Very high protein foods?
yuko0407
Posts: 67 Member
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that there is a general consensus to state that the minimum amount of proteins should be around 0.8 g per pound of (eventually goal) bodyweight. This brings me to 100-105 g.
It turns out that it is really a lot for me! I'm happy when I reach 80 g, but most of the time I turn around 50-60 g. I eat meat, fish, eggs, diary, but apparently it isn't enough. I've digestive issues with lentils, beans & Co, so they are not an option (unless in limited quantity, but this won't help much
). And I hate, really hate chicken breast...
Ideas? Should I consider protein shakes? I've bought some protein bars, but surprisingly they have 6.8 g protein and 16 g carb
!! Any tip to increase my protein intake?
It turns out that it is really a lot for me! I'm happy when I reach 80 g, but most of the time I turn around 50-60 g. I eat meat, fish, eggs, diary, but apparently it isn't enough. I've digestive issues with lentils, beans & Co, so they are not an option (unless in limited quantity, but this won't help much
). And I hate, really hate chicken breast...Ideas? Should I consider protein shakes? I've bought some protein bars, but surprisingly they have 6.8 g protein and 16 g carb
!! Any tip to increase my protein intake? 0
Replies
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Is it pound or kilogram?1
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It's per pound of lean mass or (for most people) per kilo of body weight.
Review what you're eating. Are you eating a lot of added fats? If so, drop them and eat more meat/fish/eggs. It should be fairly doable to get your protein and close to your fat amounts just from meats. If you're doing something like bulletproof coffee in the morning, consider swapping that out for something with more protein.
Are your protein sources very fatty? If so, swap some of them out for leaner ones (if you still need to after dropping the added fats). Tuna is a good source of lean protein. Chicken breast can still be an option if you know how to cook it right (check the recipes in the Launch Pad for options). Turkey is another good option, as is venison. I'm not a fan of fat free/low fat yogurt, but a plain version might be an option, too.
If all else fails, pick up a high quality protein powder. I'm a fan of Ancient Nutrition's bone broth protein powders. Jay Robb and Primal Nutrition make good ones, too. I recommend mixing them with milk or into a smoothie.0 -
Eat more meat? Beef and pork if you don't like chicken. Personally I favor chicken thighs over breast any day. Eggs are actually more fat than protein (based on calories) so that's not really a high protein food, maybe replace the eggs with steak or pork chops?
As for protein shakes, I like Sun Warrior - if I remember right they are about 20g protein and 3g carbs and the chocolate tastes good hot or cold. But it's a vegan protein, so not sure if it will touch off your bean issues, you might want to read the label.0 -
https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrient-ranking-tool.php?nutrient=Protein&foodgroup=All&sortby=Highest&servsize=Common&list=Simple&spices=No
I love chicken quarters(thigh+leg), pork tenderloin, most beef steaks, ground beef, eggs(tons of eggs), mackerel, sardines, herring, clams, oysters, yogurt, kefir, tuna, salmon, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, almond butter, and peanut butter for my protein. I'm mostly meat based but I do eat some plant foods.0 -
I have become higher protein than most because 1) it has had a better effect on my BG, 2) it is more satiating, 3) there are far more micronutrients in proteins than in fats and 4) it seems to happen naturally when not adding fat just for the sake of adding fat.
That said, eating things like mackerel (which I was surprised to find out I really like - especially the tins packed in EVOO), salmon and other seafood will drive up both protein and very important micronutrients as will grass fed beef (tends to be leaner) and incorporating liver into some dishes.
The liver part required a bit more work, but I found chicken liver does not have the really strong flavor (and is ridiculously cheap) and calf liver has much less of the flavor of beef. Either way, making things that take ground beef and replacing a small amount of it with liver and a small amount of it with bacon makes it more than acceptable in terms of taste. The bacon adds a bit more fat, but that is counterbalanced by the other two.
If you are trying to lose weight, you do not not need to eat nearly as much fat because part of your fat macro is coming from your body.
I am no longer trying to lose weight, but eating higher protein and adding in some very fibrous/nutritious veggies (i.e. spinach, celery, zucchini, broccoli, etc.) 5 days a week I found I was losing weight while being stuffed, so I now add in more fat over the weekends to help me keep from losing weight unintentionally.
I assume, based on the low number of posts and that you are part of this group, you are eating keto or at least very low carb but are also fairly new at it. If that is the case, overloading fat (i.e. fat bombs, bullet proof coffee, etc.) seems to be the most common reason for not getting the desired weight loss goals and the primary hindrance to getting enough protein.0 -
Just clarifying as the normal recs are 0.8/kg which is a very different calculation than per pound.1
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My own goal is a g of protein per pound of lean body weight. I find this pretty easy to do. My fats are lower than most. I had bacon, eggs, leftover pork, tilapia, cheese sticks, a chicken leg quarter and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter as protein sources today. I have never used powders.
I am very fond of tinned fish, and usually (but not today) will have salmon, mackerel, and/or sardines at some point in the day. Sometimes I eat tinned tuna.
I find the protein very satisfying, and my BG is good eating this way. I am T2D completely off meds with an A1C in the normal range. I was eating this way to lose weight too, but I have stuck with it just because I like it, and my BG is nicely controlled with this WOE.
