More protein please
Replies
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The RDI is so low for protein to begin with I can't even imagine that your only getting 1/3 of that, so what do you mean by only getting 1/3. You say you won't eat fish, is that because of a problem you have with the smell, taste, texture kind of thing or is it that you don't consume protein from animals in general? Wanting to keep carbs down and considering your tags I suspect your lower carb and the alternative foods are mostly protein or fat, so it's not making much sense at this point.
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First of all: are you trying to reach a very high number?
I like this (evidence based) calculator to make sure your goal is reasonable:
https://examine.com/protein-intake-calculator/
I'm also not sure why you're specifying low carb protein options, those are the most evident usually, unless you're vegetarian?
There's a link to a spreadsheet here with a list of fois and their protein content:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also3 -
I started using the flavorless Vital Protein Collagen Powder which is great because you can add it to your coffee, soups, or sauces. I also get protein from eating chickpea pasta, lots of chicken, hard boiled eggs, lentils, beans, and cheese. Premiere protein shakes and Quest bars are good snacks, but in moderation.17
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amynicolewalters wrote: »I started using the flavorless Vital Protein Collagen Powder which is great because you can add it to your coffee, soups, or sauces. I also get protein from eating chickpea pasta, lots of chicken, hard boiled eggs, lentils, beans, and cheese. Premiere protein shakes and Quest bars are good snacks, but in moderation.
Thank you, that’s very helpful.2 -
I eat very high protein. (I’m very active.) I shoot for 170gr a day or more.
My diary is open.
One thing you’ll notice in my diary is a ton of cottage cheese, which is high protein. I add it to pancakes, smoothies, will make some homemade ice cream mix with it tonight. I also eat a bowl of it with frozen blueberries and balsamic vinegar nearly every day. It’s my very very favorite snack.
If I’m unusually low on protein, I make a smoothie of a bottle of chocolate Corepower, a serving of cottage cheese, some cocoa powder, and ice. That’s about 40 gr right there, and it’s delicious ans any milkshake and filling. A other recent go-to is an apple, ginger root, serving of cottage cheese, serving of vanilla protein powder (I like Nugo) and some ice, blasted into a spicy sweet high protein smoothie.
Beef Jerky (you can also get pork turkey or salmon jerkies) is a quick, low cal protein hit. I love beef jerky and have as hard a time regulating it as chocolate, though, so have to be careful opening a bag.
The ultimate protein source, though, is boneless skinless chicken breast. I pound it thin and cook it on a dry griddle with season salt. Or, dice and dry sauté it with a Taylor Farms stir fry, or toss it with onions and bell peppers. Throw some in a crockpot with taco seasoning and salsa, and lovely yummy high protein chicken tacos are ready by dinner time.
There are also very low cal high protein cuts of beef (top round, some sirloins) and pork (tenderloin, butts etc).
Get creative.
Tetris your food plan til you work enough protein in to your day. I typically log several days in advance to make sure I have protein organized and supplies on hand, and am constantly removing and substituting things I enjoy eating to make sure I hit my protein levels
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Thank you so much! I love cottage cheese so it sounds like I need to start adding it to more recipes. I also especially like the taco recipe. Mexican food is my favorite! I really appreciate you sharing your ideas with me 😁!springlering62 wrote: »I eat very high protein. (I’m very active.) I shoot for 170gr a day or more.
My diary is open.
One thing you’ll notice in my diary is a ton of cottage cheese, which is high protein. I add it to pancakes, smoothies, will make some homemade ice cream mix with it tonight. I also eat a bowl of it with frozen blueberries and balsamic vinegar nearly every day. It’s my very very favorite snack.
If I’m unusually low on protein, I make a smoothie of a bottle of chocolate Corepower, a serving of cottage cheese, some cocoa powder, and ice. That’s about 40 gr right there, and it’s delicious ans any milkshake and filling. A other recent go-to is an apple, ginger root, serving of cottage cheese, serving of vanilla protein powder (I like Nugo) and some ice, blasted into a spicy sweet high protein smoothie.
