Getting enough protein

JackiBurkhardt
JackiBurkhardt Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am a pescatarian - sort of. I usually get all of my protein from plant based sources and eggs from my own happy chickens. When I go out to eat, I will eat fish if there is no other option. I am having trouble eating enough protein without going over my carb allowance for the day. Even when I add in fish once a day, I am still struggling. You have to eat a lot of rice and beans to get 60 grams of protein a day! Help anyone?

Replies

  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    You are a human that requires protein and fat adjust your diet accordingly and get passed Labeling your diet with some trendy name. Try Shrimp, more fish etc I can't imagine not eating steak??

    My 2 cents
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Difficulty comes with your diet choices. It is easier if you add protein to every meal, every snack. So an egg at breakfast. Tuna with lunch. Edamame for snacks. Then you can afford the higher carb option of beans for dinner.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Eat more eggs and more fish.
  • steph2strong
    steph2strong Posts: 426 Member
    Add a protein powder into your diet, if you don't want a whey based one there are tons of great plant based protein powders and bars (VegaOne and Warrior). Do you eat dairy? Cottage cheese and greek yogurt are excellent source of protein.
  • paulinemacca
    paulinemacca Posts: 2 Member
    I am the same. Have been vegetarian most of my life and just started eating fish. I've been on a high protein diet, set by my trainer, for 2 weeks now. I struggle to keep carbs under control and I'm SICK of eggs, cottage cheese & high protein yoghurt.

    Let me know if you find any solutions.
  • becgraceevemaggie
    becgraceevemaggie Posts: 26 Member
    I sympathise. I have been trying to up my protein whilst lowering carbs and fat with mixed results. It's incredible the amount of fish, dairy and pulses that I need to get to approximately 30% of my daily calories. I'm sure it just takes practice though and it is interesting too! I was trying to eat more nuts but not sure they are that high in protein considering their fat content.
    Keep practicing!
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Legumes and beans.
    Tofu
    Eggs
    Greek yogurt
    Protein shakes.
    Peas
    Seeds
    Nuts
    Nut butters
    Mozzarella cheese
    Quinoa
    Tempeh
    Oats
    Hummus
    Brown rice



    No need to lower fat unless you have a medical reason to do so.
  • steph2strong
    steph2strong Posts: 426 Member
    There's also tons of "meat alternative" products out there... Yves Veggie Cuisine has a ton of products and recipes to use them (meatless chicken and beef strips, veggie ground, lunch "meats", hotdogs, burgers, pepperoni, bacon, etc etc). Morning star is another company with all sorts of products. Tofu is great too. You can add it to stir fry, scrambles, shakes and baked goods, skewer on kabobs and marinade.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    protein2.jpg
  • JackiBurkhardt
    JackiBurkhardt Posts: 10 Member
    Thanks for all the great suggestions. This really is a learning adventure.
  • JackiBurkhardt
    JackiBurkhardt Posts: 10 Member
    I had no idea tempeh was so high in protein!
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    I'm a vegetarian. I eat dairy to get my protein. My staples are Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and whey protein mixed with milk. By lunch most days I easily hit my 100 gram protein goal without coming even close to my carb and fat goals.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    Dairy is also a complete protein!
  • JackiBurkhardt
    JackiBurkhardt Posts: 10 Member
    edited November 2015
    :)
    Doing much better having added cottage cheese and protein powder. I found a protein powder I like at the Vitamin Shop called Raw Protein. Instead of drinking it as a shake, I have been adding it to oatmeal for breakfast.
  • keepitcroosh
    keepitcroosh Posts: 301 Member
    Dymatize iso 100 in gourmet chocolate is so good and has lots of protein! Without lots of cals, sugar etc
  • Oflamez
    Oflamez Posts: 43 Member
    simple - eat more fish and sea food, tofu, and buy protein shakes made from plant sources - like Soy shakes.
  • becgraceevemaggie
    becgraceevemaggie Posts: 26 Member
    I don't know if you can get it where you live Jackiebukhard, but I've discovered the joys and high protein content of icelandic skyr. It is available in UK too.
  • chelsea7162
    chelsea7162 Posts: 97 Member
    JackiBurkhardt wrote: »
    I am a pescatarian - sort of. I usually get all of my protein from plant based sources and eggs from my own happy chickens. When I go out to eat, I will eat fish if there is no other option. I am having trouble eating enough protein without going over my carb allowance for the day. Even when I add in fish once a day, I am still struggling. You have to eat a lot of rice and beans to get 60 grams of protein a day! Help anyone?
    JackiBurkhardt wrote: »
    I am a pescatarian - sort of. I usually get all of my protein from plant based sources and eggs from my own happy chickens. When I go out to eat, I will eat fish if there is no other option. I am having trouble eating enough protein without going over my carb allowance for the day. Even when I add in fish once a day, I am still struggling. You have to eat a lot of rice and beans to get 60 grams of protein a day! Help anyone?

  • chelsea7162
    chelsea7162 Posts: 97 Member
    I'm a vegan and I manage to get 80+ grams a day! If you have no problems with soy, you can try drinking more soy milk. One cup has 7g, it's a great way to get more protein if you don't mind the taste. You can try Gardien brand meatless meat, I quite enjoy the crumble and the "turkey" which are both high in protein and isn't too expensive for a meat replacement. It's available in the frozen section if you're curious. Tofu is fantastic, try different methods of cooking it. One of my favourite meals is a coconut cream pasta sauce (coconut cream plus vegan beef bullion as well as salt and pepper to taste) with black bean pasta (loaded with protein, you should try it) and tofu that's been pan fried after being marinaded in a mixture of soy sauce, a strong vegetarian broth of your choice, and some pomegranate juice.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    protein2.jpg

    oh you beat me
  • Nutbutt24
    Nutbutt24 Posts: 34 Member
    edited December 2015
    To add to the list above. if you can find and want to take the time to make. Look for Lupini beans. They have 26 grams of protein per 1 cup. 197 calories and only 16 grams of Carbs
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian (have been for 40+ years (not a typo) and typically get 75-100g protein daily. Others have made lots of great suggestions for specific foods. What I'd like to add is more a way of thinking about your way of eating. This would be to put you over the top, in addition to getting those "big" protein sources in a good spot.

    Take a look at your diary for a few days, especially items that are (relatively) calorie-contributing, but have no protein. Are there other alternatives to those foods that are equally tasty & satisfying, but include at least some protein?

    Examples: Thicken a sauce or soup with pureed white beans, dress a salad with a homemade yogurt-based dressing, eat crunchy chickpeas or dry-roasted soybeans instead of chip/cracker kinds of snacks, find breads or pastas that have a little more protein, put seeds or nuts on salad instead of croutons, substitute vegetables with a little protein (cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, green peas, more) for veggies with less or no protein. I could go on and on.

    If you were to look at my diary (open to friends only, by intention), you'd find relatively few items that contribute significant calories, but zero protein. These tend to be vegetable sources, so lower quality, but quite varied so one can hope the amino acids balance out.

    And let me be explicit: I'm *not* suggesting eating things you don't like. (I mostly don't like fake meat products, or protein powder, so I mostly don't eat them.) Life is too short to eat yuck. I'm suggesting finding things you *do* like, across all categories of food in your day, that contribute a bit more protein. It's surprising how a gram here and 5 grams there add up.

    Also, if you haven't reviewed it, this thread has an excellent resource (has animal & non-animal sources): List of foods with highest Protein Calorie Percentage

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