I need your ideas for more protein please!

naturallykat
naturallykat Posts: 118 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm quite a way off hitting my protein macros, on 40/30/30.

I need to eat dairy and gluten free, highish fibre and 2 tbsp ground flax seed per day. I've been having that soaked in almond milk for breakfasts, but I could do with adding more protein to that meal in particular. I have tried adding nut butters, nuts or seeds, but my fat macros are always high as it is (all be it in favour of unsaturated and decebt amounts of Omega 3s so not too worried about that)

Lunches tend to be home made vegetable soups or lentil/chickpea based meals.

Evening meals are salmon/chicken/tofu, home made sauce and veggies. I have already doubled the protein element of those.

Keen to avoid having to go the protein powder route if possible, as a dairy-free, no sugar and doesn't taste of awful artificial sweeteners version probably doesn't exist!

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    edited June 2022
    Here's a great post with all the foods listed on a chart in order of protein.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also/p1

    What are your macros? 40/30/30 ? What is the 40%?
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    Eggs? You could boil them and just eat one as well as your usual breakfast, or have it as a small snack later.
    You could have some quinoa with your lunch, have hummous with crudites, a couple of falafel.
  • PAPYRUS3
    PAPYRUS3 Posts: 13,259 Member
    Hi
    Sounds like you like a light breakfast. Chia seeds actually have a bit less fat than flax - lower in calories too lol! Perhaps mash some tofu into your breakfast 'soak', or just blend it into smoothies, etc., Maybe by incorporating a protein powder into a smoothie would make it taste better to you. I've heard SunWarrior is good tasting - they have a unsweetened one)

    Or switch it up and make a tofu scramble (around a 190 gram serving would give you around 14 grams of protein.
    Good luck🙂
  • naturallykat
    naturallykat Posts: 118 Member
    Thank you for the suggestions 😊

    CMriverside the 40 is carb - at least that's what I'm aiming for. I tend to end up 45/15/45, with the 20 being protein. Having spent years being afraid of fats I'm enjoying some coconut milk and olive oils, as well as nuts, and oily fish - perhaps too many right now, not really sure. As I'm very high BMI my daily calorie goal before exercise is 1700, and I'm easily eating to that and losing weight at a rate I'm very happy with. Thanks for the link, I'll take a look.

    Papyrus - thanks for the heads up on chia seeds. I'm actually having Flax for the phytoestrogens, which I don't think Chia seeds have as much of. Flax is really working well for me, so I'm looking to add to, not switch that. I will try making some tofu in, thanks!

    Little green parrot, funnily enough I've just boiled 3 eggs that needed using and had them with some soup - great minds think alike 😁
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Well, the default macros on this site are set by general health recommendations, and they are 50%C 30%F and 20%P

    I tend to eat higher on the fat and lower on the carbs, probably around 40C 40F 20P. I don't feel like I am lacking in any nutrients. There's no way I could (nor want to) hit 30% protein. 20% puts me at dead center in the middle of protein recommendations for my height, weight, and age.

    Here's a good calculator, with a bit more nuance than Myfitnesspal (possibly?)
    https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    I love beef jerky. Low calorie and high protein and ya get to gnaw it for a while.

    Every Sunday I grill a couple pounds of chicken with a simple seasoning. I chop it and use it during the week in wraps or salads. Chicken breast is great, tasty protein, and having extra around means if I get hangry, I can have a wrap in my mouth in less than a minute.

    It happens. 😇
  • Countandsubtract
    Countandsubtract Posts: 276 Member
    edited July 2022
    as a dairy-free, no sugar and doesn't taste of awful artificial sweeteners version probably doesn't exist!

    I haven't even found one that's free of articificial sweeteners, but if someone else has feel free to let me know, I'd love for there to be one out there.

    Original mini-can baked beans aren't terrible. (They are high-calorie though.)

    I guess there's a weight-based recommendation for the minimum amount of protein you need, if that's useful to you.

