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Cutting down on meat/fish and needing more protein

(32 Posts)
bytheway Thu 11-Jan-24 11:35:59

I am trying, fairly successful, to cut down drastically on the amount of meat and fish I eat (though I have no intention to cut it out completely) This is in an attempt to lose weight and also because I believe it will be better for my health.

However, I am finding it hard to get enough protein in my diet.
I do not like tofu, seitan etc so a, relying largely on vegtables and vegan protein powder to up my protein intake intake.

Even eggs and cheese don’t contain that much protein.

I am also eating beans to up the amount of protein but struggling to enjoy them.

If only regularly vegetables had large amounts I would be fine.
Any idea?

Baggs Thu 11-Jan-24 11:46:50

Forgive me for being blunt but drastically cutting down on the most high protein foods (meat and fish) and then struggling to get enough protein seems like an oxymoron to me.

If it's about losing weight, why not cut down on carbs which are less useful?

PestyOne Thu 11-Jan-24 12:31:56

Vegetables are carb heavy, are metabolised by the body and stored as fat! Cut down on your carbohydrate consumption (carrots, potatoes, apples, banana and other starchy fruit & veg) to encourage the body to use up stored fat reserves. Resume eating lean meats and plenty of fish to increase protein intake and maybe use hemp protein powder or pea protein powder stirred into soups, yoghurt, etc.
Hope this helps 👍

Theexwife Thu 11-Jan-24 13:10:34

Protein powder or drinks is the easiest way especially if you are trying to lose weight.

If you do not take in enough protein you will be hungry and tired, not a good combination when trying to lose weight.

Maybe it would be better to lose the weight first on a high protein low carb eating regime then reduce the meat and fish in your diet.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 11-Jan-24 13:15:28

Lean meat and fish would be the last things I cut out if I wanted to lose weight. Eating less red meat is good for your health, but fish and poultry are valuable foods.

toscalily Thu 11-Jan-24 13:23:04

Consuming meat & fish in moderate amounts rather than becoming totally vegetarian does seem to be what many more of us should be doing. I wonder how you know you are not getting enough protein, is there a magic number, an ideal amount?

AreWeThereYet Thu 11-Jan-24 13:42:13

It's worth noting that cutting out meat and fish also cuts out necessary fats from your diet - and every cell in your body needs fat of one kind or another.

I agree with others that cutting carbs is the way to go - get rid of sugar and the weight will drop off. Also you could try intermittent fasting. MrA and I lost a lot of inches in 3 months just by getting rid of most sugars and doing 18:6 (only eat within a 6 hour window).

Casdon Thu 11-Jan-24 13:42:26

I’m a fan of peanut butter, which is a very good source of protein - the only problem is, it’s not great if you’re on a diet!

Gwyllt Thu 11-Jan-24 14:04:11

Casdon
Please don’t knock peanut butter. Apparently it is good for the gut biome
Obviously so too are peanuts

Below is bit of net but I have read it before

Good news for peanut butter fans – adding just 2 tablespoons of peanuts to your diet can improve your gut microbiome. A peanut a day keeps the doctor away, according to new research. Peanuts, herbs and spices, even in small amounts, benefit the diversity of our gut bacteria, writes Anna Bartter.( no I am not advertising her don’t know her )

Norah Thu 11-Jan-24 14:16:44

Quinoa
Nuts, seeds, chia
Pulses, lentils, dry beans, peas, edamame
Eggs (have good protein if one is not vegan)
Cheese has some protein if one can tolerate cheese
Milk in various forms (by taste some is decidedly awful)

Decent pulses/ bean recipes with plenty of spices for taste?

Freya5 Thu 11-Jan-24 14:57:34

PestyOne

Vegetables are carb heavy, are metabolised by the body and stored as fat! Cut down on your carbohydrate consumption (carrots, potatoes, apples, banana and other starchy fruit & veg) to encourage the body to use up stored fat reserves. Resume eating lean meats and plenty of fish to increase protein intake and maybe use hemp protein powder or pea protein powder stirred into soups, yoghurt, etc.
Hope this helps 👍

Only a few veg are carb heavy, such as potatoes, carrots parsnips. Most are not.

