tips on increasing calories from protein.

NovemberJune
NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
I usually have about 50% of my calories from carbs, 30% from fat, and 20% from protein. often protein is more like 15-17% and the other 2 are up a couple of %s each. :(

i'd love some great tips on increasing my calories from protein. i eat meat but not a lot. i love black beans, and i eat nuts a few times per week. i also eat cheese almost everyday. i probably eat about 4 servings of meat per week. the rest of my meals are meat free with either beans or no good protein source.

tia

Replies

  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
    Other than lean meats and fish you have Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, String Cheese, Almonds then you are left with Protein Shakes, Powders and Bar.

    Best of Luck!
  • RTricia
    RTricia Posts: 720
    Acai Berry Protein powder mixed with water for a quick snack.
  • GrannyCynth
    GrannyCynth Posts: 34 Member
    Sorry this isn't a tip, it is a question. How did you add those statistics at the bottom of your page?
  • sonnyless
    sonnyless Posts: 142 Member
    I usually consume from 130-150 grams of protein daily, which is a lot!
    Try these food items:
    Boneless and skinless chicken breast,
    Protein shakes (1.5 or 2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed with skim milk and some type of fruit. Blend)
    Turkey burgers (put on whole wheat bread or bun)
    Talapia or salmon (tons of protein)
    Protein bars

    Best of luck! :)
  • catecn
    catecn Posts: 84
    from a veggie perspective, green beans and peas are very high in protien. yogurt, peanut butter, protien shakes. i actually sometimes use coco protien powder as hot chocolate mix. chick peas are pretty good, and they can be roasted and great for snacks and side dished
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    How about eggs...theyre a good all round little package of protein.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    Sorry this isn't a tip, it is a question. How did you add those statistics at the bottom of your page?

    where you add your siggy, like your ticker there, you can type in below that whatever you want, with length limits :) so if you click above where it says "signature"

    :)
  • veggiepug
    veggiepug Posts: 82
    I love Chobani greek yogurt. It has 14g of protein (althought a lot of sugar...). I also eat an egg pretty much every day. Either in an egg sandwhich for breakfast or a hard boiled egg as a snack.
  • myurav
    myurav Posts: 165 Member
    i've found that tuna is a great way to increase calories in an inexpensive way. add some light mayo and onions for tuna salad, or you can make a tuna melt wrap. there are also some high-protein wraps (can't remember what the name is) that you may be able to find at your grocery store.

    also, kashi go lean is a great source of protein and fiber for the morning.
  • ak_in_ak
    ak_in_ak Posts: 657 Member
    I have mine set to 40/30/30 and have a similar problem, I do best if I have eggs in the morning, yogurt as a snack, some type of protein with lunch, nuts as a PM snack and a light dinner with a protein shake after my work out. I would also try edamame beans. I get mine in the freezer section and heat them up and eat them plain. They are basically unprocessed soy beans. I would also say drink almond mill instead of milk, doesn't have the sugar or carbs. I have even heard of people freezing the chocolate type and make fudge pop type things.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    protein shakes!!
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
    lowfat cottage cheese and eggs (not at the same time, ew gross)
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    lowfat cottage cheese and eggs (not at the same time, ew gross)
    lol.. . i forgot about eggs! i have been trying to eat more of those. i was doing well for a couple of weeks then forgot about them again. but last weekend i made these 12 little cupcake quiche things with eggs/egg whites, mushrooms, and spinach. oh and cheese. i put half in the freezer and have been eating the others this week, can eat the freezer ones next week.

    i'll have to look into the protein shakes stuff....

    thanks all!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    LOL I just posted another topic about how to get more carbs because I'm always over on protein and under on carbs. I don't know how you stay under. I do eat nuts every day though. And usually some meat or fish.
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
    ...i'll have to look into the protein shakes stuff....

    thanks all!

    i'd avoid protein shakes. there are many better and cheaper ways to get protein into a diet.
  • ak_in_ak
    ak_in_ak Posts: 657 Member
    LOL I just posted another topic about how to get more carbs because I'm always over on protein and under on carbs. I don't know how you stay under. I do eat nuts every day though. And usually some meat or fish.

    it has to do with your settings, not everyone is given the same amounts and some have altered how much they want to eat.
  • andreacord
    andreacord Posts: 928
    Greek yogurt! In Canada (not sure where you are from OP, sorry) At extra and real foods and loblaws they have a store brand line called President's choice. Their yogurt has the most protein to date that I've seen.

