Need protein suggestions

LuvWIfootball · August 2012

Yesterday I received Dr. Luke's book and only had a few minutes to skim through the food requirements. First let me say, there is no way I'm going to be able to eat 4000 calories per day. Holy sh!t, that's a lot of food. Her recommendation for protein was 200-250g/day.

Please tell me what protein rich foods you are eating to meet the requirements. Just counting breakfast and the healthy snacks I brought to work today, I'm only at about 80g. Not sure how to meet the requirement, but I do want to try.

jlefief · August 2012

Boost protein shakes. My fav was chocolate. My pumpkins were born right at 34 wks and were 5 lb8oz and 4 lb 10 oz, which is GREAT for 34 weeks so I think it helped!

PurrCrasher · August 2012

I think I'm in the minority about this but as a vegetarian I find Dr. Luke's dietary recommendations outrageous. Granted, I agree that protein is VERY important for helping babies grow but I don't think that means eating liver pate and steaks with every meal.

Some of my favorite things to eat which are high in protein are quinoa (1C=18grams), beans (1C=13grams) tofu (1/2C=10 grams) cottage cheese (1/2C=12grams) eggs (1egg=10grams) and greek yogurt (1C=19grams) and I also snack on nuts a lot which are a great source of protein and good fat. I also really enjoy protein bars and protein shakes which I highly recommend. I have a love affair with one protein bar that is a Kroger brand (I don't think they have them in WI unfortunately) but it tastes like a 3 musketeers bar and has 26 grams of protein. I could live on those.

I could go on and on but honestly, your best bet would be perhaps asking for a referral to a dietician to help you figure out what works best with what you like to eat and then figure out how to incorporate more of those foods into your diet. GOOD LUCK!

LuvWIfootball · August 2012

jlefief:
Boost protein shakes. My fav was chocolate. My pumpkins were born right at 34 wks and were 5 lb8oz and 4 lb 10 oz, which is GREAT for 34 weeks so I think it helped!

How many shakes were you drinking per day? I looked at several brands (bought Ensure High Protien and Special K) and the most protein I found was 25g in the Ensure. I really thought they would have had more protein in them.

PurrCrasher · August 2012

I actually forgot that you were expecting triplets. Now I REALLY think you need to consult a dietician. You want to make those babies as big and fat as possible, as soon as possible, and I think a professional is your best bet for helping you establish the eating habits necessary to make that happen.

Again, GOOD LUCK!

bethCT · August 2012

I read it and had the "protein panic" and then just did my best to eat well. Hummus, eggs, milk, fish... nothing out of the ordinary really.... My twins were born at 35 weeks, he was 5lbs 5 and she was 4lbs 4. Really, I am small and I doubt my body could have handled bigger babies

I would not stress about it, just be conscious of it really....

amh04 · August 2012

I just did some research about upping my protein, I'm drinking a Carnation Essentials drink (or mixing it with a banana as a smoothie) in the morning. I also purchased the Ensure High Protein shakes to drink at least once - twice a day as well. I'm trying to snack on foods like cottage cheese, greek yogurt, soybeans. I'm also putting Low-Sodium Parm cheese on all my veggies (Its really high in protein).

That's all I've got - I'm looking forward to seeing other ways ladies have upped their protein to get some more ideas.

jlefief · August 2012

LuvWIfootball:
jlefief:
Boost protein shakes. My fav was chocolate. My pumpkins were born right at 34 wks and were 5 lb8oz and 4 lb 10 oz, which is GREAT for 34 weeks so I think it helped!
I drank 2 a day and ate well too. My PTL at 26 weeks made me panic to "fatten up" the babies. :-)
How many shakes were you drinking per day?  I looked at several brands (bought Ensure High Protien and Special K) and the most protein I found was 25g in the Ensure.  I really thought they would have had more protein in them.

Rynleigh · August 2012

I only have twins, and I'm overweight, so I try to keep my calories between 2500 and 2700 per day.

Every day, I usually have at LEAST the following for my protein:

1 bottle of "Muscle Milk" a day (25g protein with only 3g sugar, plus 25% of my DV for almost all vitamins & minerals)

3 string cheeses (18g total protein, no sugar, another 20% tac on to my calcium),

A mix of 1/2 cup of 4% milkfat cottage cheese and one serving of reduced sugar yogurt (21g protein, 5g sugar, ++ to calcium)

1/2 cup of unsalted peanuts or mixed nuts (usually about 21g or so protein, a couple grams of sugar)

That gets me up to about 85g in snacks. I include meat, eggs, or pinto beans in every meal, which helps boost those numbers.

