More Vegetables or More Meat/Protein?

Kelly_2013
Kelly_2013 Posts: 117 Member
edited November 17 in Food and Nutrition
My mom was told by a doctor that she needed to have Meat/Protein as the main portion for lunch/dinner and then vegetables as a side. But I've also heard that you actually need to make Vegetables as the main portion and treat the meat as a smaller portion. Anyone have any advice with this?

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Balance. Hit your nutritional goals and your taste preference. Where's the starch, by the way?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I think what the doctor is getting at is reducing carbohydrates and increasing protein...

    When my wife and I are cutting, we typically have 4-6 cooked ounces of some kind of lean protein (4 for her and 6 for me) and a double serving of veg...200 grams each uncooked weight and usually forgo the grains or starches for dinner and have those earlier in the day. Note that there's nothing magical about that...we don't count calories so controlling grains and starches in the evening is simply a way that we control calories.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2017
    What are the goals? But really, it doesn't matter so long as you reach reasonable daily goals for protein and vegetables. For me, when I'm eating meat, the meat tends to provide more calories than the veg (although sometimes they are about equal and occasionally with a very lean meat, like shrimp, the vegetables could be more), but the veg take up a lot more room on the plate. (Other calories would be provided by fat and starches.)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    My advice is that neither of those suggestions are right or wrong. Both meat/protein and vegetables provide important nutrients for our bodies. The overall goal should be to reach our calorie and nutrient needs/goals. I usually think of my meat as the entree and veggies as the side dish but, volume-wise, my pile of veggies tends to be larger than my protein.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    I eat several pounds of each per day.

    I fail to see the problem with either.
  • bobby927
    bobby927 Posts: 12 Member
    Need both but go heavier on veggies. 60-40 split.
  • Rebecca0224
    Rebecca0224 Posts: 810 Member
    Your mother may not be getting adequate protein and that could be causing health issues but no one here can know why the doctor recommended that for her. My father's doctor said he needs to focus on getting as much protein as possible everyday because he has certain health problems.
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    I feel better eating veggies.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I eat low carb for health reasons so for me it would make more sense to eat more meat.

    You're going to get a lot of variation, and reasons for variation, on this one.
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