Protein and High Protein Foods

Sources of Protein

People are often concerned about whether or not they are having enough protein. Surprisingly it is in many foods which you may not think of.

Why we need Protein

We need Protein for our organs, muscles, skin, and hormones. Your body needs protein to maintain and repair tissues. Your body is constantly doing this of course, especially while you sleep. It is something we take for granted. Children need protein in order to grow.

How much Protein do we need?

Here is an excellent guide :

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/nutrients-food-and-ingredients/protein

Some foods which are good sources of Protein

• Eggs
• Almonds
• Nuts
• Chicken
• Oats
• Cottage Cheese
• Cheese
• Yoghurt
• Milk
• Broccoli
• Beef
• Quinoa
• Tuna
• Lentils
• Ezekiel bread
• Pumpkin seeds
• Turkey breast
• Fish
• Brussels sprouts
• Peanuts
• Seitan
• Wheat flour

Now Wheat flour is also what makes up pasta of course so when people scorn your tinned spaghetti on toast-it does contain some protein-and so does the bread.

Something on Toast

Half a tin of spaghetti contains 3 g (info from Heinz) but other brands much the same content

2 slices of wholemeal bread contain approx 3.6 g per slice so the spaghetti on toast would give you 10.2 g of protein. That is about 20% of average daily needs.

Swap that for Baked Beans on toast which would give you 9.4 g protein for half a tin plus the 7.4 g for the toast and you have a nice 16.8 g of protein-packed in there! Add a sprinkle of cheese for a bit more protein and a lovely taste boost. Add a little black pepper.

Approx one-third of average daily requirements.

How about eggs on toast? Yes, I am keeping this very simple and very cheap. These are the meals and snacks which people often assume, because of price are not very nutritious.

2 large eggs give you approx 14 g of protein so add a couple of slices of bread and you have nearly 22g of protein, it is adding up and almost half of what you may need for the day.

Seitan

So let us look at another method of eating protein. This is something many people have never heard of Seitan. No – not Lucifer, although if you are gluten intolerant you would argue that.

Seitan is made from gluten from wheat flour. Gluten is protein and it is the protein in the flour.

I’ve made this from a cheap bag of flour using the flour wash method. That is a whole new topic though. If you want to learn about this I really do recommend you look up some YouTube videos as they show you all you need to know and really are a fascinating watch. After making Seitan I have never looked at flour the same way.

I’ve made Seitan that looks like steaks and Seitan that looks like battered fish. It is very adaptable and relies on the flavours you add to it.

I will add some posts on this topic as soon as I can.

It makes an excellent meat alternative and of course is great for a Vegetarian or Vegan diet.

Lentils

My favourite cheap source of protein though has to be green lentils, well, any lentils really. The green ones hold their shape and texture well. There are some recipes in the Vegetarian section for Lentil Cottage Pie. I also make Curry, Lasagne and Bolognese with lentils. Wherever you would use minced beef you can use lentils.

One 200 g cup of cooked lentils gives you approx 18g of protein so it is a great protein source for the main meal. One meal made with lentils could potentially contribute to half of your daily protein requirements.

*Sourced from Healthline and NHS*

Add some Vegetables

If you add in some vegetables you will be getting some more protein of course and the same if this is incorporated into a pasta dish.

If you are on a low budget it does not mean you need to deprive yourself of protein or any other vital nutrient. It does not have to be meat at every meal or even every day.

Of course, any Vegetarian or Vegan is well aware of this.

If you want a little top-up have a handful of nuts as a snack instead of that packet of crisps or biscuits.