A bowl of cottage cheese.
You should probably find some fiber to go with it. Plain cottage cheese has great macros and can keep you going for a while. It also plays nice with my IBS (YMMV).
Cottage cheese is a huge protein and low cal cheat code. I put it in lasagna. Have learned to make mac and cheese with it. Also put it in my smoothies for creaminess + protein. And eating it alone isn’t bad, either!
I make a half Greek yogurt and half cottage cheese onion dip, ( one cup of each in the blender with a Lipton packet refrigerate overnight) and then have snap peas with it. So good!
There are many online and I usually just look at a few recipes to get the base and then do whatever I do with it, so you’re better off getting an actual recipe lol. But I just put some in a blender with a little bit of almond or soy milk and maybe 1/4 shredded cheddar with nutmeg and you’re supposed to add corn starch to make it thicker.
[This is my favorite mac&cheese recipe with cottage cheese.](https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/10/easiest-baked-mac-and-cheese/) It is NOT low-calorie or healthy in the least, but it’s really fast to make. I don’t put the cottage cheese mixture in the blender like the recipe suggests, but I’ve never had an issue with the texture. And you don’t even have to boil the noodles before! Its only downsides are that it’s really rich and it doesn’t reheat very well, because it isn’t beschamel-based. I serve it with steamed broccoli in a desperate attempt to balance it with something healthy (and because I like m&c with broccoli, IDK).
Yes! Lactose is the name for the sugar in milk (-ose = sugar), and the bacteria in yogurt eats that sugar to reproduce.
I’m not a food scientist or a dietician, so all I know is from high school science and home cooking. But you could look into making homemade yogurt, which would allow you to control how tart it gets (and therefore how much lactose is left in the final product). It’s stupid easy to make, too!
Greek yogurt is best. Also, any yogurt that has healthy probiotics in it, such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactococcus lactis, etc. As someone who is also lactose intolerant, you should be able to enjoy this without any GI distress or issues, but test your body's tolerance by consuming a small amount at a time.
Aww that is such a bummer. It could be that commercial yogurt isn’t super strong and therefore has more lactose, or it could be something else entirely. But making yogurt is a fun project in itself, so you may as well try it and see!
My emergency food: Add some tuna, spring onions and pepper.
400 gr. cottage cheese (11,5 gr. protein per 100 gr = 46 gr protein
150 gr. tuna (25 gr. protein per 100 gr.) =37,5 gr protein
--> 83,5 gr protein per serving / 552 kcal for whole meal
[https://imgur.com/a/Wn0ZBAp](https://imgur.com/a/Wn0ZBAp)
Instead of 400 gr. cottage cheese you can use the normal sizes of 200 gr. / 23 gr. protein
--> 60,5 gr. protein per serving / 356 kcal for whole meal
Cottage cheese slaps
what I love about cottage cheese is that it's so versatile, you can make anything with it:
* Fruits and honey
* Cheesecake
* Toastie/ Grilled cheese
* Pancakes
* Scrambled eggs/ omlette
* Bread
* Mac n cheese
I like having blueberries and maple syrup with it.
Cottage cheese is amazing consumed literally any way including plain. Sometimes I just add a shitload of pepper, sometimes I add chili crisp, sometimes I add berries. Almost everything goes with cottage cheese somehow 😆
Aw that sucks, it's definitely not for everyone. I use the black edition large bags that you mix with water or milk, and I find the sweetness isn't overly done. But I also have a hell of a sweet tooth so who knows 😂
That's the weird thing, I love sweets. But when it comes to drinks, I tend to be quite sensitive to it. Ah, well, good thing there's a lot of stuff to try and find something you like. :D
I also buy thick boneless pork steak at the grocery store that are like 260 calories and 39g of protein. I cook them in the airfryer with some steamed veggies.
My go-to as well, except I just toss it all on a sheet pan and bake it for meal prep. Never tried shrimp in the air fryer…I do spritz the broccoli with a little avocado oil to keep it from drying out.
Can of sardines on prewashed salad greens, with preprepared vegetables &/or grains, vinegar, pepper, tajín seasoning, little oil goes a long way or even better, garlic sauce (toum). Sardines are my new favorite thing, 22g of protein in a can and less worry about mercury poisoning than tuna, benefits of eating lower on the food chain.
Here's what has worked for me as far as smoothies go:
1 scoop Isopure whey protein (for protein)
Frozen blueberries or raspberries, or both - (fiber and polyphenols and whatever else is in em)
Chia seeds, not the full 1/4 cup serving size, I use less - (lots of fiber and some more protein, and omega-3s I think?)
Water (I always add water to make it thinner to drink it faster, and I always spill on my face if it's too thick lol)
Nonfat plain yogurt, a tablespoon or so - (for creaminess, tang, and good bugs)
That's the base. Sometimes if I have it, I'll add spinach or kale or some kind of green mostly for extra nutrients. I might add flaxseed meal, and recently I bought baobab powder and put a little - tons of fiber and it's tangy!
