplant slices on the baking tray.

uraudi · January 2015

Do a search for no meat athlete. Matt has some great recipes on there for all meals.

rcottonrph1 · January 2015

One way to get more protein is not eat cereal with almond milk for breakfast! Both have very little protein.

Ninkyou · January 2015

Kellogg's Special K Protein cereal. I add raisins to mine and it tastes just like raisin bran, but has more protein.

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leahannhorton · January 2015

Kashi Go Lean! Its got 13g of protein and 10g of fiber per cup. I believe it's around 160 calories per cup?

https://www.kashi.com/our-foods/cold-cereal/kashi-golean-original-cereal

SuggaD · January 2015

cereal.....Bob's Red Mill Muesli. Eat it swiss style (soaked overnight in plain yogurt) and get a much more filling breakfast. I would also suggest some egg whites on the side.

Need help getting Protein & Looking for best AM Cereal

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