Getting enough protein

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kjp3553
kjp3553 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’m a college student and a pescatarian (like a vegetarian who also eats fish), and my roommate is deathly allergic to nuts, so obviously there are some budget and diet constraints on what I eat. Since starting with this app, I’ve noticed that I struggle to get enough protein every day. Due to the aforementioned constraints, most of the protein I get comes from sources that are also high in fats. Does anyone have any pescatarian, nut-free, budget friendly suggestions for increasing my protein intake without increasing my fat intake?

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  • Hollis100
    Hollis100 Posts: 1,408 Member
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    Legumes and beans are inexpensive and have good protein. Dry lentils are about $1.00 a bag and easy to cook -- boil until soft and stir fry with basically any vegetables you have on hand. Lentils have about 18 grams of protein in one cup. Or you can buy canned lentils (or any beans), but if you go that route, I suggest rinsing them first because canned food has a lot of sodium.

    The 2% plain Fage Greek yogurt has 20 grams of protein in a 7 ounce container. I like plain yogurt and add fruit like blueberries or sliced apple instead of sugar. Where I live, the yogurt costs $1.59 per container. It's cheaper if you buy larger sizes.
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
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    Greek Yogurt
    Egg Whites
    Jerky
    Turkey Slices
    Tuna
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Morningstar Farms fake chicken strips. As tacos.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    kjp3553 wrote: »
    I’m a college student and a pescatarian (like a vegetarian who also eats fish), and my roommate is deathly allergic to nuts, so obviously there are some budget and diet constraints on what I eat. Since starting with this app, I’ve noticed that I struggle to get enough protein every day. Due to the aforementioned constraints, most of the protein I get comes from sources that are also high in fats. Does anyone have any pescatarian, nut-free, budget friendly suggestions for increasing my protein intake without increasing my fat intake?

    Greek yogurt
    canned tuna
    faux meats
    tofu
    legumes and lentils
    eggs/egg whites
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
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    I'm also a pescatarian. My diary is open to friends if you want to send me a request.

    I highly recommend tempeh for not very expensive protein. It can be pan fried or baked a little. I like to pan fry in a small amount of oil and some lite soy sauce. Use for sandwiches or stir fry or to replace beef or chicken strips in recipes.

    Also, TVP. Great in chili, pasta sauce, or soup. Also good for replacing ground in tacos, hamburger helper, or sloppy joes. The smell is a little odd when you first reconstitute it, but that's short-lived.

    Greek yogurt is one of my big ones, too. I use 0% and mix some combo of berries, seeds, granola or cereal, and cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamon.

    I did end up buying protein powder which I use nearly every day, either in smoothies, mixed in oatmeal, or just shaken in a milk. It seems expensive, but lasts a long time.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    kjp3553 wrote: »
    I’m a college student and a pescatarian (like a vegetarian who also eats fish), and my roommate is deathly allergic to nuts, so obviously there are some budget and diet constraints on what I eat. Since starting with this app, I’ve noticed that I struggle to get enough protein every day. Due to the aforementioned constraints, most of the protein I get comes from sources that are also high in fats. Does anyone have any pescatarian, nut-free, budget friendly suggestions for increasing my protein intake without increasing my fat intake?

    Nuts aren't a great source of protein anyway - they are better as a fat source :)

    Fish will be your most protein-dense source of protein. Are you eating at least one serving per day?

    Where I live, canned salmon is more economical than canned tuna.

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