a five-month old “vegetarian” – the protein (90 g/day) challenge

My vegetarian (which includes fish) experiment has been and still is interesting. It clearly didn’t keep me from getting skin cancer (ha!) but it has me feeling pretty good otherwise. The challenge is getting enough protein. At roughly 130 pounds (60 kg) and being very active, am trying to get about 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight. That puts me at about 90 grams of protein a day (which equals about a pound of beef – but I don’t eat beef).

How to get there?

Eggs are good; roughly 7 grams of protein per egg;

Greek yogurt, roughly 20 grams of protein per serving (8 ounces)

Whey powder, roughly 20 grams of protein per serving (two scoops)

Salmon, roughly 20 grams of protein per serving (three ounces of cooked)

Black beans, roughly 15 grams per serving (one cup of cooked)

Parmesan, roughly 10 grams for a one-inch cube (this was surprisingly high I thought)

Nuts and grains? Yes, we hear a lot about how they are good on protein. Don’t get me wrong they are better than lettuce or Skittles, but they are by no means power houses on the protein front.

Would love to hear your ideas on how to get lots of protein without leaning on chicken and beef 🙂