Protein Sources: Cost/Convenience/Variety

Just occurred to me that I got sidetracked and never responded with what I came to say in the first place. OP, my solution to your problem is to visit grocery stores when traveling. Many of them will have pre-cooked chicken/fish, hard boiled eggs, cheese, etc. A frozen shrimp ring will get you through a few meals. High protein oatmeal that you put boiling water in. A lot of stuff has salt and sugar in it, but as a cyclist, I value those things.

If I’m driving somewhere and I’m solo, I pre-make some rice and beans, and some penne and freeze them. I throw those things in a cooler for the drive. When I reach my destination, I hit the local grocery for protein, veggies, fruits and tortillas, and then make stuff with the proteins, rice and beans, and also use the same proteins and veggies to make simple pastas with the penne. I also usually make overnight oats or eggs (with rice and beans again) for breakfast. Simple, cheap, quick.

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A quick random Google because I was interested…

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That’s more than I thought! I just remembered comparing two pots in a shop once, and coming to the conclusion that Skyr wasn’t that special. But maybe I compared to greek yoghurt? Seems worth it over some of the other options.

That’s oddly different than my experience. Kroger plain Greek yogurt:
170g serving
Calories 100
Fat 0g
Sodium 60mg
Total Carbs 7g
Sugars 7g (zero added)
Protein 17g

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My wife and I are partial to Fage 5% fat Greek Yogurt.

I think Trader Joe’s house brand skyr is the elixir you are looking for. $1.19 for 5.3 ounces. 130 calories. 15 grams of (whey) protein. low fat, and easy on the sugar. They also have cherry and raspberry flavors as well.

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Your Kroger yogurt has no fat, or fruit (if you’re also pointing to the carb numbers). Those make a big difference.

I’ve been enjoying the Fage Plain, 2%, Lactose free lately. Add my own fruit (leaving in a few minutes to ride up the street and pick some blackberries on the side of the road) and sweetener. (eta: so for OP, keep an eye on the roadside fence lines while you travel, might find some venison, too :smile: )

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I eat a lot of canned sardines/mussels/oysters, low fat cottage cheese, low fat plain yogurt, and nuts for protein on the road. Just watch the salt with the cottage cheese. I also carry protein whey that I shake with milk in a reusable bottle.

Fage 5% is top tier
Fage 0% is bottom tier
Tesco Finest Greek comes close to Fage 5%

Ew! Yuck! Its not even yogurt :laughing:

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lol. Yogurt elitism. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Amen.

For a treat we buy Annabella Water Buffalo yogurt at Grocery Outlet. Tastes fantastic. Not greek, so no awards for protein per serving. Colombian water buffalos for the taste win.

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Columbian water buffalos! LOL! Awesome.

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I actually think Siggis 0% tastes way better than the full fat fwiw!

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Another high protein yogurt option:

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Great questions! As with everything in science, there are various different perspectives on this topic.

It is generally agreed upon that when it comes to the primary roles of protein, getting enough of it is more important than quality and timing. Protein powders are very effective in helping you get enough.

However, there are benefits to getting your protein from a wide range of sources, that should not be overlooked. Most notably, by getting your protein from a wide range of sources, you are more likely to get a broad range of essential amino acids. If you are getting most of your protein from a single source, you could fall short on some essential amino acids if you are not careful.

With this in mind, as protein quantity increases, protein quality becomes less important. If you are eating 1.0g of protein per kg of BW per day, it would be more important to pay attention to quality as there is less of it to do the job of growth and repair. Essentially, it needs to be more “efficient”.

On the other hand, if you are eating upwards of ~1.6 g of protein per kg of BW, you are more likely to be covering your bases and efficiency becomes less of an issue.

The second thing to consider is that protein from food doesn’t just supply protein. Protein from real food will provide you with a host vitamin and minerals that you need for health.

I reccomend finding some easy-ish real food protein sources, as your go-to’s while traveling. The suggestions so far have been fantastic! Then, supplement the rest as needed with protein powder. Don’t overlook the psychological benefit to eating real food too! Chewing food is more satiating than drinking your protein in the form of a drink, which will help you with your body composition goals.

With all of that said, don’t stress about relying more on protein powders when traveling. From the perspective, of muscle growth, recovery and body composition, it is more important that you get enough protein.

When you are at home, I suggest trying to focus on getting most of your protein from real food to maximise vitamins and minerals. I add egg whites to more things than I’d like to admit. If you’re okay with dairy, yogurt will also be your friend (as many of you guys have already suggested). If you don’t want to eat too much meat, tofu is also great addition.

I hope that helps! :+1:

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fwiw I use Tesco “natural” zero fat greek yogurt to mix my whey. To be perfectly honest, if I’m using non-fat reduced “natural” yogurt on it’s own I add flavour drops anyway. I’d have to go flavoured to just eat it.

While 100% supplementation doesn’t point to a very balanced diet, whey is a natural product. Ireland is one of the biggest producers, as it’s a side product from the quite significant cheese production here. If it was good enough little ms muffet…

@alexfthenakis I also suffer with eczema, but I’ve never really found it tied with milk products, despite trying excluding from my diet several times. It seems far more linked to environmental factors for me, and very largely how I am in myself. First signs I’m getting run down are a flare up of my skin and/ or sinuses!

Yes - mix it with yogurt, over a fruit salad - rather than in a fruit smoothie!

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Surely you could increase your regular protein consumption at lunch/dinner? 20g is a pretty low amount? For example 2 x small cod fillets would net you something around 50g.

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Agree with this that 20g is low, but you’re better off spreading it out into multiple servings over the day. e.g. 5x30g would be better than 3x50g.

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Look at all you bougie people and your fancy yogurts :rofl:These are $0.65 at my local Aldi (northeast US) and a staple in my house.

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