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Guess how much protein?

7K views 54 replies 27 participants last post by  beanbag 
#1 · (Edited)
I've been cutting back on my meat consumption but am trying to eat at least 150g of protein a day. I'm expecting it to be pretty challenging to consume that much protein without eating lean meats in a 3,000 calorie diet.

I'm going to track my food on MyDailyPlate.com for a few days to see how things breakdown. For breakfast today I had one serving of: oatmeal, walnuts, raisins and almond milk

Very healthy food, and protein sources could include the oatmeal, almond milk, raisins.

The breakdown is:
25g of Fat
64g of Carbs
12g of Protein

43% fat, 48% carbs, 9% protein
 
#15 ·
Let them eat their vegetables... If they bother you about eating meat then you can say something!

Speaking about nutrients ONLY

Most vegetable proteins are not complete and you need a complete protein to build muscle which is what all th trouble is about here. There are plant alternatives, but they are inferior sources.

Health wise, meat isn't great for your gut. There have been some studies that a meat heavy diet increases the risk of cancers of the stomach.

Not that it really sways me either way since your vegetables are likely dosed up with enough pesticides to grown in the dark.
 
#30 ·
Quinoa is the closest thing to a complete protein. It's missing just a few amino acids. As others have said mix it with beans or legumes and there you have it. Also kale is unbelievably healthy and packed full of vital nutrients. You can steam it, sautée it, braise it, eat it raw, etc. You might also look for kaniwa. It is related to quinoa, just as healthy, cooks the same and is roughly the size of cous cous. It doesn't have the saponin some quinoas might have. Almond or rice milk are always good. Typically the more colors you have on a plate the better off you are. I enjoy a lot of fresh salads over the summer. Lots if leafy greens, beans, nuts, grilled or seared tofu. Just my .02.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the tip. I've read mixed things on soy. Do you know how much isoflavones are it it?

I'm going to start adding some ground flaxseed to my meals too which has a few grams of protein and an ample supply of omega-3s.

Try a fruit smoothie/protein shake for breakfast or add it as a snack. I like designer whey strawberry protein or chocolate muscle milk....although mm is pricey.
I add: 1cup frozen strawberries and blueberries, 1 cup milk, 1scoop of protein, spoonful of flaxseed, and throw it all in the Magic bullet(which is a great single serving blender)
This fills me up for a few hours in the morning.....I also drink one for recovery after riding or weightlifting. Seems to work great for me
I have a feeling I'm going to need to start eating more protein powder if I want to get 150g a day and eat mostly vegetarian. I'm going to start searching for the healthiest brands. One thing I like doing is making my own protein bars by mixing protein powder with peanut butter, oats, a bit of milk, and sometimes nuts, raisins, and ground falxseed.
 
#3 ·
Try a fruit smoothie/protein shake for breakfast or add it as a snack. I like designer whey strawberry protein or chocolate muscle milk....although mm is pricey.
I add: 1cup frozen strawberries and blueberries, 1 cup milk, 1scoop of protein, spoonful of flaxseed, and throw it all in the Magic bullet(which is a great single serving blender)
This fills me up for a few hours in the morning.....I also drink one for recovery after riding or weightlifting. Seems to work great for me
 
#17 ·
I'm just now adding protein supplements to my diet, and I'm furious I hesitated this long. I've been using Optimum Nutrition's Pro Complex as a breakfast replacement and post ride supplement. Each serving is 60g protein and it's a blend of fast and slow acting protein. It's only been a month and I have no complaints. My legs are exploding and my recovery time is cut in half. I can't imagine consuming the same amount of protein with diet alone.
 
#20 ·
Fish, fish and more fish. A nice helping of salmon or grouper is loaded w/ high quality protein omega 3's and little else.

So is stuff like mussels, shrimp, scallops, grilled calamari.

I incorporate a lot of this into my diet, along w/ a protein shake or two (depending on what I'm doing). Zero red meat. My body love it. Been cutting flab and adding lean muscle to my frame consistently for months now.
 
#21 ·
Fish and other seafood are still meat.

I've been trying to cut soy out of my diet completely, I'm not into it and don't like how processed it gets. Quinoa and legumes. Lentils, chickpeas and dark green leafy plants. You have to eat more of it to get the same amount of protein as you would a steak but I think it's better.

The book "Becoming Vegan" is an excellent resource.
 
#22 ·
Why the cutback on meat?

You might look into spirulina powder too, added to a smoothie...adds a little highly nutritious protein kick. Hemp suggestions are good. Soy, depends on if you believe in the estrogen increase or not. Also watch out because most soy is GMO if that's a concern. If not, eat/drink away. Spinach, avocado, broccoli, asparagus, peas are a good veggie source. Quinoa is a great source, 18g per cup cooked. Beans, Lentils and Legumes are good sources. Of course dairy is a good source if you're not going vegan. Grab some whey powder at Costco, $50 for a bag with 75 28g servings. Made by the same people that make Muscle Milk.
 
