Tips on how to get in more protein?

[Anonymous]

I've been looking into building some muscle and why it never really seemed to work for me.
And one of the things are not getting enough protein.

I know I'm not a guy, but I'd love to have visible muscle mass in my legs and butt.
So I tried to eat more protein as in over 100g a day but I'm not really getting there at all.

My Diet isn't strictly vegetarian but I'm not keen on meat. For once it's expensive, I don't like the taste and the meat industry is pretty evil.
So other than a slice of salami here and there, no meat for me.
I've also looked into protein shakes but I think when you don't know most the ingredients in there you should stay away from that. So that's a no too.

I know nuts, legumes, greens but it's not really adding up. I usually have chia and hemp seeds with milk in the morning and that's my biggest source of protein

[Tokana]

A lot of what you wrote in regards to whey protein and GMO is hippie stuff. There has never in the history of mankind been a record case whereby someone has gotten sick due to GM foods. Add that to the fact that you're a vegetarian and you're really making it hard on yourself.

Other sources of protein that fit your hippie lifestyle would be:

Soy Protein - Weider 90% Protein powder
Peanut Butter - Lots of calories, fat and protein
Eggs - Eat three of them every morning (not sure if you're okay with that)
Peanuts - Lots and Lots of calories, and some protein.
Edge Cereal - Lots of protein added to it.

Not only will you need to increase your protein intake but you'll also need to increase your caloric intake.

High calorie foods
Pasta
Soy Milk
Peanuts (repeat)
Weight Gainer powder

Its really hard with your type of diet but it can be done.

[Asker]

I didn't just say it about whey protein but about protein powders in general. And there have been a lot of cases where people got sick from GMO food.
Not to mention that it's a new invention and we can't possibly predict the long term effect on our species.

Soy and wheat are probably the worst offenders when it comes to GMO food. But I was actually refering to all the chemicals they put into protein shakes aside from that. I mean have you looked the ingredients list? Can you really tell me that you know all of them and are sure they're safe. They're not FDA regulated by the way

[Tokana]

Show me a case where someone has gotten sick from GMO. Yes, I have looked at the ingredients. Whey is a pritein found in milk. It seems as though you have your mind focused on conspiracy theories rather than fact and fitness. You won't grow with that hippie mentality.

[Asker]

www.globalresearch.ca/.../14570
en.wikipedia.org/.../Genetically_modified_food_controversies
Just read the Health Section.

Point is there is no firm evidence that GMO foods are safe. Many of the corps we eat here failed safety standards in other countries.
If you want to eat them, fine. But I think the least our government can do is giving people the option not to. Which requires labeling them.

Anyways I choose not to eat them, which isn't a huge issue because there are plenty of non gmo protein shakes out there

As for the ingredients. I don't know maybe you have a degree in chemistry or nutritional science but this is a partial list for one product someone else mentioned. Do you really know all of them?

[Asker]

Whey Protein Concentrate (Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Lecithin), Calcium Caseinate, Corn Maltodextrin, Milk Protein Isolate, Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Dairy Creamer (Sunflower Oil, Sodium Caseinate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Potassium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Tocopherols), Natural & Artificial Flavor, Oat Fiber, Calcium Phosphate, Medium-Chain Triglycerides, Vitamin & Mineral Blend (Magnesium Oxide, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Niacinamide, Ferrous Fumarate, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Gluconate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Copper Sulfate, Boron Proteinate, Riboflavin, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Chromium Citrate, Potassium Iodide, Molybdenum Amino Acid Chelate, Selenium Amino Acid Chelate, Cyanocobalamin), Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Xanthan Gum...

[Tokana]

""The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U. S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society, and every other respected organization that has examined the evidence has come to the same conclusion: consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques."

This.

The main section of the paragraphs speaks of three people that have an issue with the way GMO's are tested. Not really a majority in the scientific community.

