Good protein sources?

[cameragirl]

I get monthly blood work for a medical condition, and my labs came back with low protein this time. (Albumin, specifically.) I thought I was doing well with the protein, but they want me to step it up. So, aside from meat, what are good sources of protein? I'm going to cook up a big pot of beans tomorrow to have on hand, too. Thank you!

[MrsSlocombe]

I'm doing pretty badly with protein, since I am a vegan who has recently become freaked out about soy.  I always have beans or seitan in my dinner, but sometimes, breakfast and lunch will have a small serving of nuts, at most.  (I mean, in addition to grains, vegetables, fruits, breads, etc.)

If you are not freaked out about soy, I know a thousand delicious ways to prepare it.  I became concerned about the hormonal effects.  I also have plenty of good lentil recipes.

The first thing I think of for albumin is eggs, which you might eat since it is not technically meat.  If not, I found this:

Albumens of plant origin are legumelin of peas and leucosin of wheat.

I found it here:  http://chestofbooks.com/health/natural-cure/The-Hygienic-System-Orthotrophy/Protein-Foods.html

Wheat is everywhere, so that would be super-easy to get.  I would imagine that there is more leucosin in seitan than in bread, since seitan is the high-protein, gluten part of the wheat, but I am not absolutely sure.  Peas, too, seem pretty easy to add more of.  This makes me a little bit happy, if albumen is particularly desirable, since wheat and peas are two things I've been eating a fair amount of lately.

There is also pea protein powder you can add to shakes/smoothies.  I have not tried it (though now I'm thinking of doing so), though I have tried similar powders made of other proteins (rice, quinoa, etc.)  Here is a pea-based example:

http://www.amazon.com/100%25-Pure-Protein-grams-Pwdr/dp/B0017OFSDW/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1323523718&sr=1-6

I am not recommending any particular brand, of course, since I haven't tried it.  I thought I'd just find a 100% pea version and let you go from there.

I hope this helps!

[sosurreal09]

I love meat (good pastured meat) but I have tried the pea protein powder. It is very expensive but tastes pretty good, mixes OK. Worth it if you need it.

I would recommend the eggs too.

Raw nuts, maybe nut sauces on noodles or something?

[cristeen]

This would probably be a better question for the Nutrition forum.

How much meat have you been eating?  What does your diet look like (an average day)?

Eggs, nuts, beans/legumes, cheese are all great sources.  We don't do soy around here, and we (try to) limit wheat.

I love honey-baked beans or lentils.  The recipe is floating around the forum.  I make up a big batch and will even eat it cold.  Crunchy chickpeas are a great snack to keep on hand - lots of protein.  As is hummus, again with the chickpea love.  You can make either of them at home for lots cheaper than buying them premade.  Nut butters are a go-to for lunch around here, whether I'm spreading it on a cracker or dipping celery in it.  You don't have to limit it to peanut, my favorite is mixed nut (random blends of almond, peanut, cashew, sunflower, etc.).  A really rich one you can find at TJs is Cashew Macadamia - lots of great fats in there.  If you're eating lots of veggies, toss a handful of nuts and/or cheese with them - whether it's on a salad or into the saute pan. 

Another good source is bone broth.  Use it in soups (like bean soups - double bang for your buck), gravies, sauces, cook your rice/grains/pasta in it, use it in mashed potatoes or roast veggies.  All sorts of places to use it.  Some people just drink it like it was tea, but I can't stomach it that way. 

HTH

[lifeguard]

Continue with the meat for sure. Eggs are great & easy. I don't know much about veg sources & I avoid soy due to hormone concerns. Protein powder is the cheapest, easiest way to get lots of protein is & there are soooo many options. As for nuts & dairy as a protein source you need to be careful. We count nuts as a fat source (albeit a good one). Dairy is often higher in fat &/or sugars than protein.

[sosurreal09]

I got the impression she doesn't eat meat?

[treehugginhippie]

Whey & hemp protein powders. I don't digest beans very well so I make huge pots of lentils.

[cameragirl]

No, I eat meat. I like meat. In fact, I was trying to get around 80 g of protein, and I should be meeting that based off of the days I've charted what I eat. I'm not sure why I am low in protein on the lab tests. I don't particularly like beans unless they're refried, though. I make those at home with some coconut oil instead of lard, and eat it with some brown rice. That just gets old as lunch after awhile. I eat peanut butter, but limit that to one serving a day because it is calorie rich. I haven't had great luck with the natural protein powders. I tried a pea/chia powder my doctor gave me awhile back, and just couldn't get it down.

[Everlong753]

I need a ton of protein too (stomache issues) and I am allergic to dairy and soy so it does get limited/tricky to find enough.  Dairy would be good for cheeses, yogurts, smoothies, etc to help add more protein. 

Some of what I eat...

For breakfast-

-I try to eat egg sandwiches with a slice of all natural ham or hand pressed sausage on a whole grain english muffin pretty often since this keeps me satisfied the longest.   I really don't like eggs for breakfast but I don't get sick of it too easy because I change up the meat option for flavor. 

-Home made granola with lots of fun ingredients depending on my mood.  I use oats, cashews, almonds, pecans, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, honey, flax, wheat germ, dried berries etc.  Any or all or other depending on my pantry. Yummy and easy!

-Whole grain E. Muffin or toast with Almond Butter and some fruit.  (My doctor suggested almond butter over peanut butter because it's easier to digest. Not sure on the calories compared to PB.... but it's good! Maranatha has some really good almond butter at costco now).

