High protein food without the hgh calorie

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Hi all

I'm on a 1500 cal a day intake which is fine & I always meet & sometimes go over, which is also fine but I can never seem to meet my protein goals.

My daily diet consists of mostly home made veg soup with some kind of meat or fish (grilled chicken, smoked mackerel fillets) & some oven roasted vegetables for lunch then evening meal is noodle soup & something else.

To say I struggle with eating meat apart from chicken is an understatement, I love fish, mackerel especially but it is very high calorie so am looking for lower calorie but higher protein foods that I can either incorporate into dinner or as snacks.

Any suggestion would be gratefully received.
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Replies

  • AbbyMRiley
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    I am on a 12-1500 calorie a day diet. Most of my food consists mainly of protein, moderate carbs, and fat. My fats mainly come from fish and yes, it is a higher calorie food. In order to get my protein in (I shoot for 70-85 grams daily) I have to incorporate a lower calorie, nutrient dense, protein shake. I also eat a lot of veggies with my higher fat proteins to help keep my calories in check. These are some proteins I incorporate often into my diet.

    Black Beans
    Eggs
    Tuna
    cottage cheese (lowfat)
    Turkey sausage
    Laura's Lean Beef meat
    Grilled chicken
    Protein shake (maybe after post work out especially) Low calorie, nutrient dense
    Try Tilapia instead of salmon
    Lower sodium boards head turkey.

    I am not a fan of soybeans, but they are lower calorie, too.
  • beccyleigh
    beccyleigh Posts: 847 Member
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    Thanks for your reply, I forgot about the protein shake, I don't eat breakfast so could add one in there, what do you put in your shake, do you add anything or just the powder & milk/water?
  • karinaes
    karinaes Posts: 570 Member
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    Thanks for your reply, I forgot about the protein shake, I don't eat breakfast so could add one in there, what do you put in your shake, do you add anything or just the powder & milk/water?
    i add berries and bananas to mine.. .sometimes nuts if need to bump my calories
  • Gemini_1980
    Gemini_1980 Posts: 349 Member
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    Protein shakes, nuts, greek yogurt are way that I sneek a little protein in for the day:bigsmile:
  • Luvmysixpack
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    Frigo light string cheese has 8 protein
    Tuna (whole can) has 22 proteins and 100 calories
    Greek Yogurt has about 12 proteins and you can get non fat
    Cottage cheese is 80 calories and it has 14 grams
    You could make BBQ chicken in the oven and it should have 23 or 24
    Kashi go lean has 13 grams

    hope that helps
  • EricMurano
    EricMurano Posts: 825 Member
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    I poach egg whites and have them as a snack with cracked salt and pepper. They don't taste good or bad at first, they're fairly neutral tasting. I've come to enjoy them. I've I'm having salad I'll add the whites to that.

    I eat 6 whites at a time and they cost you 100 calories but they have 22grams of protein.
  • MommyLyssa
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    eggs. 70 cals each, and 7 grams of protein. I will normally have two or three, along with a fruit for some potassium in the morning, and never struggle to meet my protein. I normally go over :) We have a meat with dinner, and that along with eggs- and other things that just naturally have it (I make my own wheat bread, and bump up the protein with gluten), etc. Good luck! :)
  • RoanneRed
    RoanneRed Posts: 429 Member
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    Omelet Muffins - This is the batch I'm currently eating, they made 12 and, of course, nutrient values would vary depending on what meat, etc. you use

    6 eggs
    Onions, Red - Raw, 0.25 cup
    Mushrooms - Raw, 1 large
    Vegetable - Capsicum, Red, 60 g
    Woolworths Australian Pork - Heart Smart Schnitzel, 60g
    Cal:49, Carbs:1, Fat: 3,Protein: 5,Fibre: 0,Sat Fat: 1