In regards to the ingredients, no I don't know all of them. But you when you cross the street, how do you know that the vehicle adjacent to you will come to a complete stop or even if he does that he won't just step on the gas and run you over? When you cross a bridge, how do you know if the bridge won't collapse when you cross it? Do you a psychology or a civil engineering degree?

[Asker]

well you asked for one case.
Either way I choose not eat it.

Not eating a shitload of chemicals is avoidable though. As I was saying protein shakes aren't regulated and if I don't know most ingredients in a food I'm not gonna eat it. If you choose to do differently that's fine, I'm not

[Tokana]

Calculated risks are a part of life. No I don't have a chemistry degree, but that doesn't mean that I don't put trust in the people that regulate these industries.

FDA GMO Approval
www.fda.gov/.../ucm346030.htm

Health Canada GMO Approval
https://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/gmf-agm/index-eng.php

Do you have the credentials to tell me that GMO is unsafe?

This GMO is unsafe crap is just a bunch of Liberal Arts degree holders that think they can compete with hard science.

[Asker]

I said protein shakes aren't regulated.

If you have a look at all the chemicals the FDA approves and other countries including Canada and the EU don't you know they do a miserable job.
If you look a bit closer into what GMO foods exactly are approved you'll also find there to be major differences in other countries
www.organicconsumers.org/.../countrieswithbans.cfm
bodyunburdened.com/.../
www.selectstores.ie/.../

I don't think we're gonna agree on that. I choose not to eat GMO foods and as few chemicals as possible, you choose to do differently. Both is ok

[Levin]

Most of the advice you have gotten isn't very good. Honestly, I'd just carry on doing what you're doing, and focus on internal health. From the sounds of it, your body type, like mine, isn't going to allow you to put on vast amounts of muscle. The stuff other people recommend will render you non-stop belching, farting and half conscious. I'm not sure about what has led you to where you are, but through personal experience, all the synthetic shit, sugar and over-eating of meat made me very sick.

Self acceptance may be in order.

I've started to put a bit of muscle on through focus on internal health, and my kung fu exercises, all while I'm eating less and less meat. I'm also looking for suggestions on how to improve my diet and to eat more naturally, which you may be able to help me with.

[lilithgentry]

You could eat protein bars or drink protein shakes and drink almond milk

[lilithgentry]

also eat greek yogurt that has a ton of protein

[Asker]

As I was saying I don't think protein shakes are good. You can't really tell what's in them, most of it is from GMO sources.
Same goes for protein bars of course

[brickster]

I know how you feel. I do like meat and still have trouble getting all the protein I want some days. Eggs and dairy are great. Some wheat cereals have protein. And there is a whey protein that tells you what all is in it, google "stronger faster healthier" they have 100% whey from grass feed cows so you don't have to worry about the heavy metals that you can get with some other protein mixes.

[Asker]

I'm actually not so crazy about whey protein in general. I think I'd go for a vegan version like hemp or pea protein if at all.

I'm guilty of drinking milk for sure and we have some chickens at home that lay a few eggs, but those are my main sources of protein

[brickster]

Cheese?

[kheserthorpe]

Two suggestions, I use both:

I have a shake every morning made from 3-4 egg whites (blend them first), 1/3 cup or so of plain Greek yogurt (contains milk cream and bacterial cultures) and some fruit. As much protein as commercial protein shakes and it's actually made from you know, food.

I make my own protein bars. I make them quite naturally sourced (that's the reason I make not buy). Ask if you'd like the recipe.

[Bandit74]

I have a naturally high metabolism like I can and do eat an entire pizza twice a week and still have a slim waste without exercising. Currently trying to put on a little bit of muscle definition. I dont want to get huge or have to shovel food down my throat but id like to put on a little more weight. Currently I eat these www.vitacost.com/.../...el-Peanut-722252560407.jpg
Would your bars be better or healthier because if so I might be interested in the recipe depending on how complicated it is. also do they taste good?

