16 high protein diet ideas

 

This blog is written by nutritionist Dr. Vibhusha Jambhekar

If you are working on getting a lean body, losing weight, balancing hormones especially in India, chances are that you are going to be concerned about the quality of proteins in our Indian diets, made up predominantly of lentils, grains, milk and vegetables… But, how valid are these concerns?

But how much protein do you need daily to do all of these things? Can you get this high quantity of protein from an average Indian diet? Let’s take a closer look at this protein dilemma. As a nutritionist, I feel that food is your only source of protein and as far as possible you should not rely on protein supplements. But, not all protein is created equal.

‘The two important issues related to protein are its completeness and bio-availability, both of which determine how much protein is actually absorbed by your body. If you can’t break down and absorb a protein, it’s as good as not eating it.’

Proteins are made up of building blocks called amino acids (some essential-required from diet, some non-essential-can be made by our body). Your body uses them to make new proteins, such as muscle and bone, and other compounds such as enzymes and hormones. It can also use them as an energy source. The body has to break down the protein from food into amino acids, which it then uses to build its own proteins. Your body’s ability to absorb a protein is dependent on both the type of amino acids in it and their quantities. 

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If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, as long as you eat a wide variety of foods, you can usually get the protein you need. For example, a meal containing mixture of cereals and legumes, provides all the essential amino acids found in a typical meat dish.

Looking for vegetarian Indian high protein recipe ideas? Here’s all you need to know:

Legumes and beans

Indian diets have a rich variety of legumes and beans.

• Dals: toor, harbhara, masoor, moong, udid
• Sprouts: Moong, chawli, matki, chole, rajma, masoor, harbhara etc.

You just have to eat them in the right way to get high, absorbable protein

ü            Have your regular dal rice with a combination of 2 or more dals

ü  Our traditional preparation of ‘sandge’ is a sundried mixture of different dals. Make sandge subzi for a change!

ü  Sprouting increases protein content by more than 10 fold! Make usal frequently

ü  Dal dhokli with a mixture of dals

ü  Moong dal khichadi with kadhi

ü  Dosas fermented food with mixture of 2 or more dals

ü  Dhoklas with a mixture of 2 or more dals

Dairy

A cup of low- fat cow’s milk provides 8 g protein. The protein in milk called casein makes up roughly 80 percent of the protein found in all dairy products. And it is a good protein as it is a slow-digesting because it forms “clumps” in the stomach that take 5-7 hours to digest. When you eat casein, your blood amino acid levels rise extremely slowly and they also stay elevated for longer which means you can work out harder for longer periods.

 

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese’s muscle-building powers come from two different components- casein, the slow-digesting dairy protein and the good bacteria. These bacteria help you break down and absorb all the nutrients you need to get your protein intake.

ü  Cottage cheese bhurji
üCottage cheese steak with stir fried veggies

Chicken

Chicken is a high protein food. But it is low in micro-nutrients like vitamins and is high in calories and saturated fat. You can combine chicken with an equal quantity of fibre rich veggies to balance its nutrients.

• Grilled chicken with stir fried veggies or raw veggie smoothie  
• Raw vegetable smoothie with grilled chicken

Fish

Is high in protein – 5 g in a three- ounce serving, it is low in carbs and has low levels of saturated fats. Plus it has Omega-3 fatty acids, nature’s wonder nutrients.

ü  Roasted fish with veggie salad

ü  Fish curry with salad

Eggs

These are considered as ideal protein foods by experts. One egg contains 6.2g protein. However, in hard boiled eggs, the protein denatures because of lengthy boiling time and its bio-availability is decreased. Raw eggs if consumed, inhibit vitamin B 12 absorption. Consuming too many eggs can increase cholesterol levels and also have an impact on kidney function.

ü  Scrambled eggs with stir fried veggies

ü  Egg and veggies omelet

ü  Half fried eggs with stir fried veggies

Do not consume more than 4 eggs every day. Use 1 egg yolk for 2 egg whites as protein from eggs will only be absorbed if you have egg yolk with it.

How to absorb proteins better?

Proteins can be absorbed efficiently only when they are consumed with Vitamin A and zinc. Make sure you combine your proteins with:

ü  Leafy vegetables (Salad, curries, grilled veggies, stir fried veggies etc.)

ü  Nuts and seeds (sesame, walnuts, sunflower, cashew nuts, almonds etc.)

ü  Protein shakes, powders and supplements

Any protein you eat on top of what your body needs will either be excreted from your body as waste, or stored as weight gain. Protein shakes are almost always imbalanced sources as they are very high in protein but lacking vitamin A and zinc, lacking fibre, not to mention usage of preservatives, sugar, artificial flavours and colours along with it. Such imbalanced protein is a huge load for kidneys to process. So it is best to avoid them unless really necessary.

Did you find this article informative and useful? Do let me know. If you wish to connect with me for a consultation, do write to me on nutrition.vj@gmail.com.

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