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I typically get about 120g of protein a day.
I favor 90/10 ground beef, tuna, sardines, chicken, shrimp and such.
About 90% of what I eat is beef though.1 -
Thank you all for the suggestions!
Very insightful!
@Dragonwolf Yes, you're right, my protein sources are indeed quite fatty, I'll change this.cstehansen wrote: »If you are trying to lose weight, you do not not need to eat nearly as much fat because part of your fat macro is coming from your body.
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I assume, based on the low number of posts and that you are part of this group, you are eating keto or at least very low carb but are also fairly new at it. If that is the case, overloading fat (i.e. fat bombs, bullet proof coffee, etc.) seems to be the most common reason for not getting the desired weight loss goals and the primary hindrance to getting enough protein.
I'm not keto, I'd say I'm moderate carb (lower than 100 g) and I don't load pourposely on fat, but it's true that I tend to choose the fattier options for meat and fish (personal taste, mostly). My weight loss is fine, actually (hope that it keeps going
), I was wondering about your bold point, indeed.
@dulcitonia OK, now I'm confused... I've often read 0.8-1.2 g per pound BW, eventually per pound of goal BW.
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I was just referring to the standard recommended daily allowance or daily reference intakes. We all on here know that everyone doesn’t fit in those boxes when it comes to our own needs.. and maybe those references should be adjusted. So maybe your references are better suited for your needs. I only mentioned it because I have often been guilty of not converting my measurements.
FYI if I put my info into the DRI calculator it tells me I need to be eating over 300carbs a day 😳0 -
For protein, I've found that about 100g seems to be a good starting point for pretty much everyone. Very active people usually need to go a bit higher, and of course people adjust from there, but as a basic rule of thumb, it seems to work for beginners.2
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dulcitonia wrote: »Just clarifying as the normal recs are 0.8/kg which is a very different calculation than per pound.
The 0.8 gram of protein per pound of weight is for seniors that want to stay active without falling I was reading this week. I was not eating that much so now I am trying harder. Walking backwards makes it easier to fall but neither do I want to come up with Alzheimers either.
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😆 I bet there are some I teresing risk ratios there1
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Keep in mind that no matter which measure you decide applies to you that it is a MINIMUM recommendation not a maximum.
It’s saying to be sure to get that much. More is also okay.
I agree with @Dragonwolf that 100g is a good overall goal. It gives a little leeway so if you get close, you’re ok and if you go over, that’s fine too.0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Keep in mind that no matter which measure you decide applies to you that it is a MINIMUM recommendation not a maximum.
It’s saying to be sure to get that much. More is also okay.
I agree with @Dragonwolf that 100g is a good overall goal. It gives a little leeway so if you get close, you’re ok and if you go over, that’s fine too.
Fine then, thank you. With 0.8 g per pound of goal BW, my intake comes out about 100-105 g, just as you and @Dragonwolf advise (I'm a 51 yo woman, not very active). Thanks folk.1 -
Thank you all for the suggestions! Very insightful!
@Dragonwolf Yes, you're right, my protein sources are indeed quite fatty, I'll change this.cstehansen wrote: »If you are trying to lose weight, you do not not need to eat nearly as much fat because part of your fat macro is coming from your body.
...
I assume, based on the low number of posts and that you are part of this group, you are eating keto or at least very low carb but are also fairly new at it. If that is the case, overloading fat (i.e. fat bombs, bullet proof coffee, etc.) seems to be the most common reason for not getting the desired weight loss goals and the primary hindrance to getting enough protein.
I'm not keto, I'd say I'm moderate carb (lower than 100 g) and I don't load pourposely on fat, but it's true that I tend to choose the fattier options for meat and fish (personal taste, mostly). My weight loss is fine, actually (hope that it keeps going ), I was wondering about your bold point, indeed.
@dulcitonia OK, now I'm confused... I've often read 0.8-1.2 g per pound BW, eventually per pound of goal BW.
That portion of my response that you had in bold was referring to the fact that if you are losing weight, your body would be burning fat from your body. If one is maintaining weight, then one would be eating a bit more fat. Dr. Phinney has a great illustration of that. I did not save it, and can't seem to find it. Basically, it showed that if 70% of your calories come from fat, and that amounted to 100 g of fat a day, but you were in the process of losing weight, then only eating 50 g may be appropriate as the other 50 g of fat your body is burning would come from your adipose. Therefore, the percentage of calories for fat in the diet would be less than 70%. Hope that makes sense.1 -
I think this is the graphic he’s talking about
Or this one
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Something else I was just reading is this from Low Carb USA.
It’s meant to be a clinical guide to following a low carb diet for therapeutic purposes designed by the leaders in the LC world.
http://www.lowcarbusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Clinical-Guidelines-Carbohydrate-Reduction-General-Intervention-v1.0.pdf
In it, you can see from this screenshot that the RDI for protein is inadequate overall and especially so for low carb diets. Going by RDI, a 130 pound person would only require 47g of protein a day. They actually recommend 118g protein according to this.
Hopefully this helps clarify things.
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I think this is the graphic he’s talking about
Or this one
That is the one!1