    Stats are for 3/4 of a cup(Plain):
    Calories: 120
    Carbs: 12 g
    Sugars: 3 g
    Protein: 18 g

    Yeah, its a little sour but I add some stevia and a 1/4 cup of raspberries to make it taste better. Oh and protein powder in greek yogurt kind of tastes like pudding. :flowerforyou:
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    LOL I just posted another topic about how to get more carbs because I'm always over on protein and under on carbs. I don't know how you stay under. I do eat nuts every day though. And usually some meat or fish.

    well i usually was under on carbs based on the defaults, but my ipod app has the percentages of calories from protein/fat/carbs and the carbs was always higher than i wanted, about 50%. i want it to be more like 40% and my protein calories are usually only 15-20% and i want it more like 30% or more! :) i did just change my settings so my goals for those actually make more sense and it made my protein goal much higher which is exactly what i want! :)

    my protein goal is 140 now and carb 180 something, it was over 200 for carbs!
  • neela31
    neela31 Posts: 180 Member
    In order to get more protein in my life, I recently added lots of chicken (daily) and whey protein. I'll grill up 2 large breasts, cut it up, and portion it out into 3 - 4 servings. I will toss it on salads, put it in a wrap, make a sandwich, and my favorite thing to do is make a quesadilla.

    easy high protein quesadilla

    1 whole wheat tortilla (I use La Tortilla Factory 100 calories)
    2 laughing cow wedges
    3 - 4 oz of cut up chicken breast

    spread laughing cow cheese on tortilla
    top with chicken
    fold tortilla in half
    heat it on stove top, flipping occassionally, to taste.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    sorry everyone who suggested yogurt and cottage cheese---i hate them both :(
    my sons love yogurt but i hate it. blech! thanks though!
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    hey that's almost exactly what we had for dinner last night! only with low fat mozzarella, and with green bell peppers and onions :):) and with the 80 calorie la tortillas
    In order to get more protein in my life, I recently added lots of chicken (daily) and whey protein. I'll grill up 2 large breasts, cut it up, and portion it out into 3 - 4 servings. I will toss it on salads, put it in a wrap, make a sandwich, and my favorite thing to do is make a quesadilla.

    easy high protein quesadilla

    1 whole wheat tortilla (I use La Tortilla Factory 100 calories)
    2 laughing cow wedges
    3 - 4 oz of cut up chicken breast

    spread laughing cow cheese on tortilla
    top with chicken
    fold tortilla in half
    heat it on stove top, flipping occassionally, to taste.
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
    sorry everyone who suggested yogurt and cottage cheese---i hate them both :(
    my sons love yogurt but i hate it. blech! thanks though!

    there can be a huge taste difference among brands of cottage cheese, so you might want to shop around and find one that tastes best. i like to eat it with fruit mixed in, so you are really tasting the fruit more than anything else.

    if you can find a way not to hate it, i think a cup of cottage cheese has over 30 grams of protein...
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I also don't like yogurt or cottage cheese! It's a texture thing. Ew.

    I also need more protein. I feel like I eat a ton already but I'm always under.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    WOW!
    sorry everyone who suggested yogurt and cottage cheese---i hate them both :(
    my sons love yogurt but i hate it. blech! thanks though!

    there can be a huge taste difference among brands of cottage cheese, so you might want to shop around and find one that tastes best. i like to eat it with fruit mixed in, so you are really tasting the fruit more than anything else.

    if you can find a way not to hate it, i think a cup of cottage cheese has over 30 grams of protein...
  • thimli
    thimli Posts: 3 Member
    luna has a new protein bar and they are also
    Gluten Free
    12 g of protein, 3 g of fiber
    High in Calcium and Folic Acid
    Good Source of Iron and Vitamin D
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
    Since I'm also trying to get more protein in I'm going to keep following this thread. To those of you that don't like the yogurt, I like it but you might want to try mixing a scoop of vanilla whey protein powder with it and add some fruit. It's so yummy! I don't care for cottage cheese, I wonder if I could mix protein powder in with that to make it taste better?
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