- Oatmeal with nuts, berries and natural sweetener. 

- whole grain pancakes and eggs

Lunch is hard,  I love turkey or ham sandwiches but mostly I eat leftovers from dinner.  I suggest maybe a grilled cheese with a slice of ham, or yummy casadilla with leftover beans, chicken and salsa.  

Dinners with less meat-

-I love beans, so that's easy.  This doubles as a 2nd dinner for home made flour tortillas with beans and a meat source.  

-I also love to do split pea with ham, lentil with a little bacon, chili with 3 kinds of beans with ground meat, bean and veggie soup, ...  All with whole grain rolls or bread. These are meals where the majority of protein comes from a non-meat source to save on $$ but also have a little bit of organic or all natural meat added in for flavor and that hearty feeling. 

Snacks

- I love sardines.  They are ubber dubber good for you too. The nutritional value is great on so many areas.

- Love salami with crackers and apples

- apples and almond butter

- popcorn with nutritional yeast (brewers yeast) 

I hope that helps! I am glad to see some more ideas here since I need them too :)

[sosurreal09]

So could you just eat good quality meat 3x a day?

[cameragirl]

I could do meat three times a day. I had been having meat twice a day or so, and filling in the rest with dairy, eggs, nuts, etc. I have upped the meat the past few days, and I feel a little like a cave woman. I wish we could afford to get a side of grass-fed beef and pork, but that will have to wait.

[cristeen]

If you've been eating a good amount of protein daily and your test results are coming back skewed to the low side, I would question whether you're having absorption difficulty.  Have you done any allergy testing?  An elimination diet?  An absorption issue is often caused by an allergy/intolerance to something you're eating blocking absorption of nutrients.  That would be the first thing I'd look at.

As for eating a fair bit of meat, I get that.  I eat it at least twice a day myself, but my body definitely does better with more meat and less wheat (which I don't tolerate well).  Breakfast is generally eggs, sometimes with cheese, sometimes sausage/bacon, with or without a side of toast or potatoes or corn tortilla.  I have a hard time eating lunch most days, but lately it's been a falafel pita, or a mortadella sandwich.  Sometimes it's PB/banana or cream cheese sandwich.  This week it's going to be homemade tomato soup made with bacon and chicken stock.  Dinner is almost always meat and veg.  Maybe 1x/month do we have a veg dinner.  Snacks might be a chunk of cheese, or a handful of nuts, or even a homemade rocky road chocolate (chocolate and nuts). If I have energy and extra eggs, I'll make deviled eggs.

Do you have the room to store a side of beef?  Have you researched prices?  I know that prices vary drastically from farm to farm.  I also just recently canceled my meat CSA subscription because we couldn't keep up with it.  I know he comes down from your area, so you might want to look into it http://www.theforagers.com  For grass-fed meat it's some of the cheapest I've found (short of buying half an animal). 

HTH

[cameragirl]

I'm wondering if the low levels weren't due to me having to drink a LOT of water before the infusions. Maybe dilution? Either way, I'm going to ask for the OB to retest when I go in this Friday. That will give us a result without the infusion mixed in. I have had allergy testing and have done elimination diets, but I seem to have grown out of the allergies I had as a kid. We've done a side of beef and pork before from my cousin's ranch. We've got a deep freezer and have the room. The price is pretty good, even lower than some conventional meats, and we get organic grass-fed.

[meaganhope21]

i didn't rad all of the replies but i thought id let you know that quinoa is soo soo yumy and is a high protine grain. also if you bake you can grind up nuts and put it in the flour for the things  you are baking

my favorite way to make quinoa  is to cook it and barley sepratly since they have different cooking times and then mix them with mixed frozen veg  and lightly butter  and salt  its like a desert

[sosurreal09]

Add some sausage to those eggs! (I'm on a sausage kick, pregnant too!)

[Tennesseemommy]

Have you tried taking Spirulina? It's 85% protein from a food source. I posted a question in regard to the safety of taking it while pregnant and didn't get any replies, BUTTT I checked the archives and it seems to be safe, but in moderation just like everything else:):)

If anyone has input on Spirulina, I'd love to hear it!

Much love,
Ashley

[Sol_y_Paz]

Right now I am leaning heavily on organic greek yogurt, nuts, and beans as my main sources of protein.  

In your case to track your diet I would write everything down you eat in a day, including snacks, and if it is a protein try to estimate how many grams to see if you really aren't hitting that protein mark or what exactly is going on.

[begoniamama]

apparently we're supposed to be eating half our body weight in grams of protein - my midwife wants me to be really strict about for numerous reasons, especially pre eclampsia risk, high blood pressure, good birth weight baby etc. 

I posted this in another thread - every morning i make a smoothie with milk, yogurt, walnuts, spirulina, chlorophyll and about 40 grams of whey protein powder. that way if i don't eat enough protein during the day i'm getting a good chunk in the morning. i'm not a huge meat eater so i have to find it in other ways. i try to eat a lot of eggs and  beans as well. and i second the quinoa, so yummy and tons of protein!

[cameragirl]

I'm overweight. I don't think I COULD eat half of my weight in grams of protein. (1g protein to 2 lbs, right?) I just wouldn't have room for anything else.

[lifeguard]

cameragirl - it's probably more correct to base it on your goal weight.