Beef Jerky (you can also get pork turkey or salmon jerkies) is a quick, low cal protein hit. I love beef jerky and have as hard a time regulating it as chocolate, though, so have to be careful opening a bag.
The ultimate protein source, though, is boneless skinless chicken breast. I pound it thin and cook it on a dry griddle with season salt. Or, dice and dry sauté it with a Taylor Farms stir fry, or toss it with onions and bell peppers. Throw some in a crockpot with taco seasoning and salsa, and lovely yummy high protein chicken tacos are ready by dinner time.
There are also very low cal high protein cuts of beef (top round, some sirloins) and pork (tenderloin, butts etc).
Get creative.
Tetris your food plan til you work enough protein in to your day. I typically log several days in advance to make sure I have protein organized and supplies on hand, and am constantly removing and substituting things I enjoy eating to make sure I hit my protein levels
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Another thing I like to do….
To make lasagna, get ground chicken, mix well with herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning, and let it sit in fridge a couple days to absorb spices. Brown it in a skillet with no oil. Ground chicken tends to clump, so I poke it with a spatula while it’s browning to dice it up.
Tastes just like Italian sausage at a fraction of the calories.
And if you’ve got the time, shred your own mozarella. The log style mozarella is about 20 or so calories less per serving than preshredded stuff, and it tastes MUCH better. Cheese is also great protein.
It’s kind of a shock when a lasagna recipe is thousands and thousands of calories but when you realize you might get 20 servings out of a pan, it’s much more reasonable. And great meal prep.
Freeze them and mark the freezer bag “1/10 recipe-2servings” so you’ll remember how many calories when copying over from saved meals or recipes.
The meals function is the bomb for saving recipes. You can adjust easier, copy a recipe for experimentation and do so much more than the regular “recipes” function.7 -
Using a protein supplement - protein powder or bars for example - may be helpful, even as a transition strategy while you work on amping up your protein intake from regular foods. If you choose to use a protein supplement (like a protein powder), choose one that is complete in essential amino acids (EAAs) and has good bioavailability. Collagen is much advertised, and can have some functional benefits IMU, but it's not a complete protein (lacks tryptophan). Whey protein is potentially a good choice if you eat dairy.
I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian, so I don't eat fish, either.
In addition to cottage cheese, I find plain nonfat Greek yogurt very helpful. I wmix it in my oatmeal, use it as a more protein-rich lower calorie sour cream substitute (such as on black bean soup or tostadas), use it to make "creamy" salad dressings by mixing in herbs/salt/pepper, and more.
Even if you don't like the texture, tofu can be blended into many things to increase protein (soups, pasta dishes, smoothies. etc.). Speaking of pasta, I prefer red lentil or other higher protein pasta when I eat some.
Another strategy to consider: In addition to making sure to get a major protein food in each meal, think about getting small additional amounts of protein from many other things you eat. The link kshama gave (the "get your protein's worth" thread) can help identify veggies with more protein, grains with more protein, etc. Many of those won't be complete (in essential amino acids), but varying sources through the day can compensate somewhat for that.
When you shop, read labels. Look for breads with more protein, snacks with more protein, etc. Review your food log here, notice things that have relatively many calories but little protein. Can you reduce portions/frequency of some of those, and add in some other foods you enjoy that contribute a bit of protein?
That kind of process helped me get my protein intake where I wanted it, as a vegetarian, when I reduced calories. An omnivore can use those same strategies, if desired.
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Those are some great suggestions, thank you.Using a protein supplement - protein powder or bars for example - may be helpful, even as a transition strategy while you work on amping up your protein intake from regular foods. If you choose to use a protein supplement (like a protein powder), choose one that is complete in essential amino acids (EAAs) and has good bioavailability. Collagen is much advertised, and can have some functional benefits IMU, but it's not a complete protein (lacks tryptophan). Whey protein is potentially a good choice if you eat dairy.
I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian, so I don't eat fish, either.
In addition to cottage cheese, I find plain nonfat Greek yogurt very helpful. I wmix it in my oatmeal, use it as a more protein-rich lower calorie sour cream substitute (such as on black bean soup or tostadas), use it to make "creamy" salad dressings by mixing in herbs/salt/pepper, and more.
