Easy and Healthy Protein Source?

[poofyhairguy]

So I have been trying to get a little healthier lately and I hit a stumbling block when it comes to my diet. It is clear to me at this point I eat way too many carbs in a given day and I need to eat more protein. I drink a protein smoothie every morning but the rest of the day I try to just get by on carbs like potatoes, rice, bread or noodles.

The main problem I have with getting more protein in my diet is that so far, outside of the powder I put in my shake, all the protein sources I know about are a pain in the ass and counterproductive. To explain further:

1. Pain in the Ass - most protein sources are meat, which require cooking before consumption. This alone wouldn't be a problem, but most need to be heated up to be palatable and microwaving meat ruins it. Even if you do cook the meat, it only lasts for a couple of days in most cases.

2. Counterproductive - for most protein sources I have come to rely on some sort of carb as a delivery vehicle. A sandwich or burger needs bread, a taco takes a tortilla, chicken really doesn't take good unless it is breaded and fried, etc. So if I increase my protein intake via the sources I already know I will increase my carb intake too which is the opposite of what I want.

So optimally I am looking for a protein that doesn't need to be heated up and would have a longer shelf life, and would be completely palatable without carbs.

So far the best answer I have discovered that meets that criteria is meat jerky, which is easy, carbless and can be eaten cold. The problem is jerky is pumped with sodium nitrite which I understand might be a bad thing for me if I shift that way for a lot of my protein consumption. I am considering just shifting to two smoothies a day and giving up, but before I did I wanted to ask the group:

Is there some magical protein source I am missing that is not a pain in the ass nor is counterproductive for reducing carb consumption?

Thank you in advance.

 

[vi edit]

Cottage Cheese.

 

[RearAdmiral]

Cottage Cheese.

Yum. Nuts and hard boiled eggs as well. I have a little egg machine that can do 6-7 at a time in a few minutes, super easy.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Yogurt

 

[vi edit]

Yogurt

Greek in particular. More protein than normal. Careful on the flavors though. Some are sugar bombs. Others use artificial sweetners if that is something you are concerned about.

That's why I like cottage cheese. It's just a salt bomb instead of sugar.

 

[nickbits]

Sashimi or poke

 

[blackdogdeek]

Greek in particular. More protein than normal. Careful on the flavors though. Some are sugar bombs. Others use artificial sweetners if that is something you are concerned about.

That's why I like cottage cheese. It's just a salt bomb instead of sugar.

I go with this:

http://siggisdairy.com/product/plain-non-fat/

80 cals, 15g P, 4g sugar

 

[poofyhairguy]

Thank you for the advice everyone!

 

[SlitheryDee]

I second greek yogurt and cottage cheese. I've mostly been using meat based protein for the last year or so, but there was a time when I had tubs of cottage cheese at the ready everywhere I was. It really is a good source of slow digesting protein.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Hard Boiled Eggs - These can last a very long time and provide great protein and fat. Some people remove the yokes to give them a higher protein to calorie ratio, but they are missing out on the good nutrients by doing that. Besides, I think most people (lifters, that is) consume too much protein. I don't believe this is harmful, but it is expensive and wasteful in my opinion. The average lifter should be fine with 150g of protein per day, give or take 25g in any direction.

Tuna Fish in a packet - These taste really good, they come in a variety of flavors and can be eaten right out of the packet and have a very high protein to calorie ratio. My favorites from Starkist are:

Ranch (80cals, 14p, 1.5c, 2f)
Tuna Salad (100cals, 14p, 3c, 3f)
Hickory Smoked (110cals, 19p, 0c, 3f)
Herb and Garlic (110cals, 16p, 2c, 4f)
Sweet n' Spicy (90cals, 16p, 3c, 2f)

Premier Protein Shakes have 30g of protein, 5g of carbs and 3g of fat all at 160 calories. Very high protein to calorie ratio.

These are my suggestions of things that require minimal effort and can store very easily. For example, hard boiled eggs have a long shelf life in the fridge and you can put them in your bag with no refrigeration to use hours later. Tuna is fine for years and the protein shakes don't need to be refrigerated either.