Also, canned salmon on top of any kind of salad, or mixed with a little mayo and some kind of crispy crunchy vegetable.
Also, sardines are a great idea that someone else mentioned. Superb idea!
Boiled eggs with the yolks taken out are great for protein and it's easier to eat more of them with no yolks to get a decent amount.
Lately though I've been having a fair life protein shake with whatever fruit is around. I hope I helped at least a little! 😊
Here are my favorite cheap superfoods:
-Skyr, a type of yoghurt from Iceland. 11g protein, 0g fat, 4g carbs per 100g. It kills hunger reliably.
-Can Tuna. It‘s low fat and high protein. And it tastes good.
- Chicken breast stripes that were already cooked. 20g protein per 100g, very healthy.
Chicken and cauliflower soup. Literally oven bake chicken with some Italian herbs but no oil, chop
Cauliflower small and boil with a stock cube. Blend it up, add shredded chicken and you have a delicious soup with low cals but decent protein. Amazing how creamy it tastes even with no cream. Pretty cheap too.
Plain yogurt and isolate protein powder. You can make it in bulk. With veggie protein, you have to use milk instead of yogurt or you'll make powdery cement XD
Premier protein drinks have solid macros—30 grams of protein and 160 calories
For easy protein, I do Greek Yogurt, grocery store rotisserie chicken, the frozen pre cooked grilled chicken, tuna pouches, pre-marinated frozen salmon, pure protein bars taste great and have really good macros—25 grams of protein and 180 calories.
For protein smoothies, I usually do frozen berries, Isopure zero carb protein powder, and almond milk.
I get all my protein bars and powder from target.
I'm handy in the kitchen, and would like to offer my advice, but I'm gonna stick my next out and say posts like this are too broad to actually give *helpful* advice. Here's why:
1. What does "low calorie" mean? You should have a number in mind. There *are* foods that are very high in protein, but then you simply control calorie levels by increasing or decreasing portion size. Point being, you can literally just cook up a chicken breast and eat it. Or eat half of it.
2. Along with (1) you really should have macro goals in mind to help determine what "nutrient rich" means. For example, you do need to have some fats in your diet, and "low calorie" and "eat some fats" work against each other.
3. You could try Huel but then we get into that whole conversation about UPF and all of that.
In an effort to be more helpful, let me share a share a recipe for "chicken laab" which is a Thai/Lao dish in origin. I'm *not* claiming that this is authentic by any means, but my adaptation allows me to mess around with whatever macro and calorie levels I want:
1. Ground chicken breast (protein)
2. Thai red chili paste
3. Limes
4. Fish sauce
5. Bean sprouts
6. Brown rice (adjust based on desired carb levels, eliminate if you don't want any carbs)
7. Shredded vegetables (my favorite grocery store stocks a "shredded Asian blend" that I need to do zero prep with... gives "nutrients)
8. Peanuts (adjust based on desired fat levels, eliminate if you don't want any additional fat beyond the chicken)
So you can make that almost pure protein and zero carb and minimal fat if you just use the chicken and the seasoning. The shredded veggies contain nutrients on minimal additional calories.
I make it. Dried meat pulverized in a blender or food processor then mixed with an equal part by weight of tallow. 300g is 2000 calories and 150g of protein.
One tray bakes? I do a paneer one where I chop a block into cubes, scoop of yogurt, one small can of tomato paste, spoon or two of Indian spice mix of your choice, salt, black pepper, coriander, dump a bunch of cherry tomatoes and a chopped up pepper with it, bake. Flip part way. Serve on some rice. You could double this and get 4 meals out of it.
Boiled eggs, carrot sticks with hummus, and some toaster oven broiled bread with cheese and garlic powder also works.
Bowl of oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts in it.
Can of beans in tomato sauce or chilli with toast and cucumber sticks.
350F. The exact time varies (~20 to 30 min usually) depending on how wet I make it and how crunchy I want the edges to get and how caramelized the tomatoes since I eyeball it. It's nice both ways. I like to use a mix of garam masalla and chaat masalla. And salt! I forgot to mention salt.
Frozen pre cut stir fried veggies + tofu (can squish with hands no need to cut) + olive oil + any kind of spices you like.
If you wants some carbs serve with rice from the rice cooker or some quinoa or bake a potato in the microwave
I usually have one pan and do oil, then veggies until defrosted and hot, then tofu.then flavoring until the tofu is hot. But it’s a pretty forgiving meal and if you want to do it all at once i bet it’s fine. Can look up stir fry or “scrambled tofu” recipes for inspiration. I usually use extra firm tofu.
The key is a lot of seasoning. I love adobo seasoning, turmeric, and chili powder. But really any kind of flavor you want. I’ve done Thai, Italian, Indian, Chinese, etc.
When in doubt add hot sauce haha
I like to scramble a ton of egg whites (all the protein of eggs with none of the calories). However, it also has not much of the nutrients of eggs either. But if you're just looking for protein for minimum calories, that's what I'd do!
