What foods do you enjoy that are high in protein?

Hey everyone!

I'm off to a great start, but I am having problems at the moment getting enough protein. I know of some foods... but I was just wondering what you guys liked to eat that gave you a good source?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

-Eryn

I actually have problems limiting my protein intake. I absolutely ADORE cottage cheese. To the point where I can't even buy it anymore because it's gone almost immediately. Egg whites are a fantastic source, as are fish & lean meats.

Ugh I could literally LIVE off of cottage cheese, salmon, tuna, egg whites, & peanut butter. It'd be a good life... haha

Regular old chicken is the most awesome thing ever.  Throw some chicken in with whole grain noodles and some low cal pasta sauce and it's so delicious I can't even stand it.

salmon, shrimp and oatmeal are my favorite sources of protein :)

A protien bar and a piece of fruit start the day off right for me, and then another one at lunch with some fresh vegies.  I find that they are really filling and I don't snack between meals that way.

1. Greek Yogurt
2. Hard boiled egg whites
3. Tofu Slices
4. Glenny's Soy Crisps
5. EAS Carb Advantage Shakes
6. Shrimp
7. Cottage Cheese
8. Special K Protein Plus Cereal

Turkey! (100g   Breast w/o skin   161cal,   30g protein)

I also eat a lot of Fage yogurt (170g, 90cal, 15g protein, 65mg sodium) and put dry curd cottage cheese (90g, 70cal, 16g protein, 15g sodium) in my soups or on my salads.

There's a wide range..... Eggs (whole ones are healthy), meat, fish, cheese, dairy products.  And don't forget the vegetable sources.  Beans, lentils, pulses/legumes generally, tofu, quorn, quinoa, nuts, seeds.... If you aim to get a portion of protein at each of your meals that's not a bad benchmark.

Tuna, Chicken and Peanut Butter are my favorites.

Also, When I find I am not getting enough, I keep whey protein powder on hand and will have a shake to help bring my amounts up for the day.  Some of the brands actually taste pretty good.  I usually use 1 scoop of powder and 1 cup of skim milk to make a quick protein drink with about 28g of protein and 220 calories.

Wow guys, thanks so much! You definitely gave me a ton of ideas! Now I just need to get out to the grocery store to get these things!! Thanks so much :) It's much appreciated.

I know how you feel ... I was already needing to fit more protein into my diet, but since starting weight lifting, I needed even MORE! But, since weight lifting means I can put 200 +/- more cals into the mix on the days when I lift, it helps. Still ...

I discovered Trader Joe's soy protein powder mix (using vanilla right now)! It's only 120 cals per serving, dissolves well in just cold water (add a packet of Splenda to it, and it tastes really good), AND has amazing supplemental benefits - like taking a high potency multi-vitamin.

I also stick to lots of eggs, beans, lean meats, spinach, canned tuna, salmon, 1% milk, (and all kind of veggies, though there isn't much protein there) etc. I also  recommend at least checking out a fantastic book by Lou Schuler, call The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. It has some awesome meal plans & recipes in there, for every meal of the day (including snacks) that have 25 - 55 grams of protein per and are calorically very easy to fit into a healthy weightloss plan.

Good luck!

I don't eat meat, so Boca meatless burgers, beans, nuts, yogurt, soymilk, and egg whites for me.

Don't underestimate the abundance of protein in dairy!  Plain nonfat yogurt, fat free milk, lowfat or nonfat cottage cheese, reduced fat sour cream as a condiment or in place of mayonnaise....

Don't know if you eat dairy, but it's made all the difference for me.  It seems like if I try to get both my protein and calcium up together, it's a bit easier to lose.

I also religiously check labels.  For the low cal "filler" foods I eat (oatmeal bars, the occasional biscotti, etc.), I compare brands and make sure I'm getting a nutritional bang for my buck.  Some carb snacks are pretty high in protein and fiber... you just have to look for them.  Kashi Go Lean cereal is pretty tasty and full of protein.

I focus on limiting calories, fats, sodium and sugars per serving and have found these to be good sources of protein:

Raw Nuts - walnuts, pistachio, almonds (very heart healty); low carb yogurt from Kroger, plain greek yogurt (just discovered!), soy milk & soy products, Kashi whole wheat cereals, oatmeal, egg beaters, chicken, brown rice, salmon, tilapia, tuna (sashimi & sushi), legumes - lentils, black beans, chick peas (cooked at home when able to)

I read labels very carefully and have found that many so called "healthy" packaged products which are low fat have substitutes sugars or sodium for the fat. It takes time to identify what I can eat.

My two favorite EVER sources of protein:  an extremely rare, nice cut of steak and tuna rolls!  Not spicy tuna rolls, just the kind with the whole tuna.  Mmmm...

Although I don't eat meat that often, those are my favorites.  I get most of my protein from milk and other things on a daily basis though (ie, Kashi granola bars have lots of protein).

i eat chicken almost every night for dinner, i also love getting fish when i go out to dinner.. usually salmon, tilapia, or tuna.

This is the season for cheese and tomatoes.....a nice runny brie or camembert with fresh tomato slices on the side.  Protein never tasted so good.

I love eating eggs (the whole thing), tuna, salmon (canned and frozen), chicken breast, and also ground beef or sometimes steak. I would say eggs are the biggest one though since they are cheapest. You can make so many things with them, scrambled, hard boiled, in a sandwich, quiche, egg tortilas (with tomato, pepper, onion and mushroom), etc. They are great for any meal of the day.

MMMMMMM - Protein! Yes, I live off of protein! :) My top sources & choices are:

Grass-fed Bison, Beef, Elk, Ostrich, Lamb & Venison 

Fish of ALL TYPES (except for high mercury content fish like swordfish & shark)

Egg Whites (With one to two yolks depending on what else I am having)

Chicken & Turkey Breast

**I am a huge fan of the grass-fed meats and eat them on a daily basis! They are so much healthier for you than conventional grain-fed meats! If you are intrigued & interested in learning more about grain vs. grass fed animals go to EATWILD.com - this site will certainly convert you!! 

chicken, peanut butter, eggs and nuts

I've discovered a greek yogurt I think is far superior to the rest.  Chobani fat free.  It's awesome.  120 cals per serving and 16 g of protein.  Great flavors, strawberry, blueberry, peach, and vanilla.  Super good.  I have only found it at one local store though and that's kind of a Whole Foods Market type of local store.  Maybe you can google it and find out where they sell it near you.  I love this stuff.  I usually eat it every day for breakfast.  The calories are a little higher than Dannon Fit and Light or Weight Watchers, but the protein content is more than double.  It keeps me full all morning.  And 120 cals for a breakfast is nothing.....  here is the website:

http://www.chobani.com/