find ways to bring my daily protein up to 60+ grams

• add nuts here & there
• add tofu to lots of things
• occasional hard-boiled egg
• homemade muesli with several kinds of nuts
• drink a bit more milk

A diet with a 1:4 ratio of protein to carbs has been correlated with weight loss for women, & generally if one increases physical activity one needs more protein—I’m sure that’s why SparkPeople recommended 60 grams for me. Even though I’ve decided not to work on weight loss for now, I do plan on keeping more protein in my diet than I used to have. Tracking it & finding ways to increase it has been very helpful. Thanks to all for your ideas/suggestions!

at sparkpeople.com, I’ve been noticing that only very rarely does my protein consumption reach even the minimum recommended level of 60 grams. We eat a lot of complex carbs & little meat. For a while I was thinking that maybe my protein needs are just lower than most people’s, since over the years I have been extremely healthy.

But my thumbnails are making me wonder. For the last few years one of them has been split near the top, & I have to keep it short to prevent snagging of delicate fabrics & such. Recently I accidentally cut my other thumbnail in a similar vertical slit, & now it looks as if it may keep growing that way like the other one. I am thinking this may be a symptom of low protein.

Seems as if it’s worth experimenting with. So I’m working hard on adding protein-rich foods to my daily diet. My calorie range for weight loss is 1200-1550 a day, which complicates things a bit. And I don’t want to start eating lots of meat: it’s expensive & high on the food chain.

We do eat eggs & cheese, though not in great quantities. I have the world’s best cholesterol levels (a major blessing) & generally have room in my diet for more fats, especially when they come along with protein.

Awhile back when I brought up this issue in another entry, several people offered good suggestions. More are welcome! I’m really puzzling over this.