Topic: best easy way to get protein

[Tyler M.]

protein, it seems to be in lots of things in small amounts BUTTTTTTTT living in a college dorm i cant exactly keep hunks of meat in my room to cook up for a good source of protein

suggestions? most commercial beef jerky is loaded with salt and as far as i know that's bad mojo. and tuna would be a good idea, if i didnt have to open cans or pay craploads more for packets, but it is still a good idea, one that i might try.

but more suggestions would rock, something simple that is easy and could sit in my dorm to munch on and stuff

[Chris Salvato]

think i went over this somewhere else...

actually, as a college student, you might be at an advantage...

Firstly, Canned fish will work -- Tuna, Salmon, Anchovies...

They bag it now too, they also bag chicken.

Beef Jerky is ok.

Both of those can be used when you are in a pinch.

Raw eggs work well, if you don't have a problem with that.

What you really should do is get extra meat on your meat plan...when you go to the store or the dining hall, get an extra serving and take it back to your room for use later.

No real good source of protein comes in a package.

[Tyler M.]

thanks for the suggestions,

anyone else?

[Max G]

this is semi-related..

i love eating tuna because it's tasty, lowish in calories and high in protein, but i've been told (and did a quick bit of research) that there are higher levels of mercury in fish that are from the ocean/have longer life spans as this allows them to swim in contaminated water for longer. River and hatchery fish are safer, but i just really enjoy tuna-apparently chunk light has less mercury than albacore tuna.

any thoughts?

and to the OP, keep a variety of cheeses and spreads around-they will definitely help with keeping things fresh. I know that you don't have a huge budget, so i won't start suggesting buying cuts of deli meat or bunches of different breads, but varying the flavor will make it easier to enjoy consuming more protein.

[ensō]

protein shakes. high quality usually is a bit costly though.. meat actually has less than other sources. for example soy milk.

[Chris Salvato]

i love eating tuna because it's tasty, lowish in calories and high in protein, but i've been told (and did a quick bit of research) that there are higher levels of mercury in fish that are from the ocean/have longer life spans as this allows them to swim in contaminated water for longer. River and hatchery fish are safer, but i just really enjoy tuna-apparently chunk light has less mercury than albacore tuna.

I am not too compelled by these mercury claims.  After discussing this issue with people even more versed in nutrition than I am, i am fairly certain that the mercury content is nothing to really be concerned about...unless maybe you're eating 5lbs of tuna a day, every day.

protein shakes. high quality usually is a bit costly though.. meat actually has less than other sources. for example soy milk.

Protein shakes are not better than real food.  Never will be.  Ever.

Meat/Fish has less of an absorption rate than very few foods.  Namely, milk, eggs and soy.  Soybean, however, along with high protein counts and a relatively high protein score, has an ample amount of fat and protein.  If you isolate the protein into a powder, you reduce the absorption rate.  In a balanced diet, a balanced meal just consists of soybeans.  That gets boring fast.  Isolations of proteins drastically reduce the absorption.

Meat/Fish and eggs are pretty much all protein with extremely high absorption rates (especially eggs) which allow them to be part of a balanced and enjoyable diet.

Milk and soybeans (not really soymilk..) are good snack alternatives since they is a relatively balanced meal in and of itself.

[Muse_of_Fire]

Here is a cheap and easy way to get protein and have it handy "on the go."

Mini Quiche Cups! (all you guys are going "Ewww quiche, it's so girly!" Stop being so macho. This will help you).

Buy 1-2 dozen eggs. On a free afternoon, heat your oven to 350*F. Chop up a bunch of vegetables: mushrooms, peppers, onions. Saute these all in butter or olive oil; season with herbs and a little salt. You can also just use frozen chopped spinach, if you thaw it and drain it really really well (squeeze it between paper towels several times, it holds a lot of water).

Crack all of your eggs into a bowl and whisk until thoroughly beaten. Whisk in your vegetables and some shredded cheese.