The above are my staples when traveling for getting some quality protein sources and because I typically only eat twice a day (lunch with 35-30% of my daily calories, and dinner @ home with the rest of my calories) these work out perfectly. I also have canned green beans, canned peas and carrots and sometimes canned corn. Again, they don't spoil. They also have zero added sodium versions if you are worried about sodium (I think sodium has gotten a bad rap). I don't retain any water when eating a ton of sodium, only when that sodium is mixed with a crap town of processed food. For example, eating a pizza probably has 3-5g of sodium and will cause me to bloat heavily. If I mix up a few grams of sodium and mixed it with a bouillon cube I won't retain any of the salt into my system and retain a lean appearance. Sodium, combined crappy and terribly processed carbohydrate sources, in addition to consumption of excess is what causes problems. For example, one slice if pizza wouldn't impact me at all... Only when you have your 'fill' so to speak. Each person is different, so I recommend keeping a spreadsheet of how foods impact you and their consumption levels. It is neat to look back and see trends, to learn fom them.

 

[ArchAngel777]

By the way, I thought you might be interested in the IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) school of thought, one I subscribe too for the most part, because it allows dietary flexibility.

For example, you said

for most protein sources I have come to rely on some sort of carb as a delivery vehicle. A sandwich or burger needs bread, a taco takes a tortilla, chicken really doesn't take good unless it is breaded and fried, etc. So if I increase my protein intake via the sources I already know I will increase my carb intake too which is the opposite of what I want.

I believe your logic is sound, yet in error. There is nothing inherently wrong with carbohydrates. The reason you consume too many carbohydrates are because you are likely consuming processed carbohydrates. When you consume a lot of bad carbohydrates they typically cause you to crave more and more of them. This is heavily mitigated by both the carbohydrate source (choosing greens over grains) and quantity. Bread isn't bad in and of itself, but it is bad if you are eating 30%-50% of your calories from it. Bread is something you can eat a lot of without getting full and when you do get full, it gets broken down and digested faster allowing you to get hungry again a few hours later. So while 100c of green beans vs 100c of bread is not going to have a difference on your body composition, it will impact hunger signals in a very different way. Eating the 100g of bread is like going to shout to you "Eat more!!!" and eating the 100g of green beans is likely to have you feeling full and yet very calm. Actually, the truth is, you probably couldn't even eat 100g worth of carbs with green beans in a sitting. But you can easily eat 100g worth of carbs in bread. That is merely two bagels. Heck, I can down 500g of carbs in bread in one sitting without blinking an eye. That is why those sources need to be regulated by you.

So all I am saying is you can follow IIFYM and use that to get an idea of how many grabs of carbs you can eat each day and then ask ask yourself "Would I rather have 3 cups of green beans, or 2 slices of bread" some days the bread might be what you want, but when you really see how dense a lot of breads and processed foods are, you will see just why carbohydrates have become public enemy #1. Mostly due to processed grains.

I also want to add that there is a place for grains in the diet. Especially for endurance athletes or any activity that taxes your glycogen stores. That said, they are not necessary for recover glycogen, just merely a dense way to get them without feeling bloated - again, provided you don't over consume, which is very easy to do. When I do want to heavy on grains for refilling glycogen, I typically resort to pancakes and glucose based syrup. Not only are these a good treat, they seem to have minimal impact on 'spill-over' (a condition where you are bloated and retain subcutaneous water making you look fat instead of lean). That said, every one is different, but I think we all have more in common than less and that is why I think general rules apply to most everyone. Everyone wants to believe they are a special unique snow flake, when really, they are not. Human physiology is pretty consistent across the board.

 

[Zivic]

So I have been trying to get a little healthier lately and I hit a stumbling block when it comes to my diet. It is clear to me at this point I eat way too many carbs in a given day and I need to eat more protein. I drink a protein smoothie every morning but the rest of the day I try to just get by on carbs like potatoes, rice, bread or noodles.

The main problem I have with getting more protein in my diet is that so far, outside of the powder I put in my shake, all the protein sources I know about are a pain in the ass and counterproductive. To explain further:

1. Pain in the Ass - most protein sources are meat, which require cooking before consumption. This alone wouldn't be a problem, but most need to be heated up to be palatable and microwaving meat ruins it. Even if you do cook the meat, it only lasts for a couple of days in most cases.

2. Counterproductive - for most protein sources I have come to rely on some sort of carb as a delivery vehicle. A sandwich or burger needs bread, a taco takes a tortilla, chicken really doesn't take good unless it is breaded and fried, etc. So if I increase my protein intake via the sources I already know I will increase my carb intake too which is the opposite of what I want.

So optimally I am looking for a protein that doesn't need to be heated up and would have a longer shelf life, and would be completely palatable without carbs.

