Protein?

[SheFly]

Last week, my coach suggested that I eat 120g of protein per day. This sounds like A LOT of protein to me, but I have agreed to give it a try. My dilemma is, how do I get that much protein into my diet? And what is "quality protein"?

SheFly

[jesvetmed]

SheFly: Found this on the web here

It may help you make some choices. Sounds like a lot of protein, but I did read somewhere that if you work out hard, weight lifting, especially, that you should get up to 1 gram / pound of body weight. For me, there's not enough time in the day to eat that much!
Good Luck!

High protein food

EGGS ( 1 medium size ) 6 gram
MILK ( 1 pint or 568ml) 19 grams
MILK ( 1 glass ) 6.3 grams
SOYA MILK Plain (200 ml) 6 grams
TOFU (100 g) 8 grams
LOW-FAT YOGHURT (plain) (150g ) 8 grams
LOW-FAT YOGHURT (fruit) (150g) 6 grams
FISH (cod fillets 100g or 3.5 ounces) 21 grams
CHEESE cheddar 100g (3.5 ounces) 25 grams
ROAST BEEF ( 100g or 3.5 ounces ) 28 grams
ROAST CHICKEN 100g ( 3.5 ounces) 25 grams
OTHER MEATS AVERAGE (100g or 3.5 ounces) 25 grams

Also: I use a protein powder in fruit smoothies -- that can help and be quite a sweet treat at the same time!

[limewave]

Quinoa (cooked) -- 4.5 grams protein for 1/2 cup
Black Beans -- 9 grams for 4oz serving
Lentils -- 18 g for 1/2 cup serving

[OakLeaf]

"Quality protein" in my book is protein where the essential amino acids are roughly balanced in proportion to what a human body needs. The old standby, Diet for a Small Planet, contains plenty of information about food combining to make complete proteins.

I just read in the last couple of weeks that contrary to what dietitians have thought, complementary proteins do not need to be consumed in the same meal, although obviously it's convenient to do so.


(How come a serving of lentils is double the amount of a serving of black beans?)

[OakLeaf]

Also if you're really enterprising about doing the math, the USDA Nutrient Database has nutrition breakdown for lots and lots of foods including amino acid profiles, and Wikipedia has a discussion of essential amino acid requirements (use these for proportions, not totals, since you're obviously consuming much more than the minimum required to sustain life).

[Crankin]

Ditto for the quinoa.
I also really like soy nut butter. I am allergic to peanuts and this tastes just like peanut butter. I put it on whole wheat bagels for breakfast, with a little yogurt on the side. I also put it on whole wheat crackers, for snacks. But, not all brands taste the same. In fact, some are awful. The best one is Simple Soy Nut Butter. It comes in a couple of different flavors. You can get it at Debra's.

[flash]

Hi SheFly!

Did your coach mention anything about WHEN / HOW to take in more protein?

Just curious, because two years ago I started focusing on spreading my protein intake out over the course of my waking hours (so, before, I was eating some protein at lunch and dinner but almost none at breakfast; the change involved eating slightly more protein (20-30% more) per day but spreading the total protein out over bkfst, mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack, dinner, after dinner snack portions). The noticable impact for me was that I seemed to build/maintain muscle/strength more readily & I got sick (colds) less often (that was a problem before). I really didn't change anything else (training regimen, exposure to sick people, diet, lifestyle), so I have to believe it made a difference for me.

As for how you define quality protein? Depends what your goals are. I look for a variety of food (meat and non) sources that are high in protein (complete if possible), low in fat/calories, and preferably low in saturated fats. If I'm really desperate (travelling on business, for example, without much control over where my meals come from), I'll add protein drinks blended from soy and whey proteins, but I'd really rather stick to real food.

[melissalb]

Trader Joe's 2% greek style yogurt has 160 calories in one cup and 24 gms protein.