I try to start my day with a really healthy breakfast, before all the unhealthy temptations start. I prep a couple of days at a time, so I can just eat in the morning. I mix a cup of nonfat Greek yogurt, a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds, a tablespoon of cacao nibs, almond milk, and a half a cup of frozen blueberries, then in the morning i add some walnuts. It’s more than 30 grams of protein, high in fiber, healthy fats, and easy. I buy most of the ingredients at Costco, so it’s inexpensive. You can also add sweetener, a different fruit or milk.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been working with a dietician and get regular body composition scans. I also life weights, and am trying to lose body fat. What I’ve found is that when my protein dips below 120g/day, I lose more muscle mass than ideal. When I keep it over 120, I maintain more muscle and my weight loss is more fat loss.

When reducing calories/eating in a deficit, eating enough protein is even more crucial for the reasons you stated above. When in a deficit your body will burn fat and muscle for energy this is why eating enough protein and strength training while in a deficit is important.

OP- I regularly eat 30g/meal. Lean meat (chicken, lean beef, lean turkey, pork), greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs with added egg whites.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most Americans are eating WAY more protein than they need for health, and getting it from animal sources which drives heart disease and diabetes.

Yes muscle mass loss in aging is a very real thing, but most folks can maintain by staying active and weight training and can build plenty of muscle on a vegan diet.

But I know you won’t listen to me because there is so much cult of protein propaganda out there.

Truth:

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-great-protein-fiasco/

Vegans look sickly, pale and wane.

There are tons of vegan endurance athletes. I am one of them. I have many sub-70.3s. How many do you have?

Endurance athletes don't tend to to have much, if any, muscle mass.

I’ve been working with a dietician and get regular body composition scans. I also life weights, and am trying to lose body fat. What I’ve found is that when my protein dips below 120g/day, I lose more muscle mass than ideal. When I keep it over 120, I maintain more muscle and my weight loss is more fat loss.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most Americans are eating WAY more protein than they need for health, and getting it from animal sources which drives heart disease and diabetes.

Yes muscle mass loss in aging is a very real thing, but most folks can maintain by staying active and weight training and can build plenty of muscle on a vegan diet.

But I know you won’t listen to me because there is so much cult of protein propaganda out there.

Truth:

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-great-protein-fiasco/

Vegans look sickly, pale and wane.

There are tons of vegan endurance athletes. I am one of them. I have many sub-70.3s. How many do you have?

And sensitive and argumentative… eat a burger girl

High protein is trendy right now but keep in mind the longest lived cultures (blue zones) eat mostly plants/high fiber and tend to have minimal meat. They also get natural exercise. It’s possible we need increased protein to feel good because our collective health is so crappy and we’re correcting for imbalances in our hormones, lack of natural muscle, etc. but the optimal diet does not necessarily include so much protein.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most Americans are eating WAY more protein than they need for health, and getting it from animal sources which drives heart disease and diabetes.

Yes muscle mass loss in aging is a very real thing, but most folks can maintain by staying active and weight training and can build plenty of muscle on a vegan diet.

But I know you won’t listen to me because there is so much cult of protein propaganda out there.

Truth:

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-great-protein-fiasco/

Vegans look sickly, pale and wane.

There are tons of vegan endurance athletes. I am one of them. I have many sub-70.3s. How many do you have?

Anonymous wrote:Most Americans are eating WAY more protein than they need for health, and getting it from animal sources which drives heart disease and diabetes.

Yes muscle mass loss in aging is a very real thing, but most folks can maintain by staying active and weight training and can build plenty of muscle on a vegan diet.

But I know you won’t listen to me because there is so much cult of protein propaganda out there.

Truth:

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-great-protein-fiasco/

Vegans look sickly, pale and wane.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 egg and 2 egg white scramble with 1/2 cup oatmeal and 1 oz almonds- 30g.
Peanut butter sandwich with a glass of kefir- 28g.
6 oz chicken breast with 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of broccoli- 42g.

