Need protein suggestions

Hi there,

I have finally gotten around to making the effort to eat better. Been meaning to for years but it was always 'tomorrow'. Working in an office and having a generally sedentary lifestyle, 'tomorrow' finally came when I didn't like what I saw in the mirror one morning. On the whole, things have been going well, but I'm still pretty new to this whole proper nutrition thing. Having had a fast metabolism growing up, I just got into the habit of eating whatever I wanted. I'm kicking that habit and trying to learn good diet practices as I go, though there seems to be a lot of poor information (especially online) to sift through. The trouble is, when you don't really know much about a subject to begin with, how do you know what's good info and what's not?

I read somewhere (don't remember quite where because I've been doing a ton of reading of late) that an ideal weight-loss diet is comprised roughly of 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat. Keeping the fat down isn't too much of a problem, but I find myself going over my carb 'limit' and never really coming close to my protein. Any ideas on what I can change to get a little more protein and a little less carbs into my diet? Does it even matter? I've included a sample diet of the last two days to give you an idea of what/how I eat.

Monday
 8am Breakfast - 2 bagels, 1 with low-fat cream cheese, 1 with low-fat peanut butter
11am Snack - granola bar, 1 cup cucumber slices
 1pm Lunch - ham salad - Romaine lettuce, tomato, celery, cucumber, 2 lean ham slices
 3pm Snack - 1 cup grapes
 5pm Snack - 1 cup cherries
 7pm Dinner - 2 pork chops, 1.5 cups broccoli, 1 apple
 9pm Snack - 1 cup fat-free strawberry yogourt
Carbs: 203g, Protein: 92g, Fat: 34g

Tuesday
 8am Breakfast - 2 bagels with low-fat peanut butter
11am Snack - granola bar, 1 cup grapes
 1pm Lunch - ham salad (see above)
 3pm Snack - 1/4 cup peanuts
 5pm Snack - 2 fig Newtons
 7pm Dinner - 1 tilapia filet, 2 cups broccoli
 9pm Snack - 1 cup 1% cottage cheese
Carbs: 220g, Protein: 99g, Fat: 41g

Thanks in advance for any tips/help.

The best place I see for you to add more protein is with breakfast.  I don't know what kind of bagels you are eating, but even with pb/cream cheese your breakfast is mostly carbs. 

In my opinion you should swap out a bagel for more protein.  ie. an egg, a glass of milk, a yogurt, cottage cheese etc.

Also, I don't know what kind of granola bars you like, but there a a variety of "high protein" bars out there.  South beach diet makes high protein cereal snack bars for 140 cals for example. 

I just had two cod fillets, and per 100g there is 17.2 g of protein, and practically nothing else. Fish and meat will boost your protein up, but I'd say 50% carb, 30% pro and 20% fat is a better option if your going to start exercising.

Fish is an excellent, low calorie way to get more protein, as are eggs and skim milk.  Beans are also really great, and they give you the ever-needed fiber as well.  LowFat cottage cheese is also high in protein - a bit higher than yogurt, especially the prepackaged flavored kinds.

Here is a post I made a week or so ago that lists some low-calorie, high fiber and high protein foods.

High protein sources:

All kinds of fish, all kinds of meat, eggs (particularly the whites), yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, milk, soy products, beans, lentils, protein powders, nuts, nut butters, whole grains & products made with 100% whole grains (like bread).

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. Looks like most foods that are high in protein are also quite high in carbs. Guess I'll be having eggs and cottage cheese with breakfast more often :)

in addition to fish - other seafoods can be good for protein lower cal options to: Shrimp, squid, etc.

A source of protein in the grain world I've been loving is quinoa - which has complete proteins which is rare to find in the grain world. very similar taste to rice.

A few ideas....

Low fat beef jerky is a great snack...almost all protein....

Kashi products have quite a bit of protein.  For example there is a 7 grain rice pilaf type product that has tons of protein yet seems more like a carb.

Have you thought about protein shakes?  You can add some of your fruit to them, too.

Also canned chicken or tuna.....

Initially, I had been hoping to find foods that were both high in protein and low in carbs that I could incorporate into my diet. With the exception of fish, meat, and eggs (all of which I already eat) there don't seem to be (m)any that fit the bill. My caloric intake is already a little too low, so I think probably my best bet is to replace a few high carb items (read: breakfast) with carb+protein items and go from there. Thanks again to everyone for the feedback.

I'm a little odd, but I love eating chicken with breakfast.  Cold, left-over grilled chicken is awesome in the morning, and it is very satisfying to rip into a hunk of meat when you wake up (please refer to the first 4 words of the post).  

I also need a lot of protein in the morning because I am ravenous pretty much all the time and protein in the form of meat tends to be the best remedy.

Try adding high protein/low carb snacks into your diet such as greek yogurt, cottage cheese, a can of tuna, whey protein powder, etc.

Or try adding some egg whites to breakfast or a skinless chicken breast to dinner :).