[Asker]

What do you do with the egg yolks?
And does it taste good? I've never eaten any kind of raw egg.

Ya a recipe for protein bars would be great

[kheserthorpe]

For the shakes I usually use egg whites from a carton. Just easier.

250 grams 100% pure nut butter
100 grams 100% whey concentrate
30 grams 100% pea protein powder
110 grams plain Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1tablespoon honey
150 grams dark chocolate (70- 85% cacao solids)
Mix everything but the chocolate up. I then press it into one end of a baking sheet to get them flat and then chill them a little. Then cut into bars and coat in the melted chocolate.

I don't always use the same nut butters but my favorite is a mix of almond Brazil and cashew.

The most processed thing is the pea protein isolate. I may experiment without. Whey concentrate is simply dried whey (which is what you get when you allow milk to separate into curds and whey.

[Bandit74]

How much protein would you say is in each bar assuming that I cut them to the size of a brownie (2x2)?

[kheserthorpe]

@Bandit74 i'd guess at just over 1/2" thick, X 2x2, you'd be looking around 20g of protein. i eat bigger ones then that.

I'll say right now that protein bars from a factory can -easily- have a more 'impressive' protein/calorie ratio. Because they've tortured the hell out of the product then added chemicals for flavor so that the nutrition label LOOKS amazing. but i'm not convinced that they're healthier (in fact, i suspect that every 2 years they will announce some new thing they've found in real food, that they're now adding).

They're a little over half protein by weight vs. fat and carbs, with the remainder more fat than carb.

[Bandit74]

Ok i dont know shit about nutrition. What is the importance of the protein to calorie ratio. These are the bars I buy.

www.clifbarstore.com/.../builders-max-protein-9box-caramel-peanut

Would you say that your are significantly better, also what would be a rough estimate of the cost of ingredients. Each box is around $17-20 depending on the location and contains 9 bars in a box.

[kheserthorpe]

I'd guess cheaper if you make your own. I'm not sure there's any meaning in calorie/protein ratio. Plenty of people out there are trying to cut calories while boosting protein so they carefully pour over nutrition panels trying to get ones that have nothing but protein. But that inevitably means protein + chemicals. These ones have more fat than most commercial bars. Fat from nut oils. Which is probably good for you. Besides you want more calories, so...

Yeah, health wise, I'd eat mine over those. I don't love soy protein. It's cheap. M'eh.

Basically most commercial stuff is trying to figure 'what's the cheapest ingredients we can use so that it has the numeric nutrition properties that people want'. The problem is, we don't understand nutrition all that well. Whey is good. It makes small cows grow into big cows. Yogurt is good. Nuts are good. Raw honey is good. We don't fully understand why they're good.

[Bandit74]

Alright, thanks for the advice.

[front2back]

Uh... guys MY size (200lbs) should be getting 100+g of protein a day, not a woman. All of that protein will just go to waste because your body can't make use of it.

My main protein sources are:
-Eggs
-Chicken
-Fish (on occasion)
-Beef (on occasion)
-Turkey
-Milk (whole)
-Broccoli
-protein bars (Nature Valley)
-Protein shakes (Syntha-6)

[Asker]

It seems like a lot of protein is what people recommend. I'm at 95lbs at the moment, hope to gain some weight.

I didn't know nature valley made protein bars but I'm not crazy about their granola bars. I also try to stay away from processed food mostly

[front2back]

What you really need is 1 gram of protein per kilogram of weight. You weigh about 43 kilos, so you only need about 50 grams of protein a day, MAYBE 55g. The rest will be wasted.

[NovemberJoseph]

The only true way to see results, is by downloading MyFitnessPal on the AppStore and tracking your calories everyday.

You're gonna have to start eating meat and eggs.
Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight that you weigh. So if you weigh 135lbs, eat 135 g of protein. Not only that, but if you wanna gain mass, you have to eat at a caloric surplus. Just google caloric surplus.

