How to get more protein?

isaott
isaott Posts: 28 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For numerous reasons, I want to up my protein intake, but I'm struggling to figure out how. I'm not a big fan of meat and can't do red meat, but beans/pulses are also an issue. I've been eating a lot of eggs and tuna recently and I'm so bored with it!
Any magic tricks out there?

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    isaott wrote: »
    For numerous reasons, I want to up my protein intake, but I'm struggling to figure out how. I'm not a big fan of meat and can't do red meat, but beans/pulses are also an issue. I've been eating a lot of eggs and tuna recently and I'm so bored with it!
    Any magic tricks out there?

    Try other kinds of fish, try shrimp.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,220 Member
    Consider some of the other sources in the spreadsheet linked to this thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also
  • dabarnes64
    dabarnes64 Posts: 1 Member
    I don’t eat red meat either. Here are some of my favorites - for breakfast I make a batch of Kodiak cakes waffles (I use the mix and add eggs and milk to increase protein), I have a waffle with Icelandic skyr or Greek yogurt which has more protein and fresh fruit. I find that the more fish I can eat the easier the weight comes off, I try to have salmon once or twice a week, I normally just add some spice and cook on the stovetop so it forms a crisp, I also like cod and haddock, which I add a little Panko to and cook in the oven. I like cilantro shrimp from Costco. Cottage cheese is also a good protein source. I often have cottage cheese and a small veg burger for lunch with salad
  • Sammi_x_
    Sammi_x_ Posts: 52 Member
    I add the odd Protein bar or Aldi do protein puddings/yoghurts. They always work a treat :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    isaott wrote: »
    For numerous reasons, I want to up my protein intake, but I'm struggling to figure out how. I'm not a big fan of meat and can't do red meat, but beans/pulses are also an issue. I've been eating a lot of eggs and tuna recently and I'm so bored with it!
    Any magic tricks out there?

    Are you referring to canned/tinned tuna? I just have one recipe for that which is low/moderate calories, and it contains beans, but here it is anyway: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/white_bean_and_tuna_salad/

    Here's one I bookmarked but never tried: https://www.bumblebee.com/recipes/lemon-pepper-tuna-and-asparagus-penne/ With a non-stick pan, you can reduce the olive oil considerably. Lots of other recipes on that site.

    Oh, I used to make this regularly until I moved in with my partner, who won't eat it: https://www.suppersanity.com/tuna-kale-pasta/

    I never get tired of chicken, because I have a ridiculous amount of spices and get inspiration from many different cuisines. You could do the same with canned and fresh tuna, and other types of fish.

    For egg inspiration, look for ovo-vegetarian recipes, with or without dairy. (With = lacto-ovo vegetarian.) My first thought was for you to see if your library has any Moosewood cookbooks. Here's a review of the 2017 "The Moosewood Restaurant Table," which talks a lot about the first one, a cookbook I've had for decades.

    https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-moosewood-made

    ...The original Moosewood cookbook, written by former collective member Mollie Katzen and published in 1974, is a culinary bible of sorts for a generation of diehard and flirting-with-it vegetarians. It remains one of the best-selling cookbooks of all time, selling upwards of 20,000 copies each year. With its distinctively homespun, illustrated, decidedly of-its-era aesthetic, the book introduced American cooks to ingredients you can find in nearly every grocery store today: tahini, tamari, whole grains. (It was also notably heavy on the cheese and butter, a practice that’s lessened dramatically with each successive cookbook).

  • Spammyamfa
    Spammyamfa Posts: 14 Member
    I dont eat meat and have a huge amount of limitations on what I can eat due to health. Basically I can't eat anything with a barcode. That being said I always tried to add a tin of tuna to almost every I eat as this is a huge chunk.
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,067 Member
    cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, protein powder, protein bars, protein chips, quinoa (not as high in protein as the rest, but still has complete protein).
  • laridz
    laridz Posts: 2 Member
    I have a fruit and/or veggie smoothie (rotating flavours to avoid boredom) for breakfast almost every morning and add some protein powder. I hate the protein powder taste you get with many types, but have found that rice protein powder is barely noticeable (especially with a bit of milk, yogurt or dairy alternative). I like this one: https://northcoastnaturals.ca/products/raw-brown-rice-protein

    Also, if you want to add some variety to your eggs, these are amazing, and I just omit much of the sweetener when watching calories: https://seonkyounglongest.com/mayak-eggs/
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    I like to put Collagen Protein in my coffee in the morning to jump start my day with 20g of protein. My goal is 135g per day, so this is a big help. I do eat red meat, but only a couple times a week, max. I eat a lot of fish, chicken, pork, dairy like cottage cheese and greek yogurt. You could also do things like adding egg whites to oatmeal, subbing plain greek yogurt into recipes, etc.
  • LarryLorenz
    LarryLorenz Posts: 54 Member
    Like other have said protein bars or powder but always check the sugar contents. A lot of protein bars add sugar to try and mask the powdery chalky taste. Also peanut butter is a good snack but it’s also high in calories.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,220 Member
    Be a bit cautious about protein supplements: They can be a great help, but you ideally want ones that are complete proteins (have all the essential amino acids (EEAs), ideally in reasonable proportions) and are quite bioavailable. BCAAs per se are not complete proteins. Collagen per se is not a complete protein. Some powders/bars are higher quality in EAA and bioavailability than others.