I wouldn't worry too much about keeping the fat % low as long as your fat is coming from good sources and it'll keep you fuller, longer. However, it also depends on how your body reacts to fats and sugars.

Hard boiled eggs are a great way to add in protein for breakfast or any meal. Easy to boil up and keep in the fridge.

For breakfast, I would start looking to replace the bagels either entirely or stick to just one. The cream cheese and peanut butter are both good but check the sugar content of each. A lot of low fat products use sugar to replace and that adds up quick. Sprouted grain breads tend to have more protein but a flavor and texture that may take some getting used to. Low carb breads might also be something to look into as a replacement to the bagels or have a bagel with cream cheese and lox.

Morning snack, I'd drop the granola bar entirely. Way too much sugar in those (and not much else) and combined with grapes, I'd be reaching for more food soon after. Can try cottage cheese or hummus with the cucumber slices and raw almonds with the grapes. 1 protein, 1 carb

Lunch looks great, well rounded meal there, has a bit of everything. Do you use any salad dressing?

After lunch snacks, Tuesday looks good but for Monday, maybe swap out one of the fruits with something like string cheese or baby bell.

The after dinner snack, cottage cheese is good, can also do part skim ricotta with a few blueberries or greek yogurt with a touch of honey.

Think of it this way

How do animals in the wild get protein (i.e. Chimpanzees who share 99.9% of their genes with us)

They eat plants!

Especially greens

I've been without meat for almost two years and I don't eat tofu or any of that stuff

I eat spinach and lettuce and Kale and I've never had any problems

The same goes for calcium

Plants provide you with everything you need

You don't actually need meat or dairy, 

that's just the food companies trying to make money

Not meaning to start an argument, but chimpanzees are not vegetarians, although they do get the majority of their diet from plants. 

They also eat insects, and meat when they can get it. 

here's some protein ideas.

Beef

• Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein
• Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams
• Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce

Chicken

• Chicken breast, 3.5 oz - 30 grams protein
• Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size)
• Drumstick – 11 grams
• Wing – 6 grams
• Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams

Fish

• Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce
• Tuna, 6 oz can - 40 grams of protein

Pork

• Pork chop, average - 22 grams protein
• Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams
• Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams
• Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams
• Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams
• Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams

Eggs and Dairy

• Egg, large - 6 grams protein
• Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams
• Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams
• Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
• Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz
• Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz
• Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz

Beans (including soy)

• Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein
• Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams
• Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams
• Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans
• Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein
• Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams

Nuts and Seeds

• Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein
• Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
• Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
• Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
• Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
• Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
• Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
• Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

even switching your bread to nut and grain will help, oatmeal, red river are better choices than bagels. with one serving of oatmeal/red river you're getting about 5g of protein. then add some eggs to that and a piece of fruit and you're good to go.

Spinach also has protein, so make a spinach eggs salad or spinach and chicken/fish salad or wrap. Basically try to get protein in each snack/meal even if it's small amounts.

for granola bars, the only kind i'll ever eat are nutrilite bars. loaded with tons of good stuff.  Amway - Nutrilite nutrition bars is a link to the product, and here's a link to the nutritional information on it. Lemon Nutrilite nutrition bar. Obviously still better to eat real food, but this is great if you're in a rush.

Chimpanzees will only eat those things if greens are not readily available to them

Original Post by kail221991:

Chimpanzees will only eat those things if greens are not readily available to them

Please provide some references if you're going to claim something is a fact.

According to an article in the American Journal of Primatology, chimpanzees eat mainly fruit (mostly figs in this study).  They supplement it with some greens and animal-based foods. 

The diet of chimpanzees was investigated by direct observations, feeding remains, and fecal analysis from January 1994 to December 2000 in the montane forest of Kahuzi-Biega National Park. A total of 171 food items were identified, among which 156 items were plant materials belonging to 114 species from 57 taxonomic families. Chimpanzees consumed 66 species of fruits (62 species of pulps and four species of seeds). Results of fecal analysis showed that fig fruits were the most frequently eaten. Their seeds occurred in 92% of a total of 7,212 chimpanzee fecal samples. The chimpanzees changed their diet according to seasonal and annual variations in both abundance and diversity of fruit species. However, they are very selective frugivores. Only a few pulp-fruit species are regularly identified in their fecal samples. During the rainy season, when ripe fruit was scarce, chimpanzees relied heavily on piths and leaves. They swallowed leaves of two species of Commelinaceae without chewing, probably for medical purposes. Animal foods were eaten infrequently. The montane forest of Kahuzi, where chimpanzees range up to 2,600 m above sea level, may be the highest altitudinal limit ever recorded for their distribution. Compared to other chimpanzee habitats, Kahuzi has a low diversity of fruit species and the availability of a few pulp-fruit species may be critical to the survival of Kahuzi chimpanzees. (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/98 518415/abstract) 

The African Journal of Ecology backs up this position: http://www.kent.ac.uk/anthropology/bioanth/nn f/reprints/NewtonFisher_1999_diet.pdf