#23 ·
Hemp protein! Trader Joes has the best price around if you've got TJ's nearby.

My gf and I put quinoa in any dish that calls for rice. Cook it up in fruit juice, coconut water, almond milk, etc to change the flavor. It's great with yogurt and fruit. Makes for great veggie burgers with beans or lentils. And it's a complete protein.
Store cooked grains in ziploc bags rather than tupperware so they retain their moisture better, not sure why it works so well but it does.

Silken tofu can also mix very easily into any smoothies, yogurts, salad dressings, sauces, etc.

Have you tried making seitan? Super protein-rich and soy free meat substitute, made from vital wheat gluten. It's probably the best and easiest meat substitute to make at home, make a big batch and freeze what you dont use for later consumption. It's expensive to buy pre-made and is labor intensive to make, but it's easier to make a ton at once and freeze what you dont think you'll eat within the week.

Dark leafy greens are essential for their iron content. Most have decent protein counts as well.

Dont underestimate the nutritional ingredients in yams and sweet potatoes. They're loaded.

Might want to look into using dates as sweetener as well. Great potassium source, more protein than sugar. Great for blending in to smoothies or any baked goods.
 
#26 ·
Eggs are about the best "non-meat" source.

Most plants aren't a complete protein. Quinoa exempted. Vegetarians have to stack to get complete proteins. Rice and beans is an example. Even then, you only get a few grams of protein, and probably 10x as much or more of carbs. Not overly efficent, IMO.
 
#27 ·
Eggs are about the best "non-meat" source.

Most plants aren't a complete protein. Quinoa exempted. Vegetarians have to stack to get complete proteins. Rice and beans is an example. Even then, you only get a few grams of protein, and probably 10x as much or more of carbs. Not overly efficent, IMO.
I'll race ya!

;)

It's really not that complicated to get a complete and balanced diet from plants. The difficulty/complexity is terribly over-hyped. It's also a lot easier than it used to be, plus you don't get all that pesky cholesterol and artery hardening.
 
#31 ·
The current theories regard atherosclerosis have to do with things like inflammation, lack of anti-oxidants, oxidized fats (saturated fats are resistant to oxidation), etc. It has very little to do with the ingestion of saturated fats or cholesterol. Having said that, a Vegan diet is probably good for heart health due to the abundance of nutrients you get from plants. The only problem is that being vegan gives you a righteous attitude which offends those around you. Don't be like DurianRider LOL.

This is a good site to learn about cholesterol
The Daily Lipid: Fat and Cholesterol
 
#32 ·
The only problem is that being vegan gives you a righteous attitude which offends those around you. Don't be like DurianRider LOL.[/url]
Yea, some of us are worse than others and I have certainly go in phases of up on the soapbox or listening quietly. I have a friend who recently decided to go vegan and it was because of DurianRider, not kidding.
 
#40 ·
I watched the movies "forks over knives" and "food matters", both pretty convincing. What i got out of it is that ALL animal protein is bad for your arteries, including dairy (whey is dairy). And you can't possibly get all the vitamins and minerals you need from today's food, must take multivitamins.
 
#45 ·
^^Too true. I'm an "extremely picky eater" and even with my awesome diet I am at a high risk for heart problems because of genetics. I'm 27 and very active and have an exemplary diet and still have slightly high blood-pressure due to genetics.
 
#46 ·
There was a guy my wife worked with who ran miles and miles each week. And he ate at least as well as an average person, probably better. He was the first guy in his family to live to be 50. He still had a heart attack in his 40s, but had enough interlacing of the arteries on his his heart that only a small portion of muscle died. Sometimes your genes just aren't in your favor.
 
#51 ·
I generally don't like to read link fights over observational studies because it just results in people picking apart a bunch of correlations and causations. Just show me some controlled clinical studies on the effects of certain foods on health. "You guys eat this. You guys eat that. You guys don't do anything different."

Maybe the chinese meat eaters were unhealthy coz all they ate were sweet & sour chicken, battered, fried, and drizzled with red cancer 40 sauce, lol. And maybe the folks who were too dirt poor to eat meat were also toiling in the fields all day.
 
#52 ·
I agree with you about link fights. I did feel it important to do some defense though.

The China Study has a bunch of lab data relating cancer and sources of protein, all on rats. There are also a number of statistical analysis of different cultures and trying to find a link between diet and disease.

The China Study goes pretty far in depth as to the Chinese diets and lifestyles and how that relates to disease. It's a thick book, but worth a read. I listened to it on audiobook over about a month or two of commuting.

As far as diet and athletic performance goes I have not seen any good studies. There are a number of vegan and vegetarian elite athletes, but 1) I have not see any studies comparing athletic performance based on diet and 2) many of the elite vegan athletes (like Dave Zabriskie) were elite athletes and then went vegan. So, while Dave Z. continues to have great results, his athletic development was on an omnivore diet.

To be clear I don't swear on the China Study. It's a great book full of great information, but like anything else, there are holes and biases in it.
 
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