    The thread I recommended earlier has some data about completeness/bioavailability, but you may need to look a little deeper to get full information. I'm not going to try to give specific food advice, because the range of foods I eat is different from what you're mentioning as your tastes, but EAA completeness and bioavailability are issues I need to think about as a vegetarian.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,224 Member
    Talapia is a good change from other sources. Close to chicken breast in protein and calories. Fish tacos!
  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
    Cheese? Nuts? I don't know if there's a meat and eggs meal and that goes well with cheese or nuts.

    Some old grains -- quinoa and spelt.


  • Brigit02
    Brigit02 Posts: 130 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    isaott wrote: »
    For numerous reasons, I want to up my protein intake, but I'm struggling to figure out how. I'm not a big fan of meat and can't do red meat, but beans/pulses are also an issue. I've been eating a lot of eggs and tuna recently and I'm so bored with it!
    Any magic tricks out there?

    Are you referring to canned/tinned tuna? I just have one recipe for that which is low/moderate calories, and it contains beans, but here it is anyway: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/white_bean_and_tuna_salad/

    Here's one I bookmarked but never tried: https://www.bumblebee.com/recipes/lemon-pepper-tuna-and-asparagus-penne/ With a non-stick pan, you can reduce the olive oil considerably. Lots of other recipes on that site.

    Oh, I used to make this regularly until I moved in with my partner, who won't eat it: https://www.suppersanity.com/tuna-kale-pasta/

    I never get tired of chicken, because I have a ridiculous amount of spices and get inspiration from many different cuisines. You could do the same with canned and fresh tuna, and other types of fish.

    For egg inspiration, look for ovo-vegetarian recipes, with or without dairy. (With = lacto-ovo vegetarian.) My first thought was for you to see if your library has any Moosewood cookbooks. Here's a review of the 2017 "The Moosewood Restaurant Table," which talks a lot about the first one, a cookbook I've had for decades.

    https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-moosewood-made

    ...The original Moosewood cookbook, written by former collective member Mollie Katzen and published in 1974, is a culinary bible of sorts for a generation of diehard and flirting-with-it vegetarians. It remains one of the best-selling cookbooks of all time, selling upwards of 20,000 copies each year. With its distinctively homespun, illustrated, decidedly of-its-era aesthetic, the book introduced American cooks to ingredients you can find in nearly every grocery store today: tahini, tamari, whole grains. (It was also notably heavy on the cheese and butter, a practice that’s lessened dramatically with each successive cookbook).

    Thanks for the info! I also don't get enough protein. I used Orgain protein power in the past but I'm not crazy about it.
  • kmbtrigger24
    kmbtrigger24 Posts: 11 Member
    edited July 2023
    I also am trying to get about 140gms of protein a day, it can be challenging. Right now I have been on an egg white kick in the morning. Greek yogurt, salmon, chicken breast, tuna, eggs, beef jerky, and cottage cheese are musts. I have been a big fan of collagen in my morning coffee for a long time. Collagen protein is definitely not the same as whey isolate but it does still fill you up and is satiating.

    What I am finding is you have to meal prep or at least plan in advance and keep you pantry and more importantly your fridge stocked!!

    If anyone wants to friend me please feel free. I post pictures of food, recipes, and my progress. This is an amazing community!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    kmbtrigger24 wrote: »
    I also am trying to get about 140gms of protein a day, it can be challenging. Right now I have been on an egg white kick in the morning. Greek yogurt, salmon, chicken breast, tuna, eggs, beef jerky, and cottage cheese are musts. I have been a big fan of collagen in my morning coffee for a long time. Collagen protein is definitely not the same as whey isolate but it does still fill you up and is satiating.

    What I am finding is you have to meal prep or at least plan in advance and keep you pantry and more importantly your fridge stocked!!

    If anyone wants to friend me please feel free. I post pictures of food, recipes, and my progress. This is an amazing community!

    140 g protein/day seems high, but might not be, depending on your height, weight, and activity level. Where did you get that goal? We often see posts from people with unnecessarily high goals that they got from a trainer.

    Here's a reputable protein calculator:

    https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/

    I shoot for 500 calories of exercise per day, and when I achieve that, using the MFP default of 20% protein aligns with the protein grams recommendation from Examine. If I were completely sedentary, I'd need to bump it up to 30%.
  • BevTony
    BevTony Posts: 3 Member
    I have fallen in love with making chaffels. Eggs and cheese plus whatever else you want. Love them! Plus, I eat 5-6 small meals a day. I make sure at least one of those meals is a protein drink. My current fave is Premier Protein (powder) with 2% milk and a favored extract. Very satisfying.
  • kmbtrigger24
    kmbtrigger24 Posts: 11 Member
    I came up with that over time of what works best to help my hunger and satitiaty. I am trying to decrease fat and increase muscle while in a small calorie deficit. I will slowly be decreasing my protein but right now that is where I am at. Basically 1gm per pound of goal body weight.

    I did try using the link you provided and it did not let me change anything or input anything.

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