    I was suprised to find that I was supposedly getting plenty.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    Countandsubtract wrote: »
    as a dairy-free, no sugar and doesn't taste of awful artificial sweeteners version probably doesn't exist!

    I haven't even found one that's free of articificial sweeteners, but if someone else has feel free to let me know, I'd love for there to be one out there.

    Original mini-can baked beans aren't terrible. (They are high-calorie though.)

    I guess there's a weight-based recommendation for the minimum amount of protein you need, if that's useful to you.

    I was suprised to find that I was supposedly getting plenty.

    Yeah, dairy free, no sugar, no nasty artificial sweetener stuff doesn't exist.

    I'm lifting weights in a deficit, I need protein.

    I have now found plain protein powders (no flavor or sweetener) and I'm just making my own.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Well, the default macros on this site are set by general health recommendations, and they are 50%C 30%F and 20%P

    I tend to eat higher on the fat and lower on the carbs, probably around 40C 40F 20P. I don't feel like I am lacking in any nutrients. There's no way I could (nor want to) hit 30% protein. 20% puts me at dead center in the middle of protein recommendations for my height, weight, and age.

    Here's a good calculator, with a bit more nuance than Myfitnesspal (possibly?)
    https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

    Wow this guide puts me at 89g-133g, which is between just under 25% and just over 35% of my calories. So 30% sounds good for me.
  • Countandsubtract
    Countandsubtract Posts: 276 Member
    edited July 2022

    I'm lifting weights in a deficit, I need protein.
    Ouch!

    I have now found plain protein powders (no flavor or sweetener) and I'm just making my own.

    @ExistingFish
    Ooh! Ooh! Share? Where did you get it? What brand is it?
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    Countandsubtract wrote: »
    I'm lifting weights in a deficit, I need protein.
    Ouch!

    I have now found plain protein powders (no flavor or sweetener) and I'm just making my own.

    @ExistingFish
    Ooh! Ooh! Share? Where did you get it? What brand is it?

    Bulksuppements.com - I buy through Walmart.

    It certainly puts a damper on your ability to lift heavy, I haven't really progressed in weight on my compound lifts, just my accessories. I'm more lifting to prevent muscle loss and for the enjoyment, not expecting any gains.
  • Countandsubtract
    Countandsubtract Posts: 276 Member
    Wow. It really doesn't list anything else.

    Thanks :)
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    Check out Naked brand whey protein. It’s plain and unflavored.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    Check out Naked brand whey protein. It’s plain and unflavored.

    The OP is looking for dairy free protein, whey is dairy.
  • Countandsubtract
    Countandsubtract Posts: 276 Member
    It looks like the bulk supplement that someone mentioned has quite a variety that might fit. Beef protein maybe? I don't know if rice has gluten, so maybe not that one but there were a number of options there.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    naturallykat wrote: »
    I'm quite a way off hitting my protein macros, on 40/30/30.

    I need to eat dairy and gluten free, highish fibre and 2 tbsp ground flax seed per day. I've been having that soaked in almond milk for breakfasts, but I could do with adding more protein to that meal in particular. I have tried adding nut butters, nuts or seeds, but my fat macros are always high as it is (all be it in favour of unsaturated and decent amounts of Omega 3s so not too worried about that)

    Lunches tend to be home made vegetable soups or lentil/chickpea based meals.

    Evening meals are salmon/chicken/tofu, home made sauce and veggies. I have already doubled the protein element of those.

    Keen to avoid having to go the protein powder route if possible, as a dairy-free, no sugar and doesn't taste of awful artificial sweeteners version probably doesn't exist!

    Sounds like you've realized that nut butters, nuts, and seeds are a far better source of fat than protein, but I just wanted to highlight that.

    Until I got to your dinners, you were reading like you were vegan. Since you're not, consider adding fish or chicken to breakfast and lunch. This will give you the far biggest protein bang for your calorie buck.

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