RobinR91 · August 2012

HI! I am also expecting triplets. I am a vegetarian, and after reading Dr Luke's book I completely freaked out. Step one: Bring your concerns to your MFM. Mine referred me to a dietitian. While the dietitian is VERY good at what she does---triplets are not very common. I found that showing her Dr Luke's guidelines allowed us to have more productive conversations. Step two: make a meal plan. My dietitian made one for me. I followed it for two days, and honestly, I was as sick as when I had m/s. It is unrealistic to expect a 5'3" petite person to consume 4000 a day. I tried my best. So here's what I learned: Do what you can, but don't stress out. Your babies will take what they need from you whether you like it or not.

-always stock the house with high protein snacks (peanut butter, hummus, greek yogurt, luna bars, boost drinks)

-eat every 3 hours, even when your not the slightest bit hungry (I set an alarm on my phone)

-Start each morning with a greek yogurt fruit smoothie (1c greek yogurt, 1 cup 2%milk, fruit that you like (my fav is frozen mango chunks, blueberries, and banana). If you can stand it, eat some oatmeal too.

-cheese is your friend

-asian take-out is a great source of tofu based meals

-add olive oil (or safflower oil) to almost everything you can stand--pastas, soups, breads, mac n cheese, everything. Fats are a great way to up calorie intake. (I've been doing it for 12 weeks now, at 24 weeks, I'm still all belly with these trips. Now is not the time to worry about putting on weight. In fact, its my goal to put on weight!)

-alternate eating meals (actual food) and "liquid meals" (smoothies, milkshakes, boost drinks, etc). It helps you feel less bloated.

PM me with any other questions. This is basically what I walked away from the nutritionist with. I wish someone told me all this, she cost me 300.00!!

Breezy8407 · August 2012

I know each doctor or specialist is different, but I found my appointment with the the RD to be a waste of my time. It's probably because I am fairly knowledgeable in regards to nutrition based on my previous hobby of exercise and lifting weights, so my experience might be rare.

She didn't really have a lot of earth shattering info to share with me regarding multiple pregnancy and kept talking about her own anecdotal experiences with her singleton pregnancies. She also referred to a calorie chart that she pulled off the internet.

Anyway, because of said experience with nutrition and eating a 40/30/30 diet for a while I narrowed down high protein foods rather quickly. My favorite sources of protein are: Greek yogurt, (Fage or Chobani), cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, lean meats (chicken breast, turkey, chicken sausage from Trader Joes). For vegetarian sources look for tempeh and quinoa.

projectbaby2012 · August 2012

I like to make smoothies as follows: 1/2 C milk, 1/2 C Greek Yogurt, 1 t protein powder, 1 banana, 2 ice cubes. I drink these for breakfast or a snack. The protein powder was recommended by a friend of mine who is an ND, it's vegan and I can pronounce/recognize all of the ingredients in it. It's called Nutribiotic Rice Protein. I buy the vanilla flavor. Each smoothie has approximately 20 grams of protein.

jcath · August 2012

I did have a consult with a nutritionist (my MFM insists) and found it really helpful. My insurance doesn't pay but it was like $80 and money well spent. My nutritionist didn't recommend the premade protein drinks but recommended protein powder in homemade smoothies. Also lots of Greek yogurt (but you have to check the label to make sure it has lots of protein - varies alot by brand)

I really felt like it made a difference. I only gained about 35 lbs and had two 6lb 12 oz babies.

angelfire02 · August 2012

I was never eating that much while I was pregnant.....that is insane! I struggled to get the protein in my diet so I did do a lot of protein shakes. The protein powder that I used was just the Target brand in the chocolate flavor. I would mix it in with ice cream and milk and make a shake. It was how I justified eating so much ice cream!

I also ate quite a few hard boiled eggs, and more peanut butter. I also went back to eating deli meat (I abstained the first few months) because it was another source of protein for me.

Going_from_Miss_to_Mrs · August 2012

RobinR91:

-always stock the house with high protein snacks (peanut butter, hummus, greek yogurt, luna bars, boost drinks)
-eat every 3 hours, even when your not the slightest bit hungry (I set an alarm on my phone)
-Start each morning with a greek yogurt fruit smoothie (1c greek yogurt, 1 cup 2%milk, fruit that you like (my fav is frozen mango chunks, blueberries, and banana). If you can stand it, eat some oatmeal too.
-cheese is your friend
-asian take-out is a great source of tofu based meals
-add olive oil (or safflower oil) to almost everything you can stand--pastas, soups, breads, mac n cheese, everything. Fats are a great way to up calorie intake. (I've been doing it for 12 weeks now, at 24 weeks, I'm still all belly with these trips. Now is not the time to worry about putting on weight. In fact, its my goal to put on weight!)
-alternate eating meals (actual food) and "liquid meals" (smoothies, milkshakes, boost drinks, etc). It helps you feel less bloated.

