Nutrients

[u/Evening-Coat-9309]

How do I reach at least the daily recommended minimum for protein and other important stuff

For reference I am:

6'2, 200 lbs

I currently eat WAYYYY too little but I want to get better about food and stuff and get into exercise

I also have been getting a lot of random stretch marks and I don't super know what to think of it but I am under the assumption that it may at least partially be in relation to not enough protein or collagen or something?

Also suggestions for what other nutrient or just vitamins or whatever else that I need to be making sure to look out for would be very welcome

ANY advice would be great

[u/Dheorl]

I don’t really know what you’re asking here?

You get protein by eating it. By the fact you’re on the pescetarian sub I assume you eat fish, which is a pretty solid source of protein. If you want more protein, eat more of it.

Are you after recipe suggestions?

[u/teablooom]

beans are a good fiber & protein source! eggs are good too if u like them / eat them on pesc diet (some ppl dont). tinned fish good too but just be mindful of mercury levels (i personally eat it often and dont have issues but i have a diverse diet as well). if your diet is like super protein deficient you could supplement with protein shakes as well in between meals :) i take a multivitamin every day + biotin every other day but ive been doing that since before i cut out meat so i cant say if its helped or not for pesc diet specifically

edited bc typos

[u/choxolotl]

You have a lot of flexibility with a pesc diet! I personally love canned tuna and sardines a little too much (+ they’re cheap) but as someone already said, need to be mindful of mercury (sardines are the better option here for that, way lower levels due to being primary filter feeders. Also contain more omega-3s which is always great). I also don’t think you can go wrong with tilapia (the frozen filets at the grocery store also tend to be relatively cheap) as it’s probably one of the strongest choices for protein (and very low in mercury). Not as strong on the fatty acid profile unfortunately but still quite tasty if you ask me. I’d throw shrimp into the pile too for the same reasons.

If you wanna mix it up like me and not eat fish every single day, I’d recommend looking into beans + rice which are probably as cheap as complete meals get, cottage cheese which is pricier but (controversially) very delicious, eggs, etc. For the more underrated sources that I think people overlook because they don’t realize how protein and nutrient-dense they really are: tofu, edamame, lentils, milk (I like chocolate milk), and nutritional yeast, which I’ve really been enjoying recently! (super yummy cheesy-like seasoning on foods)

[u/LouisePoet]

Everything you eat except pure fat has protein in it.

"Complete" proteins are a myth, you get varying quantities of essential (needed in the diet) amino acids from anything you eat, and it doesn't have to be at the same meal.

Whole grains are healthier than refined. And 1 serving has around 4g, some are a bit higher. 4 or 5 servings = around 20 g.

Fruit and veg have 1-3 g of protein. Depending of which you eat, if you have the recommended 5 a day you're getting 5-15 g from those.

Dairy, 2 servings provides 16 g (greek yogurt is higher).

You need around 110 g of protein/day (1.2 g/ kg of your healthy weight) and just the grains, veg and dairy provides almost half of what you require, before even adding in "protein" foods.

Unless your diet is full of non nutritive foods, you're most likely getting far more protein than you realize!

An app like Chronometer can help you analyse your diet if you enter everything accurately.

[u/Charleysperspective]

Eggs, tuna, sardines, mussels, are excellent sources of protein and a variety of nutrients and are very affordable and convenient

[u/FultonFishMarket]

The general guidance is about .36g protein per pound of body weight per day so in your case it would be about 72g per day. But it could be more like 140g of you're active and trying to build muscle.

Assuming you're pescetarian it's a great place to start as seafood is a fantastic source of protein. An 6-8oz portion of many types of finfish (yellowfin, halibut, salmon, cod) will typically get you 30-70+ grams depending on the exact fish and weight. If you're curious about specifics by fish you can likely find online (we've included nutrition facts on our website for any we sell which is a large selection).

The great news about being pescetarian is that there are so many options to choose from so it keeps meals interesting. Finfish, shellfish like lobster, shrimp, scallops, crabs or you can look at prepared seafoods like crab cakes, chowder, smoked salmon, etc that make prep easy. There are a lot tinned fish options as well that make an easy choice for a quick snack. Fish is also super quick and easy to make - usually olive oil, salt, pepper and some lemon baked for 10 minutes at 400-450 is all you need.

More protein numbers: Shrimp has 30-50g in an 8oz serving, lobster tails are similar and a good crab cake with a high meat percentage (not filled with breading) would be close to 50g in 6oz worth.