What foods do you get your protein from

B

bandekk

New Member
I've got my diet planned out quite well I thought with lots of variety of foods, 1 protein shake a day, 2 pints of milk/day, 3 tins of tuna / week, 4 portions of chicken / week, 4 eggs/week, and some other meat/cheese.

Now I am  concerned whether some of these levels are safe, i.e the amount of fish/tuna per week. I've seen some other people diets on this forum and am absolutely amazed at the quantities/frequencies of food types. There have been some scare reports about levels of mercury in tuna etc, or is this just fresh fish. Whilst I appreciate these are not normal eating levels I would like to be sure I am eating a good diet.

I'm trying to get 180g of protein per day, but sometimes struggle whilst trying to get a variety.
I see the diet as the most difficult part of muscle building and the training is easy in comparison.

Can you please tell me what you eat to get the protein, thanks
 
Most canned tuna is called "light" which according to the FDA has about 1/4 the amount of mecury compared to Fresh or Albacore. The larger tuna species generally have higher levels because they have lived longer and they eat all the "lil fishies" that also have some mercury.

You can find a chart of mercury levels in fish posted on the FDA Website.

Do a search on Fish Mercury Levels in their search box, the first two results contain the data.
 
woa.. that made me think... i just ate 2 cans of tuna right before logging on
crazy.gif
 
Lean red meat, white meat, peanuts and egg beaters. I don't like fish and would rather eat food than drink protein shakes.
 
Right now i'm getting my protein from milk, tuna, chicken, and protein powder (pre post workout only).

I've experimented in the past with high protein intakes. I'm talking like 3 cans of tuna for lunch, 2 chicken breasts for dinner, etc.

I once ate 5 chicken breasts at one sitting. That was 200g of protein. I was proud of myself. =)

When i was eating this much tuna i did look into the whole mercury thing a bit. From what i read, i really don't think it's something to worry about. I think the clean bodybuilding lifestyle of eating and training really would make the mercury a moot point anyways. I mean think about how others eat, and we're going to worry about a little bit of mercury?!

But hey, if anybody knows something about the mercury that i don't, please tell me.
 
good point about the bodybuilding lifestyle of eating clean!
my parents are scolding me for eating a lot of carbs and protein ..obviously they don't know what they're talking about because everything in my diet is clean!

i'm going to eat 2 cans of tuna later! (unless someone replies about the tuna mercury thing faster than i can sprint to the store :D )
 
I'm with O&G on this re: protein shakes- I stopped using them a year or so ago, and everything's working out just fine. I don't eat meat or fish. My protein sources are tofu, gluten (seitan), beans, and dairy, and that gives me just what I need, even for bulking (if I want to do that).
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I'm with O&G on this re: protein shakes- I stopped using them a year or so ago, and everything's working out just fine.  I don't eat meat or fish.  My protein sources are tofu, gluten (seitan), beans, and dairy, and that gives me just what I need, even for bulking (if I want to do that).
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Wow, I try and I try that but I cannot seem to get over 200g of protein in a day being a vegitarian w/o shakes. What in the world is your diet like? I guess I get my share from beens, soy and especially dairy but you must eat them in some mass quantity.
 
I like shakes as a supplement. Pre and post workout they're a good idea, it's just that too many people try to get most of their protein through shakes, and that doesn't work very well. I always have a shake for breakfast though, and ever since I've been doing that it's been easier to maintain the rest of my diet for some reason. My morning protein shake recipe is this:

1 Scoop Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Chocolate
1/2 Cup Oatmeal
1/2 Cup Cottage Cheese
8oz Skim Milk
1 Tablespoon Honey or Peanut Butter
Blend and drink

When I calculated the macros there's around 600 calories in this, 50-60 grams of protein and carbs each, and the rest of the calories from fat, mostly unsaturated which is good. It's a great, quick way for me to start my mornings.

If anyone's worried about the tuna, as has been said the type of tuna is really the issue. Lighter ones have less mercury. Also they make other canned meats, canned chicken being a big one. I don't thin mercury is a worry with that at all.

If someone wants an easier diet plan do what my friend does and what I have done from time to time. Grill up a ton of chicken, portion it out into those microwave safe ziplock tupperware-like things, through in some frozen vegetables and freeze them. Heat them up in the microwave and you have a full meal when you want one. If your work has a freezer, keep some in there too. Easy and cheap because to do it right you buy in bulk.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Wow, I try and I try that but I cannot seem to get over 200g of protein in a day being a vegitarian w/o shakes. What in the world is your diet like? I guess I get my share from beens, soy and especially dairy but you must eat them in some mass quantity.
Click to expand...

I eat seitan (about 30g pro/4oz serving) pretty much every other day. Tofu is a good source (about 10g/4oz), and don't overlook cottage cheese (16g/.5cup of non-fat). Oh yeah- textured vegetable protein (TVP) is also packed (16g/1oz dry), and makes great sloppy Joes, chili, and even a nice vegetarian Bolognese sauce for pasta. I also drink at least two 8oz glasses of skim milk/day. It all adds up!
 
I get my protein from chicken breasts, pork loin, tuna fish, eggs, cottage cheese, and protein shakes. (I only drink the shakes pre- and post-workout three times a week.)

I used to worry about mercury levels too, but this thread has (somewhat) assuaged my concern.
 
Seitan is another name for gluten or "wheat meat." It's isolated gluten from wheat flour. It comes in a variety of forms- canned, plastic tubs, frozen, dehydrated- and bears an uncanny resemblance to chicken or beef, depending on how it's prepared. That's not why I eat it- rather, it's because it's a packed source of protein, extremely low in fat/carbs, and amenable to a huge variety of preparations. If you're near an Asian grocery, look for it in cans, often called M'un Chai Ya. Most health food stores carry it as well.
 
My protein comes from:

egg beaters, protein shakes, light tuna, skim milk, chicken, and low-fat cheese

I may try using whey protein powder foods other than shakes like making pudding or a power bar to eat when I am in between classes or at work.

PS - Milk is a great source of protein and is great for supporting bones that get stressed out from weightlifting; think of milk of killing two birds with one stone!

Kudos,
Colby
 
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