Even if you don't like the texture, tofu can be blended into many things to increase protein (soups, pasta dishes, smoothies. etc.). Speaking of pasta, I prefer red lentil or other higher protein pasta when I eat some.
Another strategy to consider: In addition to making sure to get a major protein food in each meal, think about getting small additional amounts of protein from many other things you eat. The link kshama gave (the "get your protein's worth" thread) can help identify veggies with more protein, grains with more protein, etc. Many of those won't be complete (in essential amino acids), but varying sources through the day can compensate somewhat for that.
When you shop, read labels. Look for breads with more protein, snacks with more protein, etc. Review your food log here, notice things that have relatively many calories but little protein. Can you reduce portions/frequency of some of those, and add in some other foods you enjoy that contribute a bit of protein?
That kind of process helped me get my protein intake where I wanted it, as a vegetarian, when I reduced calories. An omnivore can use those same strategies, if desired.
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I add whey protein (plain, unflavored, unsweetened/etc.) to oatmeal, add it to bread dough (I bake most of our bread), embed it into sauces and such. Sometimes I switch off to pea protein for the oats; it's pretty mild flavored, but does cook up in a different texture than whey. I often use nutritional yeast. Plain yogurt and plain greek yogurt. Dairy of all sorts. I am frankly a cheesehead, that's one of my downfalls, LOL.
I became vegan for over a decade in the 1970s (my 20s) and followed the classic "combining" method to get all essential aminos through a variety of foods in combination, the classic being beans with grains (such as "rice and beans"). I didn't see beans mentioned in other comments except in tofu. "Beans" can include bean preparations such as hummus (not necessarily just from chickpeas) in various flavors and usages (hummus pasta sauce, hummus salad dressing, etc.). With Jan 1st 2024, I've downplayed my meat consumption, but still eat it. I love fish and all seafood, but am getting increasingly concerned with pollutants, so I am ratcheting it back as well. I call myself a plant-leaning full omnivore now.
I shoot for a somewhat-higher protein daily macro, assuming my more "mature" protein metabolism isn't as efficient as when I was younger, but not so high as to stress my kidneys with additional protein-filtering requirements.
Good luck with your approach. Getting enough protein in a typical first-world setting is usually not an issue, even searching through various alternative sources than simply chowing down on meat.
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Mjbnj0001's post reminds me that I forgot to mention flavoring ingredients that add a bit of protein: Nutritional yeast, miso, peanut butter powder (defatted) or almond butter powder.4
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If you are willing to eat meat, add that to your diet. It will not only provide protein, but the protein is far more complete and bio-available than protein from plants.1
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rileysowner wrote: »If you are willing to eat meat, add that to your diet. It will not only provide protein, but the protein is far more complete and bio-available than protein from plants.
I agree that people who are willing to eat meat can rely on that as an excellent protein source. IMO, omnivory is the easiest route to overall good nutrition . . . and I'm saying that as 50 years a vegetarian.
But there are plant sources of protein with PDCAAS and DIAAS scores plenty high enough to be adequate, even without complementing. Complementing - combining with foods high in EAAs the initial food is low in - improves the situation further.
For example, chicken breast has a PDCAAS of 1.00 and a DIAAS of 1.08 (noting that PDCAAS is truncated at 1.00 by definition). Soybeans are 1.00 and 0.996. Add some food with methionine and Cysteine and that improves (noting that the soybeans have some; it's just that those are the limiting EAAs).
Meat more complete and bioavailable? Yes. But "far more complete and bio-available" is an oversell IMO, unnecessarily scary.
People on plant based diets don't need to be fearful, just a little bit smart.3 -
People on plant based diets don't need to be fearful, just a little bit smart.
Exactly. I am fully omnivorous, but, especially these days, much more plant-forward than in the recent past. If you're reducing -- or eliminating -- meat and animal products such as dairy from your diet, then you surely need to be more mindful of eating to get a full set of nutrients. But they are there in the foods, and these days, unlike previous times, such as the 70s when I went vegan for about a decade - everything you need is pretty available.