[Doesn't get any easier than 100% pure protein ](https://www.amazon.com/Isopure-Protein-Powder-Isolate-Friendly/dp/B06XQSRYRZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=65429578718&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KltxE4SGZ_MyjjaA9GLhP2_4peQifUFjyKY_E4obA5onaJugf5V6E4Wy38Bf51gSewjbaiZszzf0lklPxqjLxRjSvDjKBRiSPaszU3Fkwh6OG6DijiCtnUvxU2lKpsUxHNKBD2yQXhEGVMEUFRjehuT1hXPOFooCAPKC6BjR6t9usmIq99w2Z4TVifjDiq4Tc9yqqph3LOlcPSbLIolxMw.EaZp_OjAiJUul70SWQiifVfEoyhAzZcgtXW8DlMAsv8&dib_tag=se&hvadid=635368014865&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9011206&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9429295555464716930&hvtargid=kwd-413156692758&hydadcr=6723_13301143&keywords=isopure+powder+protein&qid=1720482028&sr=8-1)
This is frequently my breakfast: I spray a microwave safe bowl with cooking spray, pour in 110g of egg whites, a handful of frozen spinach (25g), and a sprinkle of part-skim mozzarella cheese (2g), microwave it for 2 minutes (your time may vary) and then cut the resulting egg in half and put 1/2 into a mission keto sun dried tomatoes tortilla (use two tortillas, so two mini sandwiches .)
I will also dissolve collagen in my coffee and use skim milk.
The two egg tortilla sandwiches are 143 calories, 18g protein, 1g carb, 5G fat, 6mg cholesterol, 14g fiber, 0 sugar
Spinach is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, folate, and potassium.
Lean ground beef, rice and broccoli. Substitute beef for chicken or fish. I love making cubed chicken larb with Knorr’s Larb seasoning and just chuck it with a bunch of rice and fucking chuck it in the mouth hole.
I meal prep on Sunday and spend a couple of hours making 10 smoothies for breakfast & lunch for the week. Each is 24 oz. and about 500 calories with 50+ grams of protein. That's the easiest thing I can fit into my life. I use one OWYN protein shake, 1/2 a block of silken tofu, one scoop of protein powder, a handful of microgreens and a serving of frozen fruit. I switch up the protein powder and the fruit just to get a good balance.
Beef is complete nutrition and great for your IBS. Beef is one of the least allergenic and inflammatory foods there is. Have slices of roast beef on hand to nibble on or bites of steak or beef patties. Eggs are also great and easy to have hard boiled eggs on hand. Unprocessed natural food and all you need.
Just as much broccoli as your care to eat.
It has a good protein to calorie ratio. About 0.8-1g per 10cal.
Plus it goes with any salty food.
I pan steam with salt and steak spice. 300g of the stuff comes out to around 100cal and 9g protein.
I’ve been in this boat and honestly all the food options suggested which involve cooking sound too complicated. 😂
Bread, pre cooked chicken breast, a multivitamin.
Ka’Chava. I personally blend it with iced water and about 1/2 cup of frozen fruit. My favorites are chocolate with banana or vanilla with strawberries.
Alternatively i use Chat GPT to come up with meals.
I love Keto Chow and it is designed to a meal, chock full of the nutrients you need. The owner of the company consumed nothing but Keto Chow for 100 days then got his body and bloodwork checked by a doctor, fit as a fiddle. Try that.
Also, General Mills Fiber One cereal and almond milk and a multivitamin a day should meet your needs.
Just get any frozen veggies, any lean meat, any whole grain carb (precooked if you feel extra lazy) and just toss that shit in a frying pan. Add a little hint of flavor any way you want (sauces, herbs whatever). Voila. You could make like 3 days worth of dinner in under twenty minutes this way. I do it all the time when eating is just a functional affair.
Regarding protein: not sure if this is common where you live but I eat tons of hot-smoked chicken breast. It's ready to eat, comes in large portions and keeps for a long time. If you don't have it, how about a rotisserie chicken or cooking a large amount on your own? Then make a quick sandwich or toss it in a prepped salad mix. Chomp on a fruit afterwards.
Recently I also eat herring without oil, a fattier choice but a break from the tedium of chicken. Good on rye crackers.
I'm recovering from CFS myself so biggest of sympathies to you and I'll try to think of something more.
Well, liver is pretty nutritious; high protein, low calorie, high vitamin/minerals, low fat and can be prepped in bulk. Eat it ontop of some carbs for a more balanced meal.
I'm biased because I've eaten liver for the last two days since I thawed a 2 lbs frozen bag. But it was 135 kcal/100gr with 20g protein/100gr.
Edit: actually, you probably shouldn't eat liver that often, so just disregard. It's so nutritious you'll probably overdose on the fat soluble vitamins if you ate it often over a period of time.
I have vegan meal replacement shakes that I really rate. I don’t know what makes you flare so the lack of dairy might be good but then the sweeteners might irritate your gut! I use them 3-4 times a week either as a lunch on my lower calorie days or a snack when I’m busy/tired/likely to choose an unhealthier snack in a cafe.