So far the best answer I have discovered that meets that criteria is meat jerky, which is easy, carbless and can be eaten cold. The problem is jerky is pumped with sodium nitrite which I understand might be a bad thing for me if I shift that way for a lot of my protein consumption. I am considering just shifting to two smoothies a day and giving up, but before I did I wanted to ask the group:

Is there some magical protein source I am missing that is not a pain in the ass nor is counterproductive for reducing carb consumption?

Thank you in advance.

sounds like you are a 5 yr old and just being a picky eater.

chicken breast is very palatable with nothing more than mustard, soy sauce or a little spaghetti sauce.

steak and hamburger can easily be eaten cold with nothing added.

fish is something I really only like to eat at the time it was prepared. Tuna, though, is pretty easy to travel with. they have easy open cans and pouches. I find tuna with a little mustard pretty tasty. have heard of others mixing tuna with a banana.

Eggs - all sorts of ways to cook them up

other sources:
Greek yogurt, but plain, unflavored otherwise it's just a bunch of sugar
whey protein supplements - you can use them to flavor the yogurt
nuts, beans and peanut butter

 

[dullard]

Buy a nitrate free ham (not that nitrates are that bad, but you wanted to avoid them). They are harder to find in deli slices, so just get a big nitrate free ham and have your grocery store slice it. Put it into some bags, freeze all but one, then leave that last one in the fridge. Eat it cold, or give it a quick sear on the stove.

Skinless chicken thighs. Way tastier than chicken breast and need nothing but a quick pan sear and a bit of pepper. Just a few minutes to cook. Sure the chicken thigh has a bit more fat than the breast, but you don't need any oil, butter, or batter.

Like others have said, eggs aren't really that much effort.

Or for the ultimate luxury and low effort, get a sous vide machine and keep it running. Take out yesterday's perfectly cooked meat. Eat. Throw in another piece of meat. Repeat tomorrow.

 

[blackdogdeek]

Skinless chicken thighs. Way tastier than chicken breast and need nothing but a quick pan sear and a bit of pepper. Just a few minutes to cook.

I bake 3 lbs of these (with skin) at 350F for 60 minutes with nothing but garlic salt on them. It takes longer but makes several meals worth of chicken. And they even taste good right out of the fridge.

 

[SP33Demon]

HB eggs, sardines in olive oil (or canned tuna) are my staples + milk protein shake + almonds. All are easy to store and eat, and in conjunction with chicken or turkey during lunch = some of the healthiest/easiest options out there. Since I only need about 120g per day it's a no brainer. 26g from eggs (7-10 per day)/almonds, 24g from 1can sardines + 68g from a shake at night (20 oz organic whole milk + 2 scoops of ON powder). If I eat a big lunch with chicken then I'll skip the eggs/almonds or sardines, or double up on the sardines if I miss my egg meal. Then I'll carb cycle on training days (eat any carbs I want) vs restriction/fasting on off days. I don't track fats because 90% of my fats are good and I need them for powerlifting. If I was bodybuilding I'd probably cut down on them some by replacing whole milk with skim. So my meal plan is a mix of paleo+warrior and I don't usually gain weight but somehow get stronger.

I've been looking into making my own jerky but don't have time for that right now (launching a side business atm).

 

[edro]

Premier Protein Shakes have 30g of protein, 5g of carbs and 3g of fat all at 160 calories. Very high protein to calorie ratio.

I drink those for breakfast. They are great and cheap.
I'm really happy with their new cap design. The old foil peel off design was terrible.

I also like canned salmon.
It stinks like hell, but has great macros, it easy and tastes great.

I often eat a can of salmon and 1/2 a pouch of Uncle Ben's 90sec rice.
Salmon can - 225/10/0/35
1 Serv 90 sec Rice - 220/3/42/6
445-13-42-41
26% Fat
39% Carbs
38% Protein

 

[ArchAngel777]

I drink those for breakfast. They are great and cheap.
I'm really happy with their new cap design. The old foil peel off design was terrible.

Yep, they are a quality protein supplier. Casein & Whey. Couldn't ask for better. Basically just milk without the carbs. The only downside would be sucralose as their artificial sweetener. But I am not opposed to artificial sweeteners, so that doesn't both me. Definitely the best protein shake on the market, in my opinion.

So tired of everything using soy and soy isolate. In theory soy isolate is decent, but it is 'iffy' in regards to those isoflavones being filtered out. I mean, you are trusting the process is getting rid of most of them, but it might not be... Best to avoid large amounts of it, just to be safe.

