I really don't want to eat a lot of meat, I'd be perfectly happy to be a vegetarian to tell you the truth. Sometimes I eat a sandwich with some turkey or ham, but I'm just not that into it. I have read many times that one should have protein at every meal. I am just wondering what are some good sources of protein, and how much one should have at each meal. For example, is 1 cup of 2% milk a good source of protein for a meal? How about a yogurt? Is cheese a good way to get protein? I am just wondering if dairy gives enough for the amount of calories it has. How do you all get in your protein from non-meat sources?
i'm that way too. i'm just not that into meat. i eat it, i sometimes forget to eat enough protein too.
first, try to get used to fat free dairy. as you get used to it, the old stuff will taste like you just ate butter, at least that's what happened to me. but the ff versions are full of calcium and some protein. cottage cheese is full of protein. i haven't tried that as fatfree, but low fat is good too.
try legumes- edamame(soy beans), all different kinds of beans, lentils. veggie burgers. eggs. say a few whites and 1 yolk w/veggies.
try logging your typical day. load it into sparkpeople, fit day, or other online cal. calculators. shoot for maybe 20-30% i think? it depends on your diet plan. some need more protein to stay satisfied.
protein burns more cal to digest than carbs. thats 1 reason people say eat it every meal.
I am actually a vegetarian, and on a diet that's regulated. I have eggs for breakfast (the whites), and cottage cheese for lunch. Then for dinner I eat a vegetarian meat. They have pretty much any "meat" that people usually eat, only vegetarian. Which is kind of... not for you if you don't like meat. But yeah, you do need some protein, check out Whole Foods or Trader Joe's ( if you have either of those), there's plenty of protein drinks and snacks there for vegetarians.
I second the beans. In particular, I am addicted to adzuki beans! You may have to go to Trader Joes to buy them. I just ate a huge bowl last night with some brown rice. 230 grams of adzuki beans equal 290 calories. They are SO amazing because they hardly cause any gas or bloat. Be careful with chickpeas - particularly how you cook them.... as they can lead to painful gas. There are tons of websites on how to cook them correctly.
Next, a tofu scramble with zucchini,mushroom, and onion really beats the taste of eggs any day.
Finally, seitan is like tofu, but heartier. It is also low-cal. It has a very unique flavor that is easy to cook with and a nice change from tofu.
I am a lot like you. I don't have any desire to stuff myself full with a chicken breast every evening!
grrek yogurt (if you can afford) has a ridiculous amount of protein in it...... one serving has 17 grams protein and abuot 8 grams carbs..... comes in at only 80 cals.....
Have you tried protien shakes? Some taste pretty awful and like you are drinking chalk, but some are surprisingly good. I have a special k shake (chocolate) with breakfast. Its 10g in each shake.
You can also get powder mixes and add then to smoothies. I think that might be my next attempt to prefect a raspberry or strawberry smoothie that doesnt taste like it has protien powder in it!
How much protien you are suppose to get varies depending on who you ask. My trainer reccomended I get close to 100g of protien. I thought that meant lots of food which goes against my trying to lose weight. But Im taking his adive a little and trying to get 70-80g a day and still stay under 1500 calories a day. Im doing it with special k and similar protien shakes, drinks, and bars. I have tried some other brands and they dont taste great but Im sure there are others out there that do.