Pour this mixture into lightly-greased muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until set.

You can keep these quiche cups handy for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack. They can also be frozen and thawed/reheated in the microwave, so if you make a whole bunch at a time you can stock up. A dozen eggs will make about 48 quiches. Not too shabby!

[Chris Salvato]

Here is a cheap and easy way to get protein and have it handy "on the go."

Mini Quiche Cups! (all you guys are going "Ewww quiche, it's so girly!" Stop being so macho. This will help you).

Buy 1-2 dozen eggs. On a free afternoon, heat your oven to 350*F. Chop up a bunch of vegetables: mushrooms, peppers, onions. Saute these all in butter or olive oil; season with herbs and a little salt. You can also just use frozen chopped spinach, if you thaw it and drain it really really well (squeeze it between paper towels several times, it holds a lot of water).

Crack all of your eggs into a bowl and whisk until thoroughly beaten. Whisk in your vegetables and some shredded cheese.

Pour this mixture into lightly-greased muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until set.

You can keep these quiche cups handy for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack. They can also be frozen and thawed/reheated in the microwave, so if you make a whole bunch at a time you can stock up. A dozen eggs will make about 48 quiches. Not too shabby!

Awesome suggestion.

I may just do that this weekend.

[Max G]

yeah definitely sounds tasty, muse.

[ensō]

Protein shakes are not better than real food.  Never will be.  Ever.

Meat/Fish has less of an absorption rate than very few foods.  Namely, milk, eggs and soy.  Soybean, however, along with high protein counts and a relatively high protein score, has an ample amount of fat and protein.  If you isolate the protein into a powder, you reduce the absorption rate.  In a balanced diet, a balanced meal just consists of soybeans.  That gets boring fast.  Isolations of proteins drastically reduce the absorption.

Meat/Fish and eggs are pretty much all protein with extremely high absorption rates (especially eggs) which allow them to be part of a balanced and enjoyable diet.

Milk and soybeans (not really soymilk..) are good snack alternatives since they is a relatively balanced meal in and of itself.

Never said it was. However, what do you do if your vegan? (ie: Christian Bale BULKED up for Batman)
Meat/Fish/Poultry/Eggs/Milk..   all gone.
For that matter, most protein shakes would be too as to their whey content.
Soybeans do hold more value than the milk so I agree with you there.

Theres also supplements, bars, drinks other than shakes, etc...
theres ways to get it.
In short the best way to get it would be what works best for your lifestyle and individual health.

[Holland Wilson]

It's a well-known fact that vegans can manage. However, it's hardly the easiest, or the best way to get protein, and Tyler implied that he indeed has no compunctions about eating meat. Mentioning vegan alternatives in a thread where the original post contemplates beef jerky isn't exactly on-topic.

[Chris Salvato]

Protein shakes are not better than real food.  Never will be.  Ever.

Meat/Fish has less of an absorption rate than very few foods.  Namely, milk, eggs and soy.  Soybean, however, along with high protein counts and a relatively high protein score, has an ample amount of fat and protein.  If you isolate the protein into a powder, you reduce the absorption rate.  In a balanced diet, a balanced meal just consists of soybeans.  That gets boring fast.  Isolations of proteins drastically reduce the absorption.

Meat/Fish and eggs are pretty much all protein with extremely high absorption rates (especially eggs) which allow them to be part of a balanced and enjoyable diet.

Milk and soybeans (not really soymilk..) are good snack alternatives since they is a relatively balanced meal in and of itself.

Never said it was. However, what do you do if your vegan? (ie: Christian Bale BULKED up for Batman)
Meat/Fish/Poultry/Eggs/Milk..   all gone.
For that matter, most protein shakes would be too as to their whey content.
Soybeans do hold more value than the milk so I agree with you there.

Theres also supplements, bars, drinks other than shakes, etc...
theres ways to get it.
In short the best way to get it would be what works best for your lifestyle and individual health.

As previous poster said, this is horribly off topic.

