Whether you’re on a diet or not, it’s always wise to choose high-protein, low fat foods. Too many people are eating protein that has too much fat and calories. If you are able to eat lean proteins consistently, you will be eliminating a good amount of calories each week, resulting in weight loss.
Protein is essential for our bodies. It impacts every single cell in our body so we need to make sure we are consuming enough protein every day. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) says we should be getting about 0.36 times our body weight. For a 150lb individual, that comes out to 54 grams of protein. Many people believe we are eating too much protein, but when you think about it 54 grams is not much at all. Granted, this is the recommended allowance. So it’s pretty much the minimum amount preventing us from getting sick and withering away.
The average individual eats slightly more than the RDA, but in general, are we eating too much protein? The simple answer is no! Higher protein intake has been correlated to preserving muscle mass and a faster metabolism despite aging. Moreover, your hair, connective tissue, and immune system benefit from more protein.
How can someone add more protein in his or her diet while still losing weight? By choosing high protein low fat foods. Some fat is okay, but since fat contains double the calories of protein and carbs, reducing fat will go a long way. Plus, carbs should already be limited to help lose weight.
Here are some high protein low fat foods:
Tofu
Made from condensed soy, tofu has a high amount of protein for a plant-based food. A 100 gram serving contains 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of fat. The fat is unsaturated and natural so it is healthy and tofu contains all the essential amino acids. It is a great protein source for everyone.
Vegan Tofu Chile
Kidney beans (Red, mature seeds, canned) – 2 cup
Onions (Raw) – 0.5 cup, chopped
Garlic (Raw) – 2 cloves, minced
Celery (Raw) – 2 stalk, small (5″ long)
Carrots (Raw) – 2 medium
Tomatoes (Red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice) – 1 can
Tomato sauce (Canned, with tomato tidbits) – 1 can, 15 oz (303 x 406)
Organic Hearty Vegetable Broth (Trader Joe’s) – 1 cup
Olive oil (Salad or cooking) – 2 tbsp
Chili powder (Spices) – 1 tbsp
Cumin (Spices, cumin seed) – 1 tsp, ground
Crushed red pepper flakes – 0.0 tsp
Paprika (Spices) – 1 grams
Salt (Table) – 1 dash
Pepper (Spices, black) – 1 dash
1 Combine chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
2 Drain water from tofu and press tofu between paper towels to remove as much water as possible. Cut tofu into small chunks and place in bowl of spices. Toss to coat all pieces of tofu and set aside.
3 Dice onions, celery, carrots, and mince garlic. Heat oil over medium in large sauce pan and add diced vegetables. Cook until vegetables have softened a bit, approximately 10 minutes.
4 Add tofu and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.
5 Add beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender. About 25 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and other spices to your liking.
Eggs
Eggs are one of the best protein, heck, food sources you can eat. An egg has about 6 grams of protein. Even though a yolk or two can actually provide good fats, egg whites provide one of the best protein sources. An egg white contains 4 grams of protein, 0 fat, and only 16 calories. Bodybuilders know that eggs are the king, that’s why they eat 8 every morning.
Sweet Potato Deviled Eggs
hard-boiled egg – 4
sweet potato, mashed – ¼ cup
nonfat plain Greek yogurt – 1 tbsp
1 Cut peeled eggs in half lengthwise and discard the yolks.
2 Combine the sweet potato and Greek yogurt in a small bowl and mix well.
3 Spoon the sweet potato filling into egg whites.
4 Sprinkle tops with cinnamon.
5 Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
Fish
A fantastic source of protein and healthy fats is fish. Eating seafood like fish also provides lots of vitamins and minerals not found in eggs and livestock. However, be careful when choosing which fish to eat. Some fish contain more fat than others, more protein, etc. The fish I recommend is halibut. Just 3oz of halibut contains 23 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat, and just 119 calories. Halibut provides the highest amount of protein per ounce for fish while being a more tasty option.