One thing different about now versus then -- we were combining things at each meal to ensure a complete set of essential aminos was present at all times. Nowadays, the nutritionists say simply ensure that they are all well-repesented in your diet, not necessarily at each meal. Makes things a ton easier.
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Egg white omelettes with cottage cheese are low calorie , low carb,high protein and yummy. I add greens to mine. Perfect protein boost. I also eat a lot of cottage cheese, 0 Greek yogurt, and grilled chicken breast for protein.4
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Using a protein supplement - protein powder or bars for example - may be helpful, even as a transition strategy while you work on amping up your protein intake from regular foods. If you choose to use a protein supplement (like a protein powder), choose one that is complete in essential amino acids (EAAs) and has good bioavailability. Collagen is much advertised, and can have some functional benefits IMU, but it's not a complete protein (lacks tryptophan). Whey protein is potentially a good choice if you eat dairy.
I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian, so I don't eat fish, either.
In addition to cottage cheese, I find plain nonfat Greek yogurt very helpful. I wmix it in my oatmeal, use it as a more protein-rich lower calorie sour cream substitute (such as on black bean soup or tostadas), use it to make "creamy" salad dressings by mixing in herbs/salt/pepper, and more.
Even if you don't like the texture, tofu can be blended into many things to increase protein (soups, pasta dishes, smoothies. etc.). Speaking of pasta, I prefer red lentil or other higher protein pasta when I eat some.
Another strategy to consider: In addition to making sure to get a major protein food in each meal, think about getting small additional amounts of protein from many other things you eat. The link kshama gave (the "get your protein's worth" thread) can help identify veggies with more protein, grains with more protein, etc. Many of those won't be complete (in essential amino acids), but varying sources through the day can compensate somewhat for that.
When you shop, read labels. Look for breads with more protein, snacks with more protein, etc. Review your food log here, notice things that have relatively many calories but little protein. Can you reduce portions/frequency of some of those, and add in some other foods you enjoy that contribute a bit of protein?
That kind of process helped me get my protein intake where I wanted it, as a vegetarian, when I reduced calories. An omnivore can use those same strategies, if desired.
Collagen is much advertised, and can have some functional benefits IMU. - What does IMU mean?1 -
LoraHumphrey wrote: »Using a protein supplement - protein powder or bars for example - may be helpful, even as a transition strategy while you work on amping up your protein intake from regular foods. If you choose to use a protein supplement (like a protein powder), choose one that is complete in essential amino acids (EAAs) and has good bioavailability. Collagen is much advertised, and can have some functional benefits IMU, but it's not a complete protein (lacks tryptophan). Whey protein is potentially a good choice if you eat dairy.
I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian, so I don't eat fish, either.
In addition to cottage cheese, I find plain nonfat Greek yogurt very helpful. I wmix it in my oatmeal, use it as a more protein-rich lower calorie sour cream substitute (such as on black bean soup or tostadas), use it to make "creamy" salad dressings by mixing in herbs/salt/pepper, and more.
Even if you don't like the texture, tofu can be blended into many things to increase protein (soups, pasta dishes, smoothies. etc.). Speaking of pasta, I prefer red lentil or other higher protein pasta when I eat some.
Another strategy to consider: In addition to making sure to get a major protein food in each meal, think about getting small additional amounts of protein from many other things you eat. The link kshama gave (the "get your protein's worth" thread) can help identify veggies with more protein, grains with more protein, etc. Many of those won't be complete (in essential amino acids), but varying sources through the day can compensate somewhat for that.
When you shop, read labels. Look for breads with more protein, snacks with more protein, etc. Review your food log here, notice things that have relatively many calories but little protein. Can you reduce portions/frequency of some of those, and add in some other foods you enjoy that contribute a bit of protein?
That kind of process helped me get my protein intake where I wanted it, as a vegetarian, when I reduced calories. An omnivore can use those same strategies, if desired.
Collagen is much advertised, and can have some functional benefits IMU. - What does IMU mean?