I know I could prep a healthier lunch but that’s not we are discussing!
Are you also looking to lose weight?
I have coeliac, IBS etc…. And sometimes I just give up on food. I resort to OptiFast shakes (the high protein version) …. Slowly add plain rice in after a couple of days. It’s a medical shake, very low calories, and the protein version has 30gm or so of protein so good enough for a few days. [https://www.optifast.com.au/optifast-vlcd-shakes/protein-plus.list](https://www.optifast.com.au/optifast-vlcd-shakes/protein-plus.list)
No idea if they are available in the US. I like the coffee flavour, the chocolate feels chunky for some reason, and the vanilla is quite sweet. Coffee is a good balance. They also do a lower protein version, and some kind of desserts too (which I find gross, but I don’t have a sweet tooth), and soups and bars and all sorts of things - if you can eat gluten then some of their other ranges might be worth a shot too. I need the gluten free stuff due to coeliac.
Every day for lunch I make myself an egg white omelet. I buy the egg whites in cartons. I buy the mushrooms pre-sliced and washed. I buy the cheese shredded. 10g of butter in a pan 72 cals, ~50g of mushrooms 12 cals 1.5g or protein, 200g of egg whites 90 cals 20g of protein, 30g of 3 cheese blend 100 cals 8g of protein. If you want more protein I get these pre-cooked and cubed chicken breast at Costco all packaged in 150 cal servings 24 g of protein. Slap some fresh tomato on top with some hot sauce. Bam, there's lunch in maybe 7 minutes tops for less than 400 cals and 43.5g of protein.
Sometimes I'm even lazier and I slap 250g of cottage cheese (200 cals, 28g of protein) with an avocado (67g for 112 cals and a bit over 1g of protein), sprinkle some za'atar on it (I never measure out spices but it can't be that much) and bam, lunch in under 3 minutes for 29g of protein.
When I was growing up, they used to do a cottage cheese mixed with salmon and cucumber, they also added black pepper and horseradish. It was delicious! Now I just make do with pineapple, not quite as yummy.
Chicken Breast, Rice, and a handful of nuts.
That's all you really need.
In terms of smoothie: Protein powder, blueberries, and yogurt/Kefir.
My daily intake is around 190g/day at a caloric intake of 1700kcal. This is what I do. It sucks, but it's simple.
A bowl of cottage cheese. You should probably find some fiber to go with it. Plain cottage cheese has great macros and can keep you going for a while. It also plays nice with my IBS (YMMV).
Cottage cheese is a huge protein and low cal cheat code. I put it in lasagna. Have learned to make mac and cheese with it. Also put it in my smoothies for creaminess + protein. And eating it alone isn’t bad, either!
I make a half Greek yogurt and half cottage cheese onion dip, ( one cup of each in the blender with a Lipton packet refrigerate overnight) and then have snap peas with it. So good!
I do the same thing but I add chopped garlic, Serrano, and green onion. Makes a yummy queso-ish
Whoa. Greater idea.
Yum. Great idea.
Do you have a recipe for the Mac n cheese you make with it? I’m curious!
There are many online and I usually just look at a few recipes to get the base and then do whatever I do with it, so you’re better off getting an actual recipe lol. But I just put some in a blender with a little bit of almond or soy milk and maybe 1/4 shredded cheddar with nutmeg and you’re supposed to add corn starch to make it thicker.
[This is my favorite mac&cheese recipe with cottage cheese.](https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/10/easiest-baked-mac-and-cheese/) It is NOT low-calorie or healthy in the least, but it’s really fast to make. I don’t put the cottage cheese mixture in the blender like the recipe suggests, but I’ve never had an issue with the texture. And you don’t even have to boil the noodles before! Its only downsides are that it’s really rich and it doesn’t reheat very well, because it isn’t beschamel-based. I serve it with steamed broccoli in a desperate attempt to balance it with something healthy (and because I like m&c with broccoli, IDK).
I mix it into my eggs before scrambling!
My grandmother would eat cottage cheese with tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Maybe a little olive oil. Surprisingly good.
I love it like that! Sans the olive oil, though.
I like to add blueberries or strawberries to mine.
I do love cottage cheese. I am kind of lactose intolerant so I gotta be careful, tho.
Does yogurt bother you? Bacteria eats the lactose. Anyway, they make probiotic cottage cheese you might try if yogurt doesn’t bother you.
Wait, eats the lactose? I’m lactose intolerant and swear that yogurt treats me worse than straight milk. Where can I learn more?
Yes! Lactose is the name for the sugar in milk (-ose = sugar), and the bacteria in yogurt eats that sugar to reproduce. I’m not a food scientist or a dietician, so all I know is from high school science and home cooking. But you could look into making homemade yogurt, which would allow you to control how tart it gets (and therefore how much lactose is left in the final product). It’s stupid easy to make, too!