Roasted Halibut With Garlic Sauce
Lemons (Raw, with peel) – 0.3 fruit without seeds
Halibut (Fish, atlantic and pacific, raw) – 28 oz
Light mayonnaise (Salad dressing, light) – 0.3 cup
Garlic (Raw) – 3 clove
Olive oil (Salad or cooking) – 2 tbsp
1 PREPARATION: Cut several lemon wedges.
2 Preheat oven to 450F with rack in middle.
3 Put fish in an oiled shallow baking dish and sprinkle with teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
4 Force garlic through a garlic press into a bowl, then whisk in oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Whisk in mayonnaise and spread over fish.
5 Bake, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
6 Serve with lemon wedges for fresh juice squeezed on top.
Chicken and Turkey
Out of pork, beef, chicken, and turkey, two are terrible for you and two are great for you. The FDA lists pork and beef as very high risks for cancer so they should be eaten as little as possible. Sadly this is not the case in today’s society. Chicken and turkey have little to no correlation to cancer so if you are a big meat eater, these are the two meats your diet should consist of. They are extremely lean and provide a great deal of protein. 100 grams of chicken breast contains 23 grams of protein, 3.6 grams of fat, and just 165 calories. 100 grams of turkey contains 29 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, and 189 calories. The tradeoff is slightly more fat and calories, but also protein. You can easily find lean turkey at the supermarket.
Indian Spiced Chicken Over Roasted Sweet Potato
chicken breast – 2
coconut milk – ¾ cup
vegetable stock – ¼ cup
shallot, finely chopped – 1
Garam Masala – 1 tbsp
cayenne pepper – 1 tsp
lime – 1
cilantro – 2 tbsp
bok choy – 2 head
1 Preheat oven to 375 F
2 Peel the sweet potato, and slice into 1/4-inch chunks.
3 Bake in a covered roasting pan, with just a little bit of water or stock in the bottom. Cook about 20 minutes, or until very tender.
4 While potatoes are cooking, gently sweat the shallot in a sauté pan on low heat.
5 Add the chicken, spices, and a pinch of salt.
6 Cook gently for a few minutes, until the chicken looks white and starts to firm up.
7 At this point, add the coconut milk and vegetable stock, and let simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no pink remains.
8 Once the chicken is fully cooked, season the sauce with lime juice, and add the chopped cilantro and bok choy leaves. Stir the leaves in the warm sauce so that they just wilt.
9 Serve chicken mixture over roasted sweet potatoes.
Legumes
Under this category are beans, peas, and lentils. What’s great about legumes is that they have a high fiber content and can help lower cholesterol. 100 grams of pinto beans contains 21 grams of protein, 1.2 grams of fat, 63 grams of carbs, and 347 calories. Beans can be very filling and provide you with a lot of protein, but it’s so filling because of the carbs. 100 grams of beans does contain 16 grams of fiber, which is a lot, so a small portion of beans every day can provide quality protein, carbs, and fiber while having essentially no fat.
Barbecue Beans
barbecue beans – 1 can
dark kidney beans – 1 14 oz can
pineapple – 1 cup
chunks, onions – 1 small
pork style beans – 1 can
low-sugar barbecue sauce – ½ cup
low-sugar ketchup – 8 tbsp
water – ½ cup
white vinegar – 2 tbsp
1 In a saucepan, cook onion in a small amount of chicken broth or water.
2 Mix the ingredients in the sauce together in a separate bowl and then add to saucepan.
3 Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
4 In a separate bowl, combine all forms of beans and pineapple.
5 Once sauce has heated, pour over beans and pineapple.
6 Bake in the over for 1 hour, removing the cover for the last half an hour.
Conclusion
Working high protein, low fat foods into your diet can go a long way. Although some of the protein choices mentioned may not be the tastiest, there are ways to make it into a meal worth looking forward to. Hopefully the recipes give some inspiration to make eating healthy and losing weight fun. Happy Eating!
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