protein
 

So I know that for weight loss we should eat a lot of protein, and in general for health it is good to have at LEAST 20% of your calories come from protein.

But, I can't seem to get my protein percent much over 20%, if even 20% at all. I'm not a vegetarian but I do try to limit my meat intake (to avoid too much cholesterol). I usually have two or three servings of dairy each day (usually two cups of milk and a yogurt). I almost always have some kind of meat in my lunch (turkey sandwich for example). The only meats I cook at home are chicken and turkey, so for dinner I will either have something with chicken, something with ground turkey, something with tofu, or something with beans. A couple nights a week we just have pasta with canned sauce and a salad for dinner, which I know is sadly lacking (we started buying protein-added pasta).

My question is, I guess, how do I get more protein, percentage-wise? I don't want to add cheese in much because it is so caloric, but I love me some carbs and I can't imagine reducing my carb intake much so that wouldn't work either. What foods have protein other than meat?

have you tried edamame? u could prob easily add that to your pasta dish - or just eat it on its own. yum - i should get some.

I know you aren't a veggie - but tofu can be good sometimes too. also a lot of veggies and vegans I know take supplimentary protein drinks. (or bars?)

My three favorite protein sources I guess would be.. low-fat cottage cheese, fake-meat burgers and egg whites.

Amen to the egg whites and no fat cottage cheese. Add tuna to your list.

I think cottage cheese is super scary...I wouldn't eat it on a dare. I use whey protein powder. It's a healthy, full branch chain of all the essential amino acids. It's only 70 calories for 1 scoop (on average) which typically gives you an extra 16 grams of protein. It's a bargain that comes at a price (not a lot of money), as I have yet to find one that tastes good:( But it's low cal, filling, and gets the job done...without the urge to purge that I get from cottage cheese (lol)!

Try hummus with raw veggies. Yumm.

Haha Amanda! I loooove cottage cheese (low fat only, I can't stand it with whole fat in it....YUCK). I also love tuna...I eat lots !:)

low fat SMALL curd cottage cheese.YUMMM..... Eggs...there are some protein shakes out there, I hate spending the $$ the though. THere is a website that has different ways to intake sugars/protein/carbs... I'll have to search for it...

Speaking oif cottage cheese, does anyone eat it with fruit?? I CANNOT stand CC being sweet or mixed with fruit, I have to have mine plain, or a small amount of salt added. But I have noticed a TON of people eat it with fruit... ???

JustforUs- I always eat my cottage cheese with fruit, but thats the way I've been eating it since I was little. Pineapple, peaches, pears.. yum. It makes it feel like a dessert or something.
I wish all cheese was as good for you at cottage cheese. I'm a cheese addict.

JustforUs: I'm the same way! Can't stand the thought of cottage cheese with fruit -- just seems wrong. But, I like it with salt or even pickles and tomatoes. I'm sure the fruit people think that's wrong! :lol: I have a cousin that likes ketchup in her cottage cheese -- makes it a nice pink color. :?:

Most of my protein comes from meats -- mainly chicken. I also eat eggs. I know there is a cereal with added protein -- I've never tried it, but I think it's a Kellogg's brand???

Yea I love CC with tomatoes... My friends think Im crazy becaus eI dont like the fruit idea.. funny how different people's taste are.

Okay, so I hadn't tried cottage cheese since I was little...until 2 days ago (which is why I felt this post had such wonderful timing). I always get the low fat/small curd type for my son (the healthiest eater in the world), but the look/smell of it had always turned me off. Anyways, so two days ago I decided I was going to try and up my intake of healthy foods (cue the theme song from jaws), which is a big step for me considering I have always eaten super bad unhealthy food. I carefully measured out 1/4 cup of the stuff into a cereal bowl, and threw in some fresh slices of peach for good measure. With concentrated effort I spponed out the first heaping bite and piled it in (making sure not to breathe out of my nose), and forced myself to swallow. 3 seconds later I was running toward the bathroom so as not to soil the rug (while my son followed me in asking if he could have my cottage cheese. Help yourself baby!). The thing that really made this situation unbearable was the fact that the curds were the perfect size to get lodged in my braces...yuck! I commend those of you that manage to consume (and then actually digest) cottage cheese. My hat goes off to you!:)

Nuts is a good source, go for the unsalted and roasted for the most healthy, and eat in moderation, not the whole back Spill!-makes for a great snack, a handful!