"In My Understanding"
It's like IME = "In My Experience", IMO = "In My Opinion"
These are fairly common online abbreviations, oddly not in the link below, but in case it's helpful in the future, you can find a list of common abbreviations (including some specialized ones used on MFP) in the "Most Helpful Posts" area inside the "Getting Started" topic area of the MFP Community. Here's a direct link:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1069278/acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6/p10 -
Thank you so much! I love cottage cheese so it sounds like I need to start adding it to more recipes. I also especially like the taco recipe. Mexican food is my favorite! I really appreciate you sharing your ideas with me 😁!springlering62 wrote: »I eat very high protein. (I’m very active.) I shoot for 170gr a day or more.
My diary is open.
One thing you’ll notice in my diary is a ton of cottage cheese, which is high protein. I add it to pancakes, smoothies, will make some homemade ice cream mix with it tonight. I also eat a bowl of it with frozen blueberries and balsamic vinegar nearly every day. It’s my very very favorite snack.
If I’m unusually low on protein, I make a smoothie of a bottle of chocolate Corepower, a serving of cottage cheese, some cocoa powder, and ice. That’s about 40 gr right there, and it’s delicious ans any milkshake and filling. A other recent go-to is an apple, ginger root, serving of cottage cheese, serving of vanilla protein powder (I like Nugo) and some ice, blasted into a spicy sweet high protein smoothie.
Beef Jerky (you can also get pork turkey or salmon jerkies) is a quick, low cal protein hit. I love beef jerky and have as hard a time regulating it as chocolate, though, so have to be careful opening a bag.
The ultimate protein source, though, is boneless skinless chicken breast. I pound it thin and cook it on a dry griddle with season salt. Or, dice and dry sauté it with a Taylor Farms stir fry, or toss it with onions and bell peppers. Throw some in a crockpot with taco seasoning and salsa, and lovely yummy high protein chicken tacos are ready by dinner time.
There are also very low cal high protein cuts of beef (top round, some sirloins) and pork (tenderloin, butts etc).
Get creative.
Tetris your food plan til you work enough protein in to your day. I typically log several days in advance to make sure I have protein organized and supplies on hand, and am constantly removing and substituting things I enjoy eating to make sure I hit my protein levels
I started a tablespoon of cottage cheese to my scrambled eggs. Hubby has no clue why our scrambled eggs are lighter in texture. Makes breakfast boosted protein.1 -
Pumpkin seeds are high in protein and low in carbs as are chia seeds. I put them both in oatmeal and chia seeds in smoothies. Chia seeds are a wonder food and have tons of amino acids too. Chia seeds soak up lots of moisture so keep that in mind.3
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How about soybean hummus? They're the highest protein bean.
https://primalwellness.coach/2022/05/23/soybean-hummus/0 -
If you can stand yogurt, oikos has some decent ones that have up to 20 grams of protein.0
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You could also try seitan. It's high protein and low calorie, and pretty versatile in different recipes. I like to saute it with some vegetables and put it in a pita.
I also second greek yogurt!0 -
Premier protein has 30 grams of proteins and is 150 calories depending on what you mix it with.1
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HappyWalker16 wrote: »You could also try seitan. It's high protein and low calorie, and pretty versatile in different recipes. I like to saute it with some vegetables and put it in a pita.
I also second greek yogurt!
Low calorie? I'm getting 370 kcal/100gr, way more calories than low fat yogurt for example or eggs.
(But protein content is impressive though!)0 -
HappyWalker16 wrote: »You could also try seitan. It's high protein and low calorie, and pretty versatile in different recipes. I like to saute it with some vegetables and put it in a pita.
I also second greek yogurt!
I do like seitan, but I'd just point out that plain seitan is not a balanced complete protein (in essential amino acids, EAAs). Some brands of seitan have foods in their ingredient list that would tend to fill out the amino acid profile (with more lysine), however.
There's some variability in the research I've seen about its PDCAAS (Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score) of seitan, but it doesn't seem to be a world-beater in bioavailability to say the least. (Yes, PDCAAS has flaws, but it's one thing to consider when evaluating protein sources, especially plant protein sources. No, I'm not a carnivore. I'm a vegetarian.)
