Quote:
Originally Posted by GonnaLooseitagain
is there any food/type of food I can eat to help? I know I am not getting enough protein, only like 30-40g per day and I should be getting 80g or better, so that is why I ordered the protein powder. But is there something else?
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As a former vegetarian, adding protein was difficult for me. I added salmon and turkey to my diet. I try to eat protein with every meal/snack and I usually eat: low fat yogurt (preferably organic, without high fructose corn syrup, I try to buy plain and add my own fruit), low fat string cheese, measured portion of nuts (especially almonds), tofu, eggs (egg whites and egg beaters), peanut butter (this is also a good source of healthy fat, I just have to measure it
), beans/legumes/pulses. I eat a ton of beans, especially black beans and lentils. I also love chickpeas! I make a great hummus dip (recipe below) which I like to eat with sugar snap peas (protein!) and baby carrots. I also cook a lot with that imitation crab stuff (it's actually fish). I make a great pasta sauce with it and a great quesadilla!
Of course, if you eat more meat than I do that opens up a lot of other good protein choices (chicken, beef, pork, etc).
As far as other foods you should be eating - it's hard to know what foods to suggest when I don't know what foods you are eating now. I concentrate on whole foods and avoid all packaged/process foods (or as much as I can). Whole foods definitely helped me to lose weight. I am very picky about food now - I pick out brightly colored produce and try to eat a wide variety every day (at least 5 servings). When I buy bread, it has to have at least 5 grams of fiber per slice, I make my own salad dressing, etc.
Hummus recipe:
2 cans chickpeas, drain and reserve liquid
Sun dried tomato (dried kind, not packed in oil)
Garlic (to taste)
Big splash of lemon juice
Put the chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, garlic and lemon juice in the food processor and blend. Slowly add reserved liquid until desired consistency. Makes about 5 servings (1/2 cup each).