LOVED Robin's advice! When I read Dr. Luke's book I had a mini-panic too! I aim for about 3,000-3,200 calories per day and I am still meeting the weight goals and all 3 babies are measuring perfectly!! The book is a good guide but you don't have to follow it strictly, my doctor told me that if I wasn't gaining adequate weight then she would want me to eat more but I clearly am. I have gained about 50lbs already.

Quinoa is a great source of protein and not super heavy. I also have cashews and walnuts on hand all the time. Cheese and crackers are a daily snack. Every Sunday we roast either a chicken or turkey and use that as lunch meat for the week (since I can't have deli meat). I now drink a tall glass of whole milk each day (usually with chocolate syrup!). In the beginning it is tough, but eventually it becomes part of your daily habit and does get easier. There are days that I def. don't meet my caloric goal but I don't sweat it. Most important factor is how your babies are measuring!

elizabeth0705 · August 2012

I eat natural peanut butter on multigrain bread or eggs for breakfast. Lunch is typically homemade chicken salad, homemade egg salad, greek salad with sauteed chicken and pasteurized feta cheese on top, lentil soup, or sometimes a high protein frozen meal from Whole Foods (if I'm really in a rush...not too often).

I try to get a lot of protein at dinner: chicken (chicken cutlets, grilled chicken parts, shish kabobs on the grill, etc.), turkey burgers, quesadillas with steak pieces, spaghetti with turkey meatballs, or stirfry with tofu or chicken. Once a week or every two weeks, I'll have a hamburger. Sometimes I get really sick of poultry/meat (I wasn't eating a lot of it prior to this pregnancy), so I'll make quiche or spinach pie for dinner instead.

For protein snacks, I will usually choose a couple of the following options per day: string cheese, greek yogurt, chocolate milk, smoothie, or cheese on crackers.

Remember, though, it is important to eat other stuff like veggies, whole grains, and fruits, too! It sounds like you are doing a good job if you are already up to 80g of protein before lunch!!

pixiem38 · August 2012

There is NO way i could eat as much as Dr. Luke recommends. I am trying to focus on high protein healthy foods whenever i eat anything. I have been eating a ton of yogurt and cheese. Something else i.read somewhere was adding powdered milk to regular milk and using the.double milk for cereal or other not drinking milk.uses. i bought some of the ensure protein shakes with the intention of having one a day, but i like the idea of adding protein powder on my own to stuff. I like this thread, because i am honestly getting kind of tired of eating the exact same stuff every day, so there are.good.ideas here.

elizabeth0705 · August 2012

I forgot to add: oats are also a really good source of protein!

DoingItRight · August 2012

When I was in the hospital they suggested that I get muscle milk to drink. I did that and ate protein bars.

so72409 · August 2012

The protein shakes are a good way to supplement. Personally, I like the High Protein Boost better than the High Protein Ensure--the protein count is more "consolidated" (only have to drink 8oz instead of 14oz). I've also been supplementing with homemade smoothies using plain greek yogurt (chobani has 23g/1 cup) and Body By Vi protein powder mix (12g. protein in 2 TBSP). I throw in 1/2 c. greek yogurt, 2 TBSP protein powder, and frozen unsweetened fruit (strawberries, peaches, blueberries). I also add ground flaxseed (3g. protein but tons of great things, like the omega-3s) or peanut butter. These are never considered meals, obviously, more like my mid-morning or mid-afternoon snacks.

I also had a bit of a panic attack after reading how much Dr. Luke recommends. I decided early on that as long as I was making a conscience effort to up my intake I was doing good. I kept a food journal from weeks 10-14. After a month I pretty much knew how much protein I was consuming and stopped keeping the food journal because it was stressing me out! For what it's worth, I was able to meet Dr. Luke's "24 lbs by 24 weeks" which was my goal.

Good luck to you and remember don't stress about it. Being aware of your intake is the first step!

lynn0926 · August 2012

I also read Dr. Luke's book too, and try my best to follow what she says. Before I started getting sick from nausea, I was keeping track of everything I ate on my fitness pal app. You will be suprised how much protein you actually take in if you try. The calories is the hard part. I drink Ensure 25 g protein to boost my intake. I eat cheese and crackers everyday. I have been eating an egg n cheese sandwich for breakfast, Annie's mac n cheese, fish, chicken, etc for dinner. I have been making protein drinks from Lean Protein at GNC. I add PB to that. Snack on string cheese, greek yogurt, apple & PB, almonds, etc. I have gained 4.5 lbs since upping my calorie intake. I am not able to hit the 3500 for twins, but I am still eating a lot more than before. It gets hard when you are feeling sick. If you get sick, just do the best you can. Your babies get more nutrients from your food 2nd and 3rd tri anyways.

Want a personalized experience?

Need protein suggestions

Re: Need protein suggestions

Choose Another Board

Search Boards