Beans, best source, plus keep you feeling full!

Learning a lot from being on SBD, eat mostly protein, and only good carbs and even those in moderation. If you must have pasta, try using WW, healthier choiice.

Amanda - My step father cannot eat cottage cheese. It's not the taste so much as it' sthe texture. It makes him throw up!

I agree, it is the texture :barf:

lol

I used to have major issues with CC but now I find it to be yummy mixed with a little dry SF jello powder. Sounds weird but it makes an amazing dessert. I don't do a low-carb "diet" but they have a lot of low carb products out there that have increased protein (cereals, etc) and those help me to get a higher intake.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I cooked some eggs (2 whole, 2 whites) for dinner last night (to split with my bf, I didn't eat 4 eggs myself! :lol: ) with some steamed broccoli, bell peppers, and tomatoes mixed in (and a little pepper). Eaten on a piece of whole wheat toast - yum!

I have a peanut butter and sf jelly sandwich for lunch today, so hopefully that will give me some good protein and fats. I don't know that my breakfast cereal has much protein (I eat multigrain cheerios), but I always figured the milk would have some protein in it.

Cottage cheese is SO WEIRD. :lol: My bf loves it (we don't buy it b/c he will eat the entire container in one sitting). I can't get over the appearance of the stuff though. I think my problem with it is that it looks like pudding or yogurt or something, so I expect it to taste sweet. Then I put the spoon in my mouth and it is totally not sweet, and so I am kind of grossed out by it! I haven't made an honest effort of trying to eat cottage cheese though, so maybe I will try again. The only think I ever use it for is recipes (noodle kugel, yum yum yum).

I'm getting the feeling that my problem is not that I don't eat enough protein, but that I eat too many carbs, so percentage-wise the protein only comes out to 20%. I really can't imagine giving up pasta, rice, and bread though, they are the staples of my diet. And cereal. I have started buying whole wheat pasta with added protein though, and we always buy wheat bread, but I haven't managed to make the transition to brown rice. I can eat a bowl of jasmine rice with a little soy sauce for dinner and be satisfied! I've been thinking about trying some brown rice and wild rice (there is a Whole Foods down the street from my apartment), but I am worried that it takes too long to cook, and that it's expensive (we buy our jasmine rice in 20-lb bags).

Anyway, now I'm rambling, but thanks for the advice! Maybe I will attempt cottage cheese after all!

Why don't you try adding a protien bar for a snack during the day. I know that there are a lot of different kinds with lots of flavors to choose from. Personally I enjoy the crunchy peanut butter flavor, can't remember the brand off hand....

Sara

Well, I tried the cottage cheese! It's not so bad after all. I had 1/2 C cottage cheese with some grapes and blueberriesas part of my lunch, and OMG it was so filling. I also had a small flax/bran muffin, so the total cals for lunch was about 300, but I am stuffed! Maybe I will stick with the cottage cheese, since it is so filling! My only concern is that it has quite a bit of sodium. I guess it's not too bad though compared to lunchmeat.

Cottage cheese is pretty rockin'. :)

Lately I've been making tortilla wraps for breakfast/lunch to get my protein. Warm a tortilla, spread on a thin layer of lowfat ranch (or lowfat/nonfat cream cheese, if you prefer) , add 2-3 slices of lean ham, a slice of nonfat cheese, some diced tomatoes/lettuce and wrap that sucker up. I usually make two and cut them into halves then serve them with a little bit of guacamole. Each wrap is 160 calories, 2-3 grams of fat and 18 grams of protein.

So if you have two wraps (a meal for me) that's about 320 calories/5 grams of fat and 36 grams of protein! (from the cheese and the ham) Soooo filling and delish. :)