food containing lots of protein
 

I just want to increase the amount of protein in my diet by a little... what are the best high protein foods? I'd only take protein shakes/bars etc if I felt I couldn't do it just by eating normal stuff.

cheers people

PS: I've tried practicing a few of the suggestions I've read on here so far and it's helping - thanks!

I don't know the amounts, but i have been told that the real animal protein contained in meats, eggs, etc is much better for you and much more effective than the synthesized stuff you find in the protein bars and shakes.

Tuna has a lot...So does Chicken

Meat. All kinds. Chicken breast, Turkey, Tuna, Salmon etc are great sources of lean protien.

also tofu, beans of all types, and nuts are great sources of protein. Great for vegetarians or anyone looking for cheaper sources of protein (meat can get a bit pricey)

hell pb and j sandwich with a glass of milk has a decent amount of protein

Peanuts and tuna are a couple of my favorite sources. But a good black bean and rice mix with a little salsa thrown in will do wonders for you too.

Great healthy snack - apples or celery with peanut butter. mmm mmm!

so I don't have to drink raw eggs every morning - phew! ;)

thanks, I'll try these

a good steak will often give you your required dose of protein for the day and them some, so thats always a good, and t-hasty option.

one of the easiest ways to introduce more protein is to get your self some sliced ham and bread, everytime you feel hungry, make a nice big sandwich superloaded with ham and other meat products, works for me.

mmmm steak ... that sounds like good advice :)

today I had the leftovers of a chicken stir-fry (assorted veg, noodles), to which I added cashews

was looking at tins in the cupboard and sardines seemed to be very high in protein too

has anyone tried doing a recipe collection on this subject i wonder ...

protein
 

I would stay away from deli meats... loads of preservatives and chemicals.

1 boneless chicken breast has as much protein as you can take in one sitting without storing the excess as fat.

so what's the point of protein shakes? or can you have several "doses" of protein per day, as long as it's not all in one monster snack?

Protein shakes are a good way to get protein into your body after a workout. You want that option because after you're finished working out the sooner you get protein to your muscles the better. If you sit around cooking a chicken breast, you're losing time.

You need a lot of protein in a day too. I wouldn't want to pay for/prepare meat 3-4 times a day.

ah that makes sense. cool. Thanks!

yogurt also has a lot of protein, when Im loading myself with protein (I'm a weightlifter) I mix my protein shake mix in a bowl of yogurt.

The big problem is, if you're looking to build muscle and not gain fat, how do your increase your protein intake without increasing your fat intake? That's where supplements come in. Most protein shakes are made out of whey, a byproduct of cheesemaking that happens to be high in protein. A whey protein shake is real animal protein. A good protein shake also has 0-1 grams of carbs and fat, and 25-30 grams of protein per serving.

To get enough protein to build muscle (1 gram per pound of body weight per day) you should split the total amount between 5-6 servings. Your body can only process so much protein at once, anything extra will get stored as fat.
Hope this helps.

yes, that does help, thanks! I'll give the shakes a go in that case, see what happens.

Remember, your body can only absorb about 25 grams of protein at a time! If you're loading up all at once, you're wasting it.

Gets tough when you're trying to build mass - a 150 pound man needs about 150g of protein a day when in a mass building exercise program... so have to do that in six 25g portions throughout the day.

This may be a bit off topic, but I think it's related enough to reply instead of start a new post..

Is protein needed for cardio at all?

Furthermore, taken to a basic level, cardio burns fat.. So would taking protein while doing a lot of running/activity be counter-productive?

I mean, when you do cardio, you don't generally build muscle, do you?

Is it beneficial to add protein into a cardio-oriented workout, or is that a waste? I'm starting to understand protein and how it works with the body a little bit, thanks to the replies at the forums here...

I'm really glad I took the time to read posts and ask a few questions instead of just going and assuming the more protein the better.. When in fact that may not be the case at all.

Not to be an ass, but didn't you already start a whole new topic to ask that question?

There shouldn't be such a thing as a "cardio orientated" workout. What do you do cardio for, to get in shape, to lose weight? Well, you will be aided tremendously by lifting weights. If you want to do cardio for 2 hours a day, go ahead, but make sure you're lifting weights 3 times a week( at least ) as well.

Protein is needed to build that muscle that you will be building while lifting weights, so yes, you do need protein even if your goal is to *LOSE* weight. And when I say weight, I mean fat.


( I believe protein also helps you burn fat, but I don't know how or why, so I won't say that it does )

I eat whatever the fuck I want as long as it has a lot of protein. I have a six pack and the girls love it.

Thanks for sharing.

I've seen anywhere from 25-50g in one sitting. I think this varies person to person.

thanks everyone. ok, so I'm now eating more of the following:
milk
yoghurt
eggs
sardines (& other fish)
houmus/humus (mostly chickpeas)
nuts

and I'm going to try the rice/black beans/salsa cos it sounds nice...

any recipe suggestions for tofu? it can be quite difficult to work with can't it? like, plenty of marinading needed?

Tofu is pretty much flavorless, it will take on the flavor of whatever you have mariinated it in. I like it with some hot chili oil and soy sauce. then grilled.

Tofu also comes in different textures Soft (which is good for blending into eggs and other stuff), Firm and Extra Firm -- extra firm is best for grilling or frying, it holds its shape.

ahahaha

I think tofu is best in Thai or Chinese recipes. Most Chinese recipes that use tofu call for the silken kind, but you can use firm if you want. A quick search on Google should keep you busy with all kinds of recipes.

One of my favorite Chinese tofu recipes is Mapo tofu - its a spicy tofu and ground pork dish. Or you can just stirfry some vegetables, tofu, and meat with some soy sauce and garlic.

Also, I rarely ever marinate my tofu and I find that cooking it is easier than cooking with meat. You don't have to worry about proper handling or under cooking with tofu.

Here is a site for high Protein food.

varies...unless someone can tell me how you measure it..

good for veg, but meat is better alternative for non veg. beans and bread and nuts all have protein but you'd only be absorbing less than half of the protein. tho if you eat truckloads of this then there'd be no problem

I think a balance of protein from different sources is better as it is absorbed differently. I do drink a shake immediately after lifting or cardio - I take spin classes - for recovery, to cut down on lactic acid and to repair muscle fiber.

I think it all depends on how much you weigh and your goals on how hard you work.

Lots of good things for eating habbits here in this thread though.

I don't think anyone has mentioned mushrooms, another good source of protein. Here's my typical work day diet:

7:30 oat bran/whole grain toast with natural peanut butter
10:00 a hard boiled egg
1:00 whole grain pasta with black beans, kidney beans, portobella mushrooms, onions, ground meat, tomato sauce
3:30 red seedless grapes, cashews or pistachios
6:30 (post workout) an apple, protein shake
8:30 salmon, chicken, scallops or steak grilled with steamed veggies

mushrooms .....never heard of that

you're going to have to eat bucketloads of mushrooms to get the same protein as from meat and poultry

A cup of mushrooms gives you 2 grams of protein...a cup of peas will give you more then twice that.

Fish Fish Fish. Fish has any amazing amout of protein and it is soooo clean. Very little calories, fat and carbs. It protein packed - any kind of fish. It also contains the omega fat that is good for you.
Another favourite of mine is not mentioned that much - Cottage Cheese. 150 grams (about 2 tablespoons) of ultra-low fat cottage cheese has 15 grms of protein / 95 calories / 0.5 grms of fat and about 7 grams of carbs. How good is that !- that's better then a protein bar!
My goal is to lose weight and gain muscle so I try to keep the calories low and the protein high.