Getting enough protein?

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ignitingxeve
ignitingxeve Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i recently made the decision to become a pescatarian (I rarely ate meat beforehand) and have found that I only get about half my recommended protein per day. What foods shuld I be eating more of to get enough protein naturally? Are protein powders and shakes a good alternative to use on a regular basis? Thanks for the help.

Replies

  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
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    Not sure if you can eat eggs but eggs, almonds and other nuts, fish are some of my protein sources to get my 70 grams of protein. There is some protein powder that I can grab but that is milk related.

    Welcome to MFP forums and best of success.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
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    Greek yogurt is really good for protein. Add some protein powder to that and you'll have a decent amount. If you eat shrimp then that is also a fairly good source of protein, but it gets expensive quickly. There are also protein bars that qualify as vegetarian that aren't too bad either.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,390 Member
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    Plenty of good sources other than meats. Lots of fish is very high in protein, and also low in fat, so you can eat other fatty goodness on the side. Beans are high in protein as well, and many dairy products are mid to high levels, and also often can be purchased in varying levels of fat/carb ratios. Powders and shakes if you want them, but personally I find that some of the bars are more fun to eat, still satisfy, and the price per gram of protein works out about the same.

    Fish tacos using Talapia or similar fish, black beans, some cheese, and whatever veggies you like it protein loaded..... and tasty.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Whey Isolate powder, "NOW" brand, unflavored, natural, with a little liquid Stevia is great! :)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Eat more fish. Reduce the rice, pasta, cereals, fruits. Eat more veggies as they usually have more protein than fruits.
    Learn to love some new recipes for beans, lentils, chick peas, tofu.
  • cindytw
    cindytw Posts: 1,027 Member
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    You should be fine if you are eating a protein every meal...a fish an, egg, a dairy all of the above...Its not so hard as it seems if you focus on it. Eggs for breakfast, tuna for lunch salmon for dinner in good portions. Add fats on that too to make up your calories and energy. Like avocado, olive oil, etc.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,741 Member
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    How much protein are you trying to get? I don't have much trouble getting .6-.8g/pound of goal weight on an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet. I never eat protein powder, protein bars, or vegetarian fake meat. (This is not a religious thing with me - I just don't find them as tasty or satisfying as real food.) If you're trying to get to 1g/pound, that's more difficult.

    Try assessing what you eat, not just as "big protein" foods, but in all categories throughout the day. Look at each food (especially the more caloric ones, if you're trying to lose), and figure out whether there's some equally tasty & satisfying food that has at least some protein. It's surprising how 2g here and 5g there adds up. Very nearly every food that I eat with non-trivial calories has at least a little protein. For me, it's mostly vegetable protein I ended up adding this way, so it's lower quality, but since it's varied that may help the amino acids balance out some.

    For example, some vegetables have a little protein (cauliflower, peas, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, others). Pureed beans (especially white beans) can be used to make a creamy sauce or add heartiness to soup. For crunch on a salad, use nuts or seeds rather than croutons. If you eat bread, choose breads with relatively more protein. Consider snacks like crunchy chickpeas, crispy snap peas, dry-roasted soybeans, puppodums, etc.

    The more traditional protein foods in my diet tend to be Greek yogurt, beans of many types, tempeh, eggs. cottage cheese, other cheeses, kefir, quinoa, etc.
  • gillexplores
    gillexplores Posts: 151 Member
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    AnnPT77 made a lot of good points! There are quite a few vegetarian options, you just have to get to know them :)

    I really like eggs and will eat them almost every morning. I also enjoy greek yogurt, tofu, veggie burgers, Hemp Protein powder, Hemp hearts, quinoa, chia, beans, lentils, nuts, veggies (!!), etc. It's actually surprising how much protein is in vegetables!

    I'm not an expert by any means but my diary is open if you want to look for some possibilities! :smile:
  • eskimohugger
    eskimohugger Posts: 80 Member
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    Tuna, Shrimp, Eggs, Milk, Nuts, Oatmeal, Garbanzo beans, Lentils (and most beans), tilapia, pumpkin seeds, etc :)

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