I hope people know that seitan is gluten, pretty much. (That's OK by me
, but I know some people are gluten sensitive or celiac.)HappyWalker16 wrote: »You could also try seitan. It's high protein and low calorie, and pretty versatile in different recipes. I like to saute it with some vegetables and put it in a pita.
I also second greek yogurt!
Low calorie? I'm getting 370 kcal/100gr, way more calories than low fat yogurt for example or eggs.
(But protein content is impressive though!)
Seitan protein efficiency (calorie "cost") varies a lot by recipe/brand, seems like. Yogurt can vary, too.
For myself, I find it helpful to look at the ratio of calories to protein grams, or the percent of calories from protein, to evaluate vegetarian sources (alongside EAA completeness and less well-pinned down bioavailability factors).
The plain nonfat Greek yogurt I usually eat (Kirkland from Costco) has 59 calories per 100 grams with 10.6 grams of protein. That's 5.57 calories (from all sources) per gram of protein, 72% of calories from protein.
I don't eat a lot of seitan, but the most common brand/type I've bought is Upton's Naturals traditional chunks, which USDA Food Central says is 158 calories per 100 grams with 31.6 grams of protein, 5 calories (from all sources) per gram of protein, 74% of calories from protein.
The yogurt's EAA complete, with a PDCAAS at or around 1 (highest). The seitan (in that brand) is not EAA complete, with a lower PDCAAS.
I don't know whether anyone else cares, but I use simple rules of thumb to evaluate vegetarian protein sources at the store, if I'm considering something new. For myself, I figure that if some individual food/ingredient has around 10 (or fewer) calories per gram of protein, it's an OK-ish vegetarian protein source as a standalone or ingredient. Evaluating a full dish/meal or the like, I figure 30 or fewer calories per gram of protein is reasonable at my calorie level. Bioavailability and EAA completeness matter, but I don't have quick rules of thumb for those for myself.
Yes, I'm a protein geek. I'm not ashamed.
If your head is spinning, feel free to ignore me. 1 -
My favorite high protein breakfast- 3 Eggs, 2 scoops whey protein, 200g pumpkin puree a bit of cinnamon and vanilla extract, mix them in a bowl and make mini waffles with them. This makes two servings (4 waffles) 293 calories, 6g fiber, 36g protein. Spread some greek yogurt on them for extra protein. Thaw and add some frozen berries. Super yummy, i eat them at least 4 times a week and it's easy to adjust the portions to min/max macros.
If you aren't into the pumkin spice flavor, you can mash up a banana instead but that adds more sugar to the mix2 -
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How many grams of protein are you aiming for each day? Do you eat eggs? Do you eat meat? I go over my protein allowance (MFP underestimates my protein needs) and I only eat 2 meals a day, both containing meat and/or eggs. Are you getting protein from protein shakes? That is inferior protein (especially plant protein) and doesn't generally give you enough per serving.
I hope you figure it all out! Best of luck!0 -
Thanks for posting this - so many great ideas shared!
One of my favorite summer salads is what I call a “spoon salad”. I pound and grill chicken breast, then chop up really finely (or you can use ground chicken, but I didn’t like the texture as much). Then I throw in any and all raw veggies like cabbage, kale, cauliflower, radish, whatever I have. Top off with some feta, balsamic glaze, and chopped almonds or maybe some sunflower seeds. Tons of good protein and flavor. And now after typing all that I’m hungry 🙃
Also I try to get a lot of protein at breakfast and lunch because I have the most control over those meals. Dinner is sometimes out or my kids gobble up all the meat at dinner so I like to make sure I can get a lot early in the day.0 -
If you do any meals that have bread or wraps you can substitute for the cottage cheese wrap.
1 cup cottage cheese
2 eggs
Blend it smooth.
Add seasonings that you want: garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper.
Add to a pan with parchment paper (i wrinkle it and the spray it with avacado spray).
Spread it out.
Cook at 350 for 20-30 minutes until sides are brown. Let cool.
37g of protein plus whatever meat you add.
I doubted the idea of this but tried it and love it.1
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