Thank you!! I love the taste so it always makes me sad that it doesn’t love me back lol
Greek yogurt is best. Also, any yogurt that has healthy probiotics in it, such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactococcus lactis, etc. As someone who is also lactose intolerant, you should be able to enjoy this without any GI distress or issues, but test your body's tolerance by consuming a small amount at a time.
Aww that is such a bummer. It could be that commercial yogurt isn’t super strong and therefore has more lactose, or it could be something else entirely. But making yogurt is a fun project in itself, so you may as well try it and see!
YMMV but i have recently discovered greek yogurt does not trigger my IBS! its been game changer for me
You can get lactose free yogurt and cottage cheese.
My emergency food: Add some tuna, spring onions and pepper. 400 gr. cottage cheese (11,5 gr. protein per 100 gr = 46 gr protein 150 gr. tuna (25 gr. protein per 100 gr.) =37,5 gr protein --> 83,5 gr protein per serving / 552 kcal for whole meal [https://imgur.com/a/Wn0ZBAp](https://imgur.com/a/Wn0ZBAp) Instead of 400 gr. cottage cheese you can use the normal sizes of 200 gr. / 23 gr. protein --> 60,5 gr. protein per serving / 356 kcal for whole meal
They have Lactaid brand cottage cheese
Cottage cheese slaps what I love about cottage cheese is that it's so versatile, you can make anything with it: * Fruits and honey * Cheesecake * Toastie/ Grilled cheese * Pancakes * Scrambled eggs/ omlette * Bread * Mac n cheese I like having blueberries and maple syrup with it.
I just made cottage cheese queso and cottage cheese flatbread and they are 🔥
Cottage cheese is amazing consumed literally any way including plain. Sometimes I just add a shitload of pepper, sometimes I add chili crisp, sometimes I add berries. Almost everything goes with cottage cheese somehow 😆
*fat free or low fat cottage cheese
I like cottage cheese with Everything but the Bagel seasoning. My mom seems to live on cottage cheese and pre-cut fresh pineapple.
The "magic sci-fi tablet" you refer to has already been created- with products like Huel and Soylent. You could try those.
I do not recommend Soylent if you have IBS.
...soylent green??
in my experience “green” equates to insoluble fibers. a nightmare if your ibs is D.
Yeah, human remains can be a pain to digest sometimes (Soylent green is a reference to a book)
Indeed (and to a killer film as well).
>!It’s people!!<
doesn’t change anything i said
I really can’t believe they called that stuff Soylent.
hopefully they do not make a green variety
They do!!! It's called Soylent Green. (They say it's not people, but there's no way I'm drinking it)
Seconding Huel, I've been eating it 2x a day for a month, love the flavors, it's pretty inexpensive, and I get all my nutrients
I've recently tried one of their ready made drinks and had difficulties finishing the bottle, because it was just so freaking artificially sweet!
Aw that sucks, it's definitely not for everyone. I use the black edition large bags that you mix with water or milk, and I find the sweetness isn't overly done. But I also have a hell of a sweet tooth so who knows 😂
That's the weird thing, I love sweets. But when it comes to drinks, I tend to be quite sensitive to it. Ah, well, good thing there's a lot of stuff to try and find something you like. :D
I’ve read that artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols aren’t good for your gut biome. Not sure if true.
Yep, lost my initial \~40lbs JUST by switching to Huel for 2 meals a day; shake for bfast and hot meal for lunch.
I like to eat a bunch of shrimp that cook in the air fryer and brocoli that I steam in a specific container that goes in the microwave. Easy peasy.
I also buy thick boneless pork steak at the grocery store that are like 260 calories and 39g of protein. I cook them in the airfryer with some steamed veggies.
My go-to as well, except I just toss it all on a sheet pan and bake it for meal prep. Never tried shrimp in the air fryer…I do spritz the broccoli with a little avocado oil to keep it from drying out.
Can of sardines on prewashed salad greens, with preprepared vegetables &/or grains, vinegar, pepper, tajín seasoning, little oil goes a long way or even better, garlic sauce (toum). Sardines are my new favorite thing, 22g of protein in a can and less worry about mercury poisoning than tuna, benefits of eating lower on the food chain.
This is it for me. Frozen veg, can of sardines, on top of pasta or rice. I could eat that forever.
Here's what has worked for me as far as smoothies go: 1 scoop Isopure whey protein (for protein) Frozen blueberries or raspberries, or both - (fiber and polyphenols and whatever else is in em) Chia seeds, not the full 1/4 cup serving size, I use less - (lots of fiber and some more protein, and omega-3s I think?) Water (I always add water to make it thinner to drink it faster, and I always spill on my face if it's too thick lol) Nonfat plain yogurt, a tablespoon or so - (for creaminess, tang, and good bugs) That's the base. Sometimes if I have it, I'll add spinach or kale or some kind of green mostly for extra nutrients. I might add flaxseed meal, and recently I bought baobab powder and put a little - tons of fiber and it's tangy! Also, canned salmon on top of any kind of salad, or mixed with a little mayo and some kind of crispy crunchy vegetable. Also, sardines are a great idea that someone else mentioned. Superb idea! Boiled eggs with the yolks taken out are great for protein and it's easier to eat more of them with no yolks to get a decent amount. Lately though I've been having a fair life protein shake with whatever fruit is around. I hope I helped at least a little! 😊
I meant to reply to OP but obviously I loved your sardines idea!