 

[SP33Demon]

I drink those for breakfast. They are great and cheap.
I'm really happy with their new cap design. The old foil peel off design was terrible.

I also like canned salmon.
It stinks like hell, but has great macros, it easy and tastes great.

I often eat a can of salmon and 1/2 a pouch of Uncle Ben's 90sec rice.
Salmon can - 225/10/0/35
1 Serv 90 sec Rice - 220/3/42/6
445-13-42-41
26% Fat
39% Carbs
38% Protein

How much sodium per can? Probably a shitload.

 

[z1ggy]

Suck it up and cook the meat, bring it to work, then reheat it. I've been doing it for years now... You just get used to it. Anything that is protein dense that isn't processed and loaded with salt is going to require this.

 

[poofyhairguy]

For example, you said I believe your logic is sound, yet in error. There is nothing inherently wrong with carbohydrates. The reason you consume too many carbohydrates are because you are likely consuming processed carbohydrates.

Which is exactly my problem, I love processed carbs and bread. I have tried in recent years to mitigate the situation by only eating vegan sprouted grain bread, but that only helps digestion and not my dietary balance.

Thank you for the write-up, that really got me thinking!

sounds like you are a 5 yr old and just being a picky eater.

You are right on the money there, I won't even deny it. Part of reason I eat so many carbs is because I get almost all my vegetable portions for the day via green juice I make (aka minus the fiber). Like a 5 year old I can't stand to really sit down and eat uncooked vegetables every day, but I did learn to chug disgusting stuff in college so green juice gives me a solution (even if it doesn't fill me up).

With that said, I don't know how to fix that internal issue of my pickiness. I have wasted so much food in my life putting it in front of me and trying to force myself to eat it or trying to starve myself to a point where I can eat it. I would much rather find a solution within the options I will eat rather than continue to waste one piece of chicken after another (for example).

I thank you and everyone in this thread for giving me more choices to consider on that list, I am always willing to try new things in hopes it is something I can turn into a staple.

Suck it up and cook the meat, bring it to work, then reheat it. I've been doing it for years now... You just get used to it. Anything that is protein dense that isn't processed and loaded with salt is going to require this.

Quite honestly I don't really have a problem with daytime lunch. My wife makes me casseroles to take to work, which I always just heat up in a microwave. After this thread I am going to ask her to tweak them some and try to maybe get some more cottage cheese or yogurt in them when possible, a lot of them now are too carb heavy I realize. My main dilemma is just dinner, and having some sort of mid day snack that isn't just carbs.

I will say this thread has inspired me to try and give microwaved meat another try. I have an inverter microwave that doesn't completely super nuke everything, and in the last couple of days I have learned it can heat up frozen cooked pork or cooked ground meat fairly well. I might just try to cook a ton of meat on the weekends, freeze it, and then heat it up via the inverter function every night.






Again I want to thank everyone for contributing to this thread. This gave me a lot of new things to consider, and I already have started to shift my diet. One thing that is clear to me after your responses is that I need to step out of my comfort zone and try new things to see if they are palatable to me. A lot of the suggestions are things I have never considered, which shows how ignorant I was about protein sources.

 

[deadlyapp]

If you need good mid-day snacks, here are some of my main staples:

deli turkey wrapped bell peppers with dijon mustard
brown rice cake with hummus
brown rice cake with peanut butter
tuna with greek yogurt and on whole grain / sprouted cracker
avocado and chicken with lime & cilantro
celery with peanut butter / nut butter

Most of the above have reasonably low carb counts per serving (~15g) with medium to high protein (10-25g). Most of them have relatively high fat content which is good for reducing hunger and provided you use more natural ones with better oils then it's relatively healthy.

Everyone else has already yelled at you about your other habits so I'll refrain.

 

[Zivic]

You are right on the money there, I won't even deny it. Part of reason I eat so many carbs is because I get almost all my vegetable portions for the day via green juice I make (aka minus the fiber). Like a 5 year old I can't stand to really sit down and eat uncooked vegetables every day, but I did learn to chug disgusting stuff in college so green juice gives me a solution (even if it doesn't fill me up).

With that said, I don't know how to fix that internal issue of my pickiness. I have wasted so much food in my life putting it in front of me and trying to force myself to eat it or trying to starve myself to a point where I can eat it. I would much rather find a solution within the options I will eat rather than continue to waste one piece of chicken after another (for example).