NP and thanks! Any more sample “menus”? What about yogurt - what’s the best kind - Greek? Should it be whole milk or something else? Would like to increase my protein intake but don’t know where to start

NP. I like whole milk Greek yogurt. I put a scoop in lentils, or I have it plain with sliced banana for breakfast.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 egg and 2 egg white scramble with 1/2 cup oatmeal and 1 oz almonds- 30g.
Peanut butter sandwich with a glass of kefir- 28g.
6 oz chicken breast with 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of broccoli- 42g.

NP and thanks! Any more sample “menus”? What about yogurt - what’s the best kind - Greek? Should it be whole milk or something else? Would like to increase my protein intake but don’t know where to start

No problem PP. What I do is make a list of acceptable protein foods I like to consume for each meal and sub them out. If you stick to the portion sizes mentioned in my first post you'll get the same amount of protein. Tuna, shrimp, lean pork, and whitefish are interchangable with chicken breast. The kefir can be swapped out with milk, yogurt, or soymilk. The peanut butter sandwich could be a can of lentil soup or black beans and rice. The eggs could be turkey bacon and 2% cheese of your choice. Lean beef like sirloin and salmon are also great go tos. Skim milk is a surprisingly great option as well. 12g per cup. If you make a chai latte twice a day as a snack, that's 24g right there.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm wary of too much protein. It can mess with your liver and kidneys.

OK, but Harvard says a good maximum is "probably" 2g per kg: https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/when-it-comes-to-protein-how-much-is-too-much

For me, that means staying under 116g a day. No problem there! Do you know how much of a challenge it is to get that much protein spread throughout the day? Or even 100g? Or even 90g?

I started tracking my food intake just to see, and unless I'm trying to up my protein, it's easy for me to get barely 60g a day, even as an omnivore. I just don't understand these broad statements (not made by you, PP, but by others) about how Americans don't have to worry about getting enough protein and indeed get too much. That is definitely not the case for a lot of women I know.

Even the recommendations for high amounts of protein is between .8 and 1 gram per pound. That’s really not in the range of all the health issues people post about. And I agree with you that it’s really hard to get that amount of protein.

Plus there is a huge difference between eating egg whites and eating hamburgers. But everyone acts like it’s all the effects are the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 egg and 2 egg white scramble with 1/2 cup oatmeal and 1 oz almonds- 30g.
Peanut butter sandwich with a glass of kefir- 28g.
6 oz chicken breast with 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of broccoli- 42g.

NP and thanks! Any more sample “menus”? What about yogurt - what’s the best kind - Greek? Should it be whole milk or something else? Would like to increase my protein intake but don’t know where to start

I have 1 cup of Greek yogurt and a small bit of granola and berries for a snack. I prefer plain yogurt so it takes the flavor of whatever I put in it. Check the label but the protein difference between non fat and whole milk isn’t significant.

Anonymous wrote:2 egg and 2 egg white scramble with 1/2 cup oatmeal and 1 oz almonds- 30g.
Peanut butter sandwich with a glass of kefir- 28g.
6 oz chicken breast with 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of broccoli- 42g.

NP and thanks! Any more sample “menus”? What about yogurt - what’s the best kind - Greek? Should it be whole milk or something else? Would like to increase my protein intake but don’t know where to start

2 egg and 2 egg white scramble with 1/2 cup oatmeal and 1 oz almonds- 30g.
Peanut butter sandwich with a glass of kefir- 28g.
6 oz chicken breast with 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of broccoli- 42g.

Anonymous wrote:As we age we should eat more protein.
Sarcopienia is real and should be avoided.

Sarcopenia isn’t from not eating enough protein. It part of the natural aging process, largely due to drops in hormones and drop in physical activity. Nutrition can play a role, but if someone is eating a balanced diet and enough food, you can’t blame lack of protein for aging muscle loss