Getting enough protein

Getting Enough Protein - Feeding Friday

Sometimes preparing food and then eating it can be more effort than you have energy for.
Toast spread with jam can be the easy way out !

I admit that most discussions with clients are about how to cut calories and lose weight but this week's chat with Ray was all about not losing weight, not losing muscle. He's 70 this year, weight looks OK maybe on the skinny side. He works out with me twice a week with the objective of gaining strength and remaining independent and vigorous for as many years as possible.

Ray lives alone, rarely goes out at night because his eye's are no longer reliable for night driving. So eat eats at home a lot. Ray is 5' 8" and weighs 140 pounds. He looks OK apart from a small belly bulge maybe even somewhat skinny.

This brought up the question of how to get sufficient protein when you really do not want to eat big meals and you want to be careful with the amount of saturated fat being taken in. Ray was not keen on going to a nutritionist to get a complete diet plan. He just wanted a few simple meal ideas.

How much protein does he need ?

The US health guidelines indicate that for someone of this age and weight 70 grams of protein is about right. By the way if you are lighter or heavier than this, divide your weight in pounds in half and that gives an indication of how much protein in grams. So you weight 180 pounds, you are over 65, then 90 grams of protein is your guideline.

This then brings up the question of how to get 70 grams of protein without a burger or sausage feeding frenzy and all the while keeping it healthy and balanced.

• Strangely enough bread ( wholegrain of course) should not be forgotten. Team a thick toasted slice with 1 cup of baked beans (vegetarian for preference - implying to animal fat included) and you have around 15 to 18 grams of protein in an easy to prepare form. Do what the British do and add a dash of brown sauce to the beans.
• Eggs, soft or hard boiled, are an ease to digest source of protein. Boil for 4 minutes for soft and runny. While eggs are cooking toast a thin slice of wholegrain bread. Cut toast into slices. Dip slices into soft egg for what is called in Britain Egg and Soldiers. You need to imagine each slice as a guards man with a big yellow helmet. This is another easy to prepare 15 to 18 grams of protein.
• Cottage cheese: 1 cup gets you 28 grams of protein. Think about teaming with a couple of dried prunes to add in fiber and anti-oxidants.
• Some cereals have a surprising amount of protein. For instance Kashi's cereal is a mixture of soy, barley, wheat, oats and other stuff but 1 cup packs in a lot of protein - 13 grams.

Ray needs to vary what he eats and not have exactly the same thing every day but one 'proper' meal a day plus this kind of healthy snacks should make sure he gets enough protein. If you need to know how much protein is in food items then look at this list from the US Department of Agriculture (admittedly it's the same government department that gave us the Food Pyramid but this list has a solid scientific pedigree).


The next discussion will have to be about eating before and after exercise but that is a discussion for another day.