Action Item: Chart My Protein

Last Friday, I set myself a to-do item for the weekend. To get an accurate handle on how much protein I was really eating -- and how much I was lacking -- I knew I needed to look at the numbers. So I put an action item on my calendar to consult a protein chart, print it out, and see what foods have the most wallop for my calories/fat/cholesterol/conscience.

I found a couple charts, and, using my J-school fact-checking skills, cross-checked them to make sure they were in sync. Then came out the big guns: Excel, and math.

I listed all the meals I've eaten in the last week -- noting both what I ate pre Dr M visit as well as post.

I inserted a column for the foods I ate, another to track whether said meals contained meats, and a column for notes. Today I stuck in another column to track protein, in grams.

I've spent the last hour calculating approximate values of my meals, then aggregating them for a daily total.

Before we get to the bottom line, here's a fun fact from my analysis: a 4-ounce serving of either cashews or almonds have nearly as much protein as 3 ounces of red meat. True, that means I’d have to eat ½ cup of nuts -- much more than the 'palm-sized' scoop that is supposed to be the appropriate serving per person. But it would be delicious going down...

And so, the numbers. Though I knew I was deficient (based on blood work), the results of the rough-analysis startled me. And embarrassed. I used to be such a good vegetarian, contemplating and balancing my proteins, matching beans with rice and eating heaps of lentils...

If the recommended daily allowance of protein is in the 55-60g range, I'm getting roughly half that. On an average meatless day, I intake approximately 35g protein. On meat (read: fish) days -- which happen only about twice a week, on Friday or Saturday when we dine out, and on Monday when we grocery-shop -- I get closer to the mark, with about 55-57 g.

That means, on most days, I'm at least 25g shy of the recommended dose -- the equivalent of 3.5 servings of black beans; 3 veggie breakfast sausages; 2 servings of cottage cheese; or 1 silly serving of meat.

One serving. That seems manageable.

According to these numbers, I wouldn't even have to eat "meat" meat -- if I add one extra dose of fish per day, or even one of those delicious Field Roast apple-sage sausage links (packing a whopping 26g per), I'd be set.

So I'll try integrating high-protein foods into my normal repertoire -- like sprinkling nuts on salads, and even trying cottage cheese in unexpected places (like fajitas tonight; or, on a weekend brunch, in pancakes -- ala the "cloud cakes" at Endolyne Joe's.)

I am up for the challenge and am looking forward to seeing the results.