All I can say is that protein supplements and soy protein sources are not good sources of protein.  Soy isolates bring the absorption rate from 90%+ down to 50% or less.  If you eat soy beans, that better be all you are eating as a source of carb, too...with a great amount of fat...they are very carb rich.

Its a little known fact that vegans cannot be successful as everyone else on the scale of human performance.  Their lifestyle is an extreme in which they sacrifice human performance abilities and muscle mass.

[ensō]

ya, it was a bit of a stretch. 

[Patrick Yang]

Milk and soybeans (not really soymilk..) are good snack alternatives since they is a relatively balanced meal in and of itself.

Why not soy milk?  Assuming that it's plain, unsweetened soy milk (the other kinds taste like crap to me), isn't it just soybeans and water?  Is there something about the process that upsets the absorption of protein in soy milk?

Related topic: lactose free milk.  Does lactose play any major role in digestion and absorption?  That is, does the introduction of lactase to milk before ingestion have any any effect other than the stated one?

[Chris Salvato]

Milk and soybeans (not really soymilk..) are good snack alternatives since they is a relatively balanced meal in and of itself.

Why not soy milk?  Assuming that it's plain, unsweetened soy milk (the other kinds taste like crap to me), isn't it just soybeans and water?  Is there something about the process that upsets the absorption of protein in soy milk?

Related topic: lactose free milk.  Does lactose play any major role in digestion and absorption?  That is, does the introduction of lactase to milk before ingestion have any any effect other than the stated one?

Processing methods (such as heating, blending, etc.) cause proteins to denature.  This means they unfold and are then harder for protinases in your GI tract to break down effectively.

Same for lactose free milk -- while i can't really say i know anything about the process it almost certainly involves heat.

Usually this isn't THAT big of a deal, but it does cause the quality of the protein to decrease.l

[Patrick Yang]

Same for lactose free milk -- while i can't really say i know anything about the process it almost certainly involves heat.

Why would it involve heat?  I assume that the disaccharide is broken down by introducing lactase into milk.  (My instinct tells me that this is where the characteristic sweet taste of lactose-free milk comes from, too.)  At least, all the brands of lactose-free milk I've seen includes lactase in the ingredients.  I'd also assume, given the selective nature of enzymes, that lactase doesn't significantly change the chemistry of milk other than breaking lactose down into D-galactose and glucose.

The only reason I could think of to introduce heat to it would be if the enzyme was unable to work at normal storage temperatures.  Wikipedia lists lactase's optimum temperature as 48°C (118°F), but it is active at 5°C (41°F) as well, though the lower temperature does a number on the kinetics (ref).

[Chris Salvato]

after i posted this i did some looking into the explanation and i for some reason can't refresh my memory as to why soy milk and heated proteins reduce absorption...it is widely accepted that it does...i really wish i could re-figure out why

aside from that, i have no idea on the lactose free milk and im not ashamed to admit it

[ensō]

i love soymilk.

[Tyler M.]

i have room in the mini fridge therefore Mini Quiche Cups will happen at some point.... just have to raid the dining hall salad buffet for the veggies... eggs available at the co op and i'm going to have to bring baking things from home i think. but they sound amazing so yeah i'll have to try them.....

how long will they last in the fridge? freezer? how long should they be microwaved for reheating? just asking, i'll probably figure it out myself too  if no one is sure

[Muse_of_Fire]

I wouldn't go more than a week or two in the fridge with them. Use your nose to be sure, throw them out if they smell "off." In the freezer they should last several months. Pop them out of the muffin pan and store them in a ziploc bag to freeze.

I'd start with a minute in the microwave (if frozen) and increase/decrease the time from there depending on how it goes. Microwaves vary. If re-heating from the fridge, maybe 30 seconds to a minute?

You can also use crumbled bacon and ham bits in the quiches, if you have it. It increases the protein but also the fat. But you can sort of mix and match with the recipe.

I hope they work out for you!