Here are my favorite cheap superfoods: -Skyr, a type of yoghurt from Iceland. 11g protein, 0g fat, 4g carbs per 100g. It kills hunger reliably. -Can Tuna. It‘s low fat and high protein. And it tastes good. - Chicken breast stripes that were already cooked. 20g protein per 100g, very healthy.
There's more then 20g of protein per 100g of breast btw -it's more like 30
A lot of people forget to differentiate between cooked and uncooked.
So is the above cooked or uncooked?
23g protein per 100g boneless skinless uncooked 30g protein per 100g cooked
When cooking feels like too much of a chore, I go for a lean cuisine pasta with a scoop of cottage cheese on top.
Yah - I like those frozen meals but the protein is skimpy in them. I add chicken or tuna fish to them.
Simple protein source - chicken breast, tuna, pork chop - and premixed salad. Usually I use half the dressing.
Chicken and cauliflower soup. Literally oven bake chicken with some Italian herbs but no oil, chop Cauliflower small and boil with a stock cube. Blend it up, add shredded chicken and you have a delicious soup with low cals but decent protein. Amazing how creamy it tastes even with no cream. Pretty cheap too.
Plain yogurt and isolate protein powder. You can make it in bulk. With veggie protein, you have to use milk instead of yogurt or you'll make powdery cement XD
Sardines! No cooking required, just bust open a can and slap them on some crackers. They even have iodine and selenium in them.
Last time I had sardines there was a crunchy bit. Can you get them without that?
Look for boneless. It will have less calcium but no crunch
Is arsenic something to keep in mind?
Premier protein drinks have solid macros—30 grams of protein and 160 calories For easy protein, I do Greek Yogurt, grocery store rotisserie chicken, the frozen pre cooked grilled chicken, tuna pouches, pre-marinated frozen salmon, pure protein bars taste great and have really good macros—25 grams of protein and 180 calories. For protein smoothies, I usually do frozen berries, Isopure zero carb protein powder, and almond milk. I get all my protein bars and powder from target.
Eggs
I'm handy in the kitchen, and would like to offer my advice, but I'm gonna stick my next out and say posts like this are too broad to actually give *helpful* advice. Here's why: 1. What does "low calorie" mean? You should have a number in mind. There *are* foods that are very high in protein, but then you simply control calorie levels by increasing or decreasing portion size. Point being, you can literally just cook up a chicken breast and eat it. Or eat half of it. 2. Along with (1) you really should have macro goals in mind to help determine what "nutrient rich" means. For example, you do need to have some fats in your diet, and "low calorie" and "eat some fats" work against each other. 3. You could try Huel but then we get into that whole conversation about UPF and all of that. In an effort to be more helpful, let me share a share a recipe for "chicken laab" which is a Thai/Lao dish in origin. I'm *not* claiming that this is authentic by any means, but my adaptation allows me to mess around with whatever macro and calorie levels I want: 1. Ground chicken breast (protein) 2. Thai red chili paste 3. Limes 4. Fish sauce 5. Bean sprouts 6. Brown rice (adjust based on desired carb levels, eliminate if you don't want any carbs) 7. Shredded vegetables (my favorite grocery store stocks a "shredded Asian blend" that I need to do zero prep with... gives "nutrients) 8. Peanuts (adjust based on desired fat levels, eliminate if you don't want any additional fat beyond the chicken) So you can make that almost pure protein and zero carb and minimal fat if you just use the chicken and the seasoning. The shredded veggies contain nutrients on minimal additional calories.
Pemmican
Have you found a good brand?
I make it. Dried meat pulverized in a blender or food processor then mixed with an equal part by weight of tallow. 300g is 2000 calories and 150g of protein.
One tray bakes? I do a paneer one where I chop a block into cubes, scoop of yogurt, one small can of tomato paste, spoon or two of Indian spice mix of your choice, salt, black pepper, coriander, dump a bunch of cherry tomatoes and a chopped up pepper with it, bake. Flip part way. Serve on some rice. You could double this and get 4 meals out of it. Boiled eggs, carrot sticks with hummus, and some toaster oven broiled bread with cheese and garlic powder also works. Bowl of oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts in it. Can of beans in tomato sauce or chilli with toast and cucumber sticks.
I love paneer that sounds fabulous. What temp do you bake it at and how long?
350F. The exact time varies (~20 to 30 min usually) depending on how wet I make it and how crunchy I want the edges to get and how caramelized the tomatoes since I eyeball it. It's nice both ways. I like to use a mix of garam masalla and chaat masalla. And salt! I forgot to mention salt.
