Need More Protein

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mariomaguilar3
mariomaguilar3 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've tracked my diet for a few days now and I've yet to come close to my daily protein intake recommendation. How do I get this up?? Protein shakes are popular but I don't want to rely on meal replacement shakes, they never make me feel or think as if I'm full. I also don't eat red meat, I hate the taste and there are also some ethical concerns I have. Helpful tips are welcome.

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  • gremloBBPT
    gremloBBPT Posts: 51 Member
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    Greek yogurt
    cheese sticks

    On days when I eat fish or chicken, I find it pretty easy to meet my protein. (But my goal's not that high.)

    I think it's helpful to use the flavors you love and incorporate them into high-protein snacks. For example, I like to mix Frank's hot sauce in ranch dressing. I dip leftover chicken breast that I slice into fajita-like strips into it. Sometimes I'll use guacamole instead for the dip, and at times I'll put plain Greek yogurt into both of those dips. Could also make egg salad with some Greek yogurt mixed in with the mayo. I've not done that last one before, but now I think I will, ha.

    If possible, you could also eat larger portions of your protein at meal times and cut back on a different macro.
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 498 Member
    edited January 2020
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    What is your protien goal, and is there a reason you have a specific protein goal? IE are you weightlifting and trying to put on muscle? If your only goal at this stage is to lose weight, then you are likely getting enough protein to fuel your body and I wouldn't worry too much about it. For weight loss, calories are king and as long as you are within your calories (again, unless you have a specific goal for muscle building/health reasons) you will lose weight.
  • gremloBBPT
    gremloBBPT Posts: 51 Member
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    I think protein helps reduce the amount of muscle that we lose while losing weight. There's a recommended amount to consume for that (x grams per pound or kilogram), but I don't recall offhand.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    mariomaguilar3 wrote: »
    I've tracked my diet for a few days now and I've yet to come close to my daily protein intake recommendation. How do I get this up?? Protein shakes are popular but I don't want to rely on meal replacement shakes, they never make me feel or think as if I'm full. I also don't eat red meat, I hate the taste and there are also some ethical concerns I have. Helpful tips are welcome.

    How many grams are you trying to get, and how short are you falling?

    Are you verifying the database entries you are choosing to log to make sure the numbers are correct?

    What are your goals?

    Non red meat/powder protein sources: chicken, turkey, pork, canned tuna, shrimp, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, soy products like tofu, burgers, crumbles
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    How much protein do you currently eat and how much are you targeting? What do you weigh and what do you want to weigh?

    Sometimes peoe really do need more protein. But other times, the protein goals are unrealistically high.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,055 Member
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    Agree with others that it'd be useful to know what your protein goal is. For me personally, 0.6-0.8g per pound** of healthy goal weight seemed fine (that equates to about 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass (LBM) for most people).

    If you need more than you're getting, and prefer something other than protein powder/bars/red meat, this thread is a great resource:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

    It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods in order by protein efficiency, i.e., most protein for fewest calories. Just skip past the red meat, find things on the list that meet your needs, and eat more of those, less of something else that's less important to you.

    Best wishes!

    ** Yes, I do mean pound, not kilogram. Yes, it's more than USDA or WHO recommend as minimums for the average person to avoid undernutrition. Reference: https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/

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