More protein please

If you can stand yogurt, oikos has some decent ones that have up to 20 grams of protein.

Premier protein has 30 grams of proteins and is 150 calories depending on what you mix it with.

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.)

Lietchi wrote: »

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.

th8835 wrote: »

Pumpkin seeds are high in protein and low in carbs.

Unfortunately, pumpkin seeds (and some cottage cheeses) are high in fat too so that's not always an option if you're going strictly for high protein.

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.

My target is over 200g protein a day. P- 36% C-39% Fat 25%. Personally I'm not worried about low carb because I go to the gym 5-6 days a week. To hit my protein targets, I use protein powder 1-2x per day, sometimes up to 4x. Most of my meat is chicken breast, turkey breast, ground chicken or turkey, extra lean ground beef and pork tenderloin. If I'm having eggs, I'll always add egg whites as well (275g is 124c with 27.5g of protein). Unflavored 0% Greek yogurt is the GOAT. Look for the high protein stuff that has 19g per serving. I always buy whole grain bread, wraps and pasta and I always check to check the nutritional labels for the ones with the highest amount of protein and fiber. Cheese is also high protein so as long as it works in your calories, allow yourself some cheese. For veggies, peas and beans are great sources (edamame beans are my favorite). Spinach is also super high in protein for a veggie. Just cook it down so it seems like you're eating a lot less of it. One of the biggest things I learned was making sure you're getting enough calories otherwise you will struggle hitting your protein goals. I had my calorie goal way too low and was struggling to get enough protein. Once I increased it by a few hundred calories a day, not only was it easier to increase my protein, I wasn't as hungry and I had way more energy for the gym. And I'm still losing body fat.

I have been deliberately cutting back on meat consumption, but wanted to supplement my protein intake. I tried the Protality shakes, which have 30 grams of protein. They are pricy, so I tried the Walmart Equate version. Same amount of protein, but a lot cheaper. I like getting about half a day's recommended protein in one shake.