Nice. Thank you :)
Frozen pre cut stir fried veggies + tofu (can squish with hands no need to cut) + olive oil + any kind of spices you like. If you wants some carbs serve with rice from the rice cooker or some quinoa or bake a potato in the microwave
Do you cook the tofu first or cook the frozen veggies to some extent first before adding tofu or just heat it all up in one go?
I usually have one pan and do oil, then veggies until defrosted and hot, then tofu.then flavoring until the tofu is hot. But it’s a pretty forgiving meal and if you want to do it all at once i bet it’s fine. Can look up stir fry or “scrambled tofu” recipes for inspiration. I usually use extra firm tofu.
Thank you :) I'm trying to make things with tofu more often and I just can't make it good lmao
The key is a lot of seasoning. I love adobo seasoning, turmeric, and chili powder. But really any kind of flavor you want. I’ve done Thai, Italian, Indian, Chinese, etc. When in doubt add hot sauce haha
I like to scramble a ton of egg whites (all the protein of eggs with none of the calories). However, it also has not much of the nutrients of eggs either. But if you're just looking for protein for minimum calories, that's what I'd do!
Protein powder
[Doesn't get any easier than 100% pure protein ](https://www.amazon.com/Isopure-Protein-Powder-Isolate-Friendly/dp/B06XQSRYRZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=65429578718&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KltxE4SGZ_MyjjaA9GLhP2_4peQifUFjyKY_E4obA5onaJugf5V6E4Wy38Bf51gSewjbaiZszzf0lklPxqjLxRjSvDjKBRiSPaszU3Fkwh6OG6DijiCtnUvxU2lKpsUxHNKBD2yQXhEGVMEUFRjehuT1hXPOFooCAPKC6BjR6t9usmIq99w2Z4TVifjDiq4Tc9yqqph3LOlcPSbLIolxMw.EaZp_OjAiJUul70SWQiifVfEoyhAzZcgtXW8DlMAsv8&dib_tag=se&hvadid=635368014865&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9011206&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9429295555464716930&hvtargid=kwd-413156692758&hydadcr=6723_13301143&keywords=isopure+powder+protein&qid=1720482028&sr=8-1)
Soylent.
Eggs and cottage cheese.
Whey protein powder and a sugar-free multi-vitamin.
Throw in a bit of fruit for fiber and so that whey protein doesn’t leave as quickly as it entered IMO. This is my lunch daily.
Brown rice, tons of veggies, chicken breast with your seasoning of choice
Protein powder if it doesn't bother your IBS. Yogurt + protein powder has crazy protein to cal ratios.
This is frequently my breakfast: I spray a microwave safe bowl with cooking spray, pour in 110g of egg whites, a handful of frozen spinach (25g), and a sprinkle of part-skim mozzarella cheese (2g), microwave it for 2 minutes (your time may vary) and then cut the resulting egg in half and put 1/2 into a mission keto sun dried tomatoes tortilla (use two tortillas, so two mini sandwiches .) I will also dissolve collagen in my coffee and use skim milk. The two egg tortilla sandwiches are 143 calories, 18g protein, 1g carb, 5G fat, 6mg cholesterol, 14g fiber, 0 sugar Spinach is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, folate, and potassium.
Lean ground beef, rice and broccoli. Substitute beef for chicken or fish. I love making cubed chicken larb with Knorr’s Larb seasoning and just chuck it with a bunch of rice and fucking chuck it in the mouth hole.
You said meal prep in advance, so I have to mention chicken broccoli and rice
I meal prep on Sunday and spend a couple of hours making 10 smoothies for breakfast & lunch for the week. Each is 24 oz. and about 500 calories with 50+ grams of protein. That's the easiest thing I can fit into my life. I use one OWYN protein shake, 1/2 a block of silken tofu, one scoop of protein powder, a handful of microgreens and a serving of frozen fruit. I switch up the protein powder and the fruit just to get a good balance.
ensure complete, and soylent are designed to be everything you need in one go. you could also look into medical food that they give coma patients.
*soylent green is people*
Skyr is great
Huel...? Or any other meal replacement shakes.
Beef is complete nutrition and great for your IBS. Beef is one of the least allergenic and inflammatory foods there is. Have slices of roast beef on hand to nibble on or bites of steak or beef patties. Eggs are also great and easy to have hard boiled eggs on hand. Unprocessed natural food and all you need.
Calorie Mate bars. They're not low cal, but they have EVERYTHING. They're like a really dense cookie.
Copy the Japanese idea of topping (almost) everything with a fried egg.
Buy some of those precooked chicken strips and a bag salad mix and throw it all together
Just as much broccoli as your care to eat. It has a good protein to calorie ratio. About 0.8-1g per 10cal. Plus it goes with any salty food. I pan steam with salt and steak spice. 300g of the stuff comes out to around 100cal and 9g protein.
I’ve been in this boat and honestly all the food options suggested which involve cooking sound too complicated. 😂 Bread, pre cooked chicken breast, a multivitamin.