    I dice up the vegies and meat, stir up with some mixed herbs and spoon into the cupcake tray. Lightly beat up the eggs with some extra water and then poor over the other ingredients. I've been known to add some feta before cooking but could use cheddar. Cook at 180C for about 15 minutes - skewer comes out clean when cooked. I usually let them cool then put away in the fridge and they're there for quick snacks.
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
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    I usually have no problem hitting my protein goal for the day, my diary is openi feel free to have a look. I eat a lot of the same foods:
    whey protein
    eggs 2-3 whole per day 4-6 extra whites
    canned tuna
    chicken breast
    beans
    yoghurt (no greek available here, so just low fat version)
    fish
  • beccyleigh
    beccyleigh Posts: 847 Member
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    brilliant suggestions everyone, they are all going in my little book to keep on hand. And Roannered, the omlette muffins sounds great, will give them a try after Christmas.

    thanks all.
  • jipsybird
    jipsybird Posts: 878 Member
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    Another good one is plain, nonfat, greek yogurt. The one I have is Chobani, and for 8 oz there is 140 cal, with 23g protein (that is 46% for a 2k cal diet). Can easy stick a half cup in your morning/post workout smoothie. :)
  • AbbyMRiley
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    beccyleigh

    I use ice, water or unsweetened Coconut Milk, and Powdered Peanut Butter. I love PB and chocolate. Powdered Penaut butter has 45 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, and 5 grams of protein per 2 TBSP! So it is a good way to incorporate a little bit of protein, good flavor, and less calories.

    If I do a heavy lifting workout or intense exercise, I will put half of a banana in. But that is the protein shake I drink daily. :) And it is delish!
  • beccyleigh
    beccyleigh Posts: 847 Member
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    peanut butter, i love peanut butter. the whey powder i have is banana flavour so pb would go so well with it.

    keep em coming, i am getting so many great ideas.
  • Dammitviv
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    Quinoa is a good grain that is high in protein, you could try incorporating it occasionally to change things up a but.
  • gertrudegreen
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    If you are making your soup at home already, a cheap, low-cal and easy way to add protein is to add beans to it. I use dry bean mixes, available at all grocery stores - they usually contains about every bean you can think of (and more) from big fava beans down to lentils. Soak the beans in the fridge overnight (cover dry beans with about 1" of water) and throw them in the crock pot with diced tomatoes, carrots, onions and whatever else you want. Use two 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes for every 1 cup of dried beans.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    I eat a lot of egg, chicken, fish, and beans. Also, I've found low fat dairy products, like greek yogurt and low fat cheese then to have quite a bit of protein in them as well. I usually only eat meat at dinner, so the rest of my protein usually comes from lunch and a snack around three. I get some at breakfast too, but I usually have cereal or oatmeal, which is less protein packed, so it tends to be minimal.

    I also love nuts and nut butters, but they tend to be high in (healthy) fat, so you just have to make sure you have the calories budgeted for them.
  • AbbyMRiley
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    You can buy powdered peanut butter at Http://www.Bellplantation.com or I think some health food stores may have it. There is a location search to where they are sold at in retail stores.

    I also try to infuse protein into meals that may not typically have as much protein. For instance, if I am craving PANCAKES...

    I have a recipe for "Clean Eating" pancakes that taste so good.

    This recipe below is enough to serve 6. I divide this recipe into 1/3 and I get about 5-6 pancakes out of it.

    1 cup cup fat-free cottage cheese
    6 eggs
    1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I use almond flour)
    1/4 cup canola oil (I use olive oil)
    Pinch of salt
    Dash of vanilla extract
    1/4 cup milk (I use coconut milk)

    Nutritional information (per serving, approx. 3 cakes):

    Calories Fat Carbs Fiber Protein
    225 15 grams 9 grams 1.5 grams 13 grams
  • Nanadena
    Nanadena Posts: 739 Member
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    I hunt, so I have lots of high protein, very lean meats. I try to eat a lot more protein and low carbs. I always go over on protein and that is fine with me.
  • Curvy1taliana
    Curvy1taliana Posts: 371 Member
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    Beef/turkey/Buffalo jerky - preferably without MSG and nitrates (think Trader Joe's and Whole Foods brands)
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VErSXFGCZ7Legqi0bt5S-x2WR68sfKvqrcASf6hC7CI/edit?hl=en_US

    my recipes. Most of them have a fair amount of protein in them.