[Asker]

I use a different app, but ya that's why I do.
And I only weigh 95 lbs so maybe over 100g of protein was aiming too high there

I really don't want to start eating meat

[ScruffyNerfHerder]

Get used to really looking at the labels on food. Yogurt actually isn't too bad for protein, but you want to make sure it's more of a greek yogurt, with as little sugar as possible (too many brands use too much sugar).

But that said, I'm not vegetarian, so getting the protein from things other than meat is not my specialty.

[Manbot]

Don't listen to the people telling you to eat meat and eggs, or anything dairy for that matter. It shouldn't be hard to get enough without going out of your way, but if you want extra just get creative, nuts, seeds and hemp hearts in salads, re-fried bean burritos etc, most faux meat stuff is really high in protein and other vitamins, check out Yves ground round if you haven't already.

[BigPhil24]

Fish and eggs will see you right!

Otherwise you could try quinoa? Cottage cheese is also a personal favourite.

If you are really struggling why not get a woman's shake like myprotein elle.

[Asker]

Ya I eat quinoa, cottage cheese and eggs. Not a big fan of fish though or protein shakes.
I don't like the taste of fish and the few I like are loaded with mercury.

I looked into the one you mentioned and it's not terrible ingiridgent wise but very expensive so I don't think I'll be getting that one

[BigPhil24]

Its not that expensive, especially when you have a girls portion which is pretty small!

Depends what price you want to pay for a good body!!

[meatballs21]

You really want protein but are determined to cut out some of the best sources of it?

Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter, Google, quinoa, edamame, peas, beans...

[Anonymous]

Step 1: Suck Dick
Step 2: Swallow Seminal Fluids
Step 3: Eat eggs, fish, nuts, chicken, and protein powders
Step 4: Regret steps 1 and 2

[Ihav2fart]

Step 1 to 2 is always recommended.

[Opinion Owner]

@Ihav2fart it depends... it depends

[Macrick]

Eggs, milk, soy, tofu, fish, chicken. have fun, belle

[Iron_Man]

Eat myoplex twice a day look it up online Its out standing and makes you feel great

[Asker]

thanks for the advice but that's kinda what I mean about protein shakes.
Out of those ingredients I may know a dozen

Whey Protein Concentrate (Whey Protein Concentrate, Soy Lecithin), Calcium Caseinate, Corn Maltodextrin, Milk Protein Isolate, Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Dairy Creamer (Sunflower Oil, Sodium Caseinate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Potassium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Tocopherols), Natural & Artificial Flavor, Oat Fiber, Calcium Phosphate, Medium-Chain Triglycerides, Vitamin & Mineral Blend (Magnesium Oxide, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Niacinamide, Ferrous Fumarate, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Gluconate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Copper Sulfate, Boron Proteinate, Riboflavin, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Chromium Citrate, Potassium Iodide, Molybdenum Amino Acid Chelate, Selenium Amino Acid Chelate, Cyanocobalamin), Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Xanthan Gum...

[Iron_Man]

I know most of them but not every sungle one of them. Anyway Its good stuff I know because I take it and feel great and it makes me sleep better and I feel strong

[SaltandVinegar]

Your in a tough spot if you can't eat meat or protein shakes.

[Klaatu51]

how about protein shake?

[Asker]

as I was saying, I don't know most ingredients in them and I don't like to eat foods like that

[Ihav2fart]

Optimum Nutrition Whey. High recommended.

[Asker]

As I was saying I don't think protein shakes are good. You can't really tell what's in them, most of it is from GMO sources.

[justaregularguyy]

Peanut butter will be your best friend.

[justaregularguyy]

Also egg whites are a perfect source of protein.

[JägerDerNacht]

Complete eggs! This egg white craze is ridiculous... It's scientifically proven that eggs lower LDL (the cholesterol that clogs your arteries)