I thank you and everyone in this thread for giving me more choices to consider on that list, I am always willing to try new things in hopes it is something I can turn into a staple.

you need to change your thinking. You need to realize you are eating for a purpose rather than eating for satiation or enjoyment. You don't get the immediate reward while eating, but after about 10 days, maybe two weeks or so, it will reward you with feeling better and will become normal to you the way you eat now feels normal. Your body craves the types of foods you have been eating. You eat carbs, your body craves more carbs. this is very generalized but you need to change this. start eating chicken breast and broccoli and eventually your body will crave that.

when your diet is on point, it is very rewarding. You get a strong feeling of accomplishment and gives you a feeling of confidence as it takes some decent self discipline to really truly eat for purpose. The overall best things resulting from it will be the way you feel and look. Diet is the key to everything; you get that under control and you have overcome the biggest obstacle you face.

Most people will go to the gym, run, or do some sort of physical activity and get a feeling of accomplishment out of that. what they fail to realize is that the physical activity is fine and dandy, but means next to nothing without a proper diet. Make the time spent at the gym worthwhile and get your diet on point

 

[Kaido]

Most people will go to the gym, run, or do some sort of physical activity and get a feeling of accomplishment out of that. what they fail to realize is that the physical activity is fine and dandy, but means next to nothing without a proper diet. Make the time spent at the gym worthwhile and get your diet on point

This is something I've really come to realize in the past year. I'm no H&F expert, but what has been solidified in my mind is that diet controls fat & exercise controls muscle. What kills me is the "excitement trap" that people fall into: they decide to get in shape, get a gym membership, go do cardio for an hour every day & randomly lift some weights, and never ever ever think, talk about, or change their diets. It's like a hamster wheel...you feel like you're going somewhere, but you're not, or at least, you're getting there really inefficiently.

imo, all noobs should start out, for 12 weeks, with IIFYM for food & something like Starting Strength (with a trainer) for an exercise program - these both give you specific steps to follow & targets to know you're making progress & being successful at your goals. It teaches you what your body requires for food & how to look at food & getting used to eating enough to power your lifestyle, and gaining some muscle & learning proper form with weightlifting. From there, pick & choose what you want to pursue for food & workout regimen, but at least you'll have a solid foundation of knowledge & experience on which to base your future decisions on, rather than "welp, I did 45 minutes on the elliptical, time to reward myself with a Big Mac!" :awe:

 

[blackdogdeek]

OP, do you like cold cuts? I know you wanted to avoid carbs but as another poster said, there's nothing inherently wrong with carbs.

Eg - 2 slices of Vermont Bread Company soft white bread is 180 cals, 34g Carbs, 2g Fat, 6g Protein. If you pair that with 6 oz of Wellshire Farms Black Forest Ham which is 210 cals, 0g Carbs, 6g Fat, 36g Protein you get a total for the sandwich of:

390 cals, 34g Carbs, 8g Fat, 42g Protein

If you have a toaster oven at work, you can toast the sandwich and it tastes even better. You can add cheese and/or mustard too and just add the calories and macros to determine how much you're eating.

imo, all noobs should start out, for 12 weeks, with IIFYM for food & something like Starting Strength (with a trainer) for an exercise program

This is a good idea but I think what would be even better is just do IIFYM without ANY change in physical activity. This should solidify the idea about diet being central to weight loss. Pairing the two could lead to some people assuming that the strength training is the primary reason they are losing fat.

 

[z1ggy]

Also, is it possible for you to cook things fresh in the AM? If you are a good multi-tasker, it's possible to cook a full lunch while also getting ready. For example, I:

1) Wake up and put a pan on the oven and turn stove on. Put on a little coconut oil
2) Take dog out for bathroom while pan heats up
3) Put in protein (chicken, ground turkey, pork chop, shaved steak)
4) Go get dressed
5) Go to stove, flip meat, add in veggies
6) Prepare hair so it's not all sh!t looking
7) Flip meat and veggies, chop meat up a bit, add spices
8) Put on shoes, feed dog and cats
9) Take food off stove, put into tupper ware
10) Leave for work

This entire process of me getting ready, taking out dog AND cooking my lunch only takes me 40 mins. However I have to add, I do IF (Fasting) and only eat once at work. My lunch is usually pretty substantial and is about 700-900 calories, and I have a little bit before I go work out, and then the rest right after. I don't snack at all.