What are some good ways to get protein?

We pregnant people continually reject what's good for us, huh? I cannot even stand the thought of green veggies, even though I loved them a few weeks ago!

The best sources of protein if you can't eat meat are nuts, egg whites, cheeses, milk, and fish. I keep a bowl of nuts around the house and if I feel like I need a hit, I crack a few open for a snack. I also have 4 egg whites with 1 piece of cheese almost every day at work. These are great sources, since they give you the protein, without the cholesterol. If the smell of fish bothers you, try the breaded sticks or filets in the frozen section. The smell isn't too strong, and the fried type of presentation provides great comfort.

Meat isn't the only food that supplies the body with protein. There are lots of other foods such as: milk, eggs, peanut butter, cheese, and the like. My body has always craved protein and some of it isn't too fatty. For instance, a brand of peanut butter that I buy is called "Real Peanut Butter". It is very good tasting and has no hydrogenated fats like the popular brands do. Plus, it is kept in the refrigerator so it always tastes much fresher. Try some one of these days. You can also get all kinds of low or no fat dairy products, which is a good source of protein: cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream and such.

Good luck with your pregnancy -- stay healthy and happy -- it will be well worth it when baby arrives.

Fish, dairy, beans, eggs - those are some sources of protein, although meat will be your best bet (fish is really good, too, be careful with the kinds that are high in mercury like tuna, swordfish, mackerel, shark - they say you can't have more than 6 oz per week; try shrimp - that's "pure" protein - has zero fat). Ask your dostor about protein shakes - there's Ensure and other products on the market, that should work

I totally understand! I had a severe meat aversion and I was trying to follow the Brewer diet (which is great by the way: http://blueribbonbaby.org/ ) however you need to eat 100 grams of protein (and 1g chicken is not 1g of protein)

Here is what worked for me :

(I couldn't tolerate milk, just yogurt and cheese)

Milk 6g/cup

Yogurt 8g/cup

Cottage Cheese: 25g/cup

Cheese -American OR cheddar 6g/oz

Cheese -Swiss 8g/oz

Ricotta Cheese (pasteurized) 28g/cup

Beans:

Chickpea 21g/cup

Kidney 15g/cup

Lima 15g/cup

Navy 7g/cup

Baked Beans: 12g/cup

Black-eyed peas: 39/cup

Green/Yellow peas (dried) 16g/cup (after cooking)

Lentils 5g/cup

Grains:

Barley: 23g/cup

Bran, Oat: 15g/cup

Flour, rye: 29g/cup

Flour, whole wheat: 16g/cup

Flour, white" 12g/cup

Macaroni 5g/cup (cooked)

Egg noodle 8g/cup (cooked)

Oatmeal -instant 6g/cup (cooked)

Veggies

Green peas (canned or froze) 9g/cup

Brussel Sprouts: 7g/cup

Collard Greens: 5g/cup

Potato: 5g/cup or 7.2 oz(1 medium)

Fruit:

Cherimoya 7g per each

Cantaloupe 11g per each (Cantaloupe in Cottage Cheese is tasty, other fruit too)

Raisin 5g/cup

Eggs 6g per each

Tofu -firm 36g/8oz

Tofu-soft 11g/oz

Soybean 8g/cup

Edamame 12g/cup (that seems off to me? The dried soybean should have more protein? Anyway Edamame is an immature soybean, boiled and eaten. It usually comes frozen and the bag will tell you the protein content)

[Note there is concern about eating large quantities of soy products ever. Also tofu should be considered a processed food. The closer to the natural bean you get the healthier it is. Consider the risks of phytoestrogen on yourself and your baby, use your best judgement. Personally I have a history of estrogen related non-cancerous breast growths in my family history so I limit soy.]

Nuts/Seeds:

Almonds 27g/cup

Brazil 20g/cup

Cashew 21g/cup

Peanut Butter 4g/tbsp

Peanuts -roasted 35g/cup (note there is some concern over eating any peanut products during pregnancy. Use your best judgement)

Pecan 8g/cup

Pumpkin Seed 7g/oz

Sunflower Seed 6g/oz

Walnut 30g/cup

Cocoa powder 6g/2oz (Mmmm hot chocolate -use milk for more protein)

Gelatin 4g/cup

Pickled Herring 8g/2oz (I know it's meat put it's pickled. I love it anyway)

Ok, that's all out of the book I was using. Also check packaging.

eggs, peanut butter and different beans are good sources of protein

also try checking out Total cereal - I know I had to eat it during my pregnancy because of the iron content, but it has a lot of other nutrients in it too - I don't know about protein, but you may want to glance at the label on the box next time you're at the grocery store

PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas

PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice

VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts (PEANUT BUTTER), Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)

Everything has protein in it. Not getting enough is close to impossible unless you in a third world country. Whole grains, beans, legumes, eggs, cheese are excellent sources. Veggies even have protein. Peas (which are legumes have 5 grams per serving)

Westerners on a whole eat too much protein which can lead to various health issues.

Check out this protein chart:

http://www.vegparadise.com/protein.html#Charts

Peanut butter, peanuts, other nuts, eggs, milk, yogurt, and beans are all good sources of protein.

Good luck to you and your baby!

Nuts, peanut butter, cheese. Keep trying though...is is all meat?? Can you eat chicken or fish?

There are energy bars with protein in them that you can buy at grocery stores.