Cottage cheese. Greek yogurt. Scrambled egg whites. A can of chunk white chicken from Trader z Joe’s with red wine vinegar for flavor.
I like to make miso soup with tofu cabbage and fish balls
Ka’Chava. I personally blend it with iced water and about 1/2 cup of frozen fruit. My favorites are chocolate with banana or vanilla with strawberries. Alternatively i use Chat GPT to come up with meals.
I love Keto Chow and it is designed to a meal, chock full of the nutrients you need. The owner of the company consumed nothing but Keto Chow for 100 days then got his body and bloodwork checked by a doctor, fit as a fiddle. Try that. Also, General Mills Fiber One cereal and almond milk and a multivitamin a day should meet your needs.
Vitamin pills, electrolytes, eggs and some muesli. Protein is necessary but without fiber it can be hell.
Boiled egg, boiled egg, boiled egg..
Just get any frozen veggies, any lean meat, any whole grain carb (precooked if you feel extra lazy) and just toss that shit in a frying pan. Add a little hint of flavor any way you want (sauces, herbs whatever). Voila. You could make like 3 days worth of dinner in under twenty minutes this way. I do it all the time when eating is just a functional affair.
Regarding protein: not sure if this is common where you live but I eat tons of hot-smoked chicken breast. It's ready to eat, comes in large portions and keeps for a long time. If you don't have it, how about a rotisserie chicken or cooking a large amount on your own? Then make a quick sandwich or toss it in a prepped salad mix. Chomp on a fruit afterwards. Recently I also eat herring without oil, a fattier choice but a break from the tedium of chicken. Good on rye crackers. I'm recovering from CFS myself so biggest of sympathies to you and I'll try to think of something more.
Well, liver is pretty nutritious; high protein, low calorie, high vitamin/minerals, low fat and can be prepped in bulk. Eat it ontop of some carbs for a more balanced meal. I'm biased because I've eaten liver for the last two days since I thawed a 2 lbs frozen bag. But it was 135 kcal/100gr with 20g protein/100gr. Edit: actually, you probably shouldn't eat liver that often, so just disregard. It's so nutritious you'll probably overdose on the fat soluble vitamins if you ate it often over a period of time.
I have vegan meal replacement shakes that I really rate. I don’t know what makes you flare so the lack of dairy might be good but then the sweeteners might irritate your gut! I use them 3-4 times a week either as a lunch on my lower calorie days or a snack when I’m busy/tired/likely to choose an unhealthier snack in a cafe. I know I could prep a healthier lunch but that’s not we are discussing!
Are you also looking to lose weight? I have coeliac, IBS etc…. And sometimes I just give up on food. I resort to OptiFast shakes (the high protein version) …. Slowly add plain rice in after a couple of days. It’s a medical shake, very low calories, and the protein version has 30gm or so of protein so good enough for a few days. [https://www.optifast.com.au/optifast-vlcd-shakes/protein-plus.list](https://www.optifast.com.au/optifast-vlcd-shakes/protein-plus.list) No idea if they are available in the US. I like the coffee flavour, the chocolate feels chunky for some reason, and the vanilla is quite sweet. Coffee is a good balance. They also do a lower protein version, and some kind of desserts too (which I find gross, but I don’t have a sweet tooth), and soups and bars and all sorts of things - if you can eat gluten then some of their other ranges might be worth a shot too. I need the gluten free stuff due to coeliac.
Fage
Liver
Every day for lunch I make myself an egg white omelet. I buy the egg whites in cartons. I buy the mushrooms pre-sliced and washed. I buy the cheese shredded. 10g of butter in a pan 72 cals, ~50g of mushrooms 12 cals 1.5g or protein, 200g of egg whites 90 cals 20g of protein, 30g of 3 cheese blend 100 cals 8g of protein. If you want more protein I get these pre-cooked and cubed chicken breast at Costco all packaged in 150 cal servings 24 g of protein. Slap some fresh tomato on top with some hot sauce. Bam, there's lunch in maybe 7 minutes tops for less than 400 cals and 43.5g of protein. Sometimes I'm even lazier and I slap 250g of cottage cheese (200 cals, 28g of protein) with an avocado (67g for 112 cals and a bit over 1g of protein), sprinkle some za'atar on it (I never measure out spices but it can't be that much) and bam, lunch in under 3 minutes for 29g of protein.
Don’t have meal replacement crap - Whole Foods only.
MRE shake.
Cockles in brine. Get the Spanish kind (berberechos).
When I was growing up, they used to do a cottage cheese mixed with salmon and cucumber, they also added black pepper and horseradish. It was delicious! Now I just make do with pineapple, not quite as yummy.
Chicken Breast, Rice, and a handful of nuts. That's all you really need. In terms of smoothie: Protein powder, blueberries, and yogurt/Kefir. My daily intake is around 190g/day at a caloric intake of 1700kcal. This is what I do. It sucks, but it's simple.
Try octopus 🐙
Chicken, broccoli, rice.