I usually skip the mayonnaise and use olive oil. I also like to add some nice olives, pickles, whole grain mustard, salt & pepper, and whatever fresh herbs you’re a fan of. Dill is always good!
I like to eat this on crackers as a snack or put it on toast as a sort of crostini.
If you’re looking to turn this into a proper lunch or something, You could make a sandwich out of it and add some crunchy lettuce, spinach, or fresh sprouts and even a slice of cheese if you dare!
I find that some fat is critical to making you feel nourished and full, and I have no issues consuming a generous amount of olive oil each day as it’s one of the healthiest fats one can find. With this recipe, of course, you can use as much or as little as you’d like.
I will eat sardines, kippers, mackerel, salmon, tuna, whatever - all just solo out of the packet, and I pair with those Wheat / Flax Seed Pita Bread Pockets and some fruit. That’s my lunch some days if I want easy. Can smell fishy though, so don’t eat in an open office or anything like that at work unless you hate your colleagues
If you’re not eating a LOT of fish, taking a daily Omega3 Supplement is a good idea.
If you want to avoid the mayo calories, hit the canned tuna with some hot sauce instead. If that sounds weird, just think oysters. Sardines in hot sauce are great too.
Mayo is just vegetable olive oil + eggs + acid, so skipping mayo in favor of adding olive oil doesn’t make a ton of sense if calorie reduction is the goal. It’s actually super easy to make your own with an immersion blender, though you’ll end up eating raw eggs.
Canned fish in general is great and one of the few meats I eat. Good nutrition and minimal environmental impact/carbon footprint, especially if you pick your tuna well. I also STRONGLY endorse fish sauce, it’s basically concentrated salt/umami. A couple teaspoons makes nearly any soup, sauce, or curry better, just use it sparingly.
Re: whey proteins, I prefer just plain naked unsweetened and unflavored whey. I usually get organic to avoid residual antibiotics. While not cheap, a 5lb bag lasts a couple months: https://a.co/d/c4PcI36
A vegan protein I love is Legion’s Plant+, their Apple Pie flavor mixed into oatmeal is awesome and their other flavors are good too. I also think BPN makes some good flavors for vegan protein. I’m not a big fan of the regular chocolate/vanilla flavors so it has taken me a while to find good options.
Ethical vegan here. I eat an obscene amount of chickpeas and other beans, and supplement (not as often as I should) with pea protein powder. This past year I started eating occasional eggs from a local free-range farm where the chickens are at pasture all day; I feel ethically ok with it and it does make meeting my protein needs a little easier.
Mayo is typically made from cheap vegetable oil like soy-bean oil. Pricier mayo may contain canola oil. Mayo made using olive oil is uncommon (and expensive if you can find it).
Even if made with olive oil, it’s not made with EVOO but rather with a cheaper neutral version. I’ve made mayo with EVOO and it’s kinda gross TBH, the flavor of the olive oil predominates, and not in a very good way.
I definitely don’t consider mayo a health food, but calorically it’s just eggs and vegetable oil, both of which this thread seems to be in favor of. All things in moderation, fresh/home made is better, YMMV etc.
One other shout: Crispy roasted mushrooms as a substitute for bacon. Oyster mushrooms are my fave. Add some vegetable oil, a tablespoon of fish sauce (seriously, consider buying Red Boat Fish Sauce in bulk) and some champagne vinegar. Roast in an air fryer or over till good and crispy. They have the salt/umami blast of bacon but are way healthier. Fine chop and add to salad, use in pasta or stir fries.
I’ve been eating whole food plant based for the last month or so, working on getting my cholesterol down and such. Anyway, protein is beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you…
@lokerola Also try Amla powder in your shakes - helps with managing cholesterol. It is dried Indian gooseberries. Also a couple of Brazil nuts but just once a month as they are high in selenium.
I’ve become a Vego since the New year, and I am just having two protein shakes a day with double scoops (WPI). I’ve found that legumes and Tofu have been decent in getting me over the 180-gram barrier.
If I’m training hard I use pea protein isolate in my morning nutribullets (banana, pear, orange, soya milk)
I bump up protein of oatmeal with added walnuts
I eat a lot of tofu and tempeh. Over the years my liking of tofu has grown a lot and I’m happy to eat it straight out the packet now. Sliced smoked tofu on avocado toast is my current favourite. Home made sushi with tofu or tempeh is quick and easy too. If I am super time pressed I’ll make instant noodles and throw diced raw tofu straight in and let the noodle sauce warm it up.
I also eat a fair amount of fake meat and have done for nearly 3 decades. I’m not a big worrier about ultra processed foods. I find my digestion copes much better with processed foods than legumes.
I do also sometimes eat baked beans and make home made chickpea pate mashing them with olive oil, salt and pepper and whatever other herbs are lying around. Fresh basil works well
We eat a lot of nuts too. I know they are higher in fat but I dont struggle with my weight and they are quick energy.
I also have a stash of protein bars like builder’s/ trek for emergencies if I havent been shopping and have to get to work.
Oh, and finally hemp protein post workout shakes. I dont really like hemp but it is easily digested. I blend with oat milk, frozen over ripe banana and cinnamon
Tofu is an easy protein boost, especially if you like stir fry’s, curries, or anything from within like 2000 miles of places that make stir fry’s. I’ve been meal prepping a similar lunch for several years now and it’s an easy lot of protein:
-Cook rice
-sauté either tofu or soy curls in a big pan, just for some texture.
-add whatever sauce I’m feeling. Frequently this is either a curry sauce, Thai peanut, or something vaguely based on teriyaki
-add a bunch of veg (I frequently either air fry these separately or just add a bag of cruciferous veg, the residual heat will soften it just enough)
-enjoy. I use two blocks of tofu for a week. I ran the macros once and it was like 40+ grams of protein per lunch
Pair this with overnight oats made with soy milk and protein powered (so easily another 30) and I’m almost to 1g/kg without any snacks or dinner.
I love the Health Warrior Oatmeal, I add a tablespoon of pea protein and half a scoop of Legion Plant+ Apple Pie vegan protein to mine to bump it up to around 25g a bowl and it tastes amazing.