AGAA4 Thu 11-Jan-24 15:08:25

If you cut down on meat and fish make sure you get enough vitamin B12 which is found mainly in those foods. It's never a good idea to cut down on important food groups without help from a dietician as you may be cutting down on important nutrients apart from protein.

62Granny Thu 11-Jan-24 15:08:26

Why not do the old way of one third of your plate for each food type, that way you can have a little bit of everything, but if you want to really cut it out completely , pulses and lentils are a great source of protein and for instance something you would normally put mince in you could use lentils, e.g Bolognese or shepherds pie, they are reasonable prices and available in cans if you don't want to have to pre boil them. Why substitute meat with a processed item like soya or quorn. Just eat less of the "real" meat/ fish instead.

toscalily Thu 11-Jan-24 15:21:52

62Granny Sound suggestions. You also mentioned soya & quorn being processed while I wonder about the use of hemp protein powder or pea protein powder. To me this is an artificial construction which is hardly conducive to a more natural diet.

Shelflife Thu 11-Jan-24 16:05:50

If you are trying to loose weight you should be eating more meat and fish not less- just don't cook them in oil/ fat. Fill up on veg and fruit and don't cut out carbs too much - just cut down.
The things to avoid are sugar and alcohol!!!!

Katie59 Thu 11-Jan-24 16:21:10

Cut out carbs bread, pastry, rice, pasta, less red meat more peas, beans and vegetable protein plus fresh vegetables.
You will loose weight

Patsy70 Thu 11-Jan-24 17:01:28

Baggs

Forgive me for being blunt but drastically cutting down on the most high protein foods (meat and fish) and then struggling to get enough protein seems like an oxymoron to me.

If it's about losing weight, why not cut down on carbs which are less useful?

I really don’t understand why you would reduce the amount of meat and fish you eat in order to lose weight. Losing weight should be a change of lifestyle, and as others have recommended, reducing the amount carbs (especially pastry, cakes, biscuits) is the way to go. Hopefully you will be able to exercise too.

vegansrock Thu 11-Jan-24 17:31:44

Cutting down meat and fish is definitely not unhealthy as some suggest. Eat less animal products and more plant based foods is the way to go. If you replace one meat based meal with a plant based one it will be good for the animals and the planet.

Farmor15 Thu 11-Jan-24 17:43:01

Chickpeas or chickpea flour (gram flour) are good sources of protein and more palatable than some beans. Gram flour can be used to make a batter to coat vegetables to make fritters - OK- the fat in frying may not be so healthy, but they are very tasty! Tinned chickpeas are very cheap and can be used in lots of ways.

vegansrock Thu 11-Jan-24 17:48:40

Chick pea and butternut squash tagine with couscous
Spinach and bean burgers with salad and jacket potato
Cashew nut curry with coconut rice
Crispy baked tofu with a sticky sauce and spicy rice

eazybee Thu 11-Jan-24 20:15:33

If you need more protein eat more meat and fish.
Common sense.

Farmor15 Thu 11-Jan-24 20:36:37

I think most people eat more protein than they actually need. Cheese and eggs are excellent sources of protein- not sure why bytheway has suggested they're not.

silverlining48 Thu 11-Jan-24 23:56:47

More meat and fish and less carbs and sugar. Reduce Cheese and bread snd watch portion size. Eat slowly. Good luck

silverlining48 Thu 11-Jan-24 23:58:33

Not more meat but some meat. Fish is good though if steamed poached or baked

tobyianathekid Fri 12-Jan-24 00:38:29

Are you sure you've tried all the different types of tofu and cooking styles?

I honestly didn't like tofu to begin with but then I learnt about silken tofu and agedashi and my life changed. I did a quick search and [https://morueats.com/blogs/inspire/what-to-do-with-tofu this] article shares a bit more about the different types of tofu and some recipe ideas.

Worth a read imao. Besides Asian food there's quite a lot of Mediterranean that may suit you too!