Egg Protein was around long before whey. Before whey, egg protein was a bodybuilder’s powder of choice.

What makes egg whites egg-tra-ordinary? Because they contain as many as 40 different high quality proteins. 

Getting enough protein is important because it helps prevents muscle breakdown. And just why should we care about muscle breakdown? Because our muscles keep our bones strong and sturdy and strong bones keep us young. 

It's true. Having strong bones is the number one way to keep our body young and healthy. Strong muscles also help us lose weight. Egg-actly what I thought—Egg-tra-ordinary! A big round of applause for egg protein.

So, no fooling around with your protein, your muscles, your bones, or your youth! Get rolling with egg protein. Yes, we can! We have many more miles to go! 

Here is one you can drink 'till the cows come home! Nonfat Dry milk is a low cost, high-protein food that offers an excellent source of calcium and is a great moove for fortifing your diet with extra protein without adding fat. 

Nonfat dry milk is made by remooving water from pasteurized fat free milk. It contains all the protein, vitamins, and minerals found in fresh, fluid nonfat milk. Most nonfat dry milk has added Vitamin D and Vitamin A, just like regular milk. Serving reconstituted dry milk cold would also be a good moove to enhance the taste.

You can add nonfat dry milk powder to beverages, shakes, and many main dish recipes including fish, poultry, and eggs. It can also be used in combination with dried beans, peanut butter and cheese. 

One serving (1/3 cup) of nonfat dry milk powder has 8 grams of protein, and about 80 calories. 1/3 cup dry milk powder + 1 cup water = 1 cup milk. 1 1/3 cup dry milk powder + 3 ¾ cups water = 4 cups (1 quart) milk. 

People with lactose intolerance may have trouble with nonfat dry milk. For additional protein sources for those with lactose intolerance, it may behoove you to consider adding foods such as soy, tofu, beans, nutritional yeast, and eggs to your diet. 

More ideas on high protein additions to your diet as well as recipes using dry milk coming soon.

It important to get your protein each day, but also a balance of carbohydrates as well. Clinical Dietitian, Heidi Kaufman explains it this way—Your body uses protein for important roles such as energy, hair and nail growth, building muscle mass, building new tissue, repairing damaged cells and supporting your immune system. When you don’t get enough carbs your body steals protein to produce its own carbohydrates from the protein you eat, depleting protein levels.

Protein is important for the body to function and carbohydrates are essential for your brain to function. Don't know about you but I need that! Egg-actly!

Remember after surgery you need a total of between 75 and 100 grams of supplemental and food protein everyday. 

So eat a balanced diet of protein and carbohydrates to keep your body and your brain working at full potential.  

In most support group settings, there is always one main question that comes up, "How much protein you can absorb at one time?"

Most will tell you that it is about 30-40 grams, however, the fact is that there isn't any conclusive research. Some tend to think that it's about 9 grams an hour. Who knows? Besides everyone's body is different and absorption levels vary in individual cases, especially for gastric bypass patients.

During my personal journey, I was very compliant with my protein and diet. I always got my protein supplements in everyday, although my protein blood levels were sufficient, they were always on the low end of the chart (even before surgery). After returning to a "normal" maintenance plan for life, my protein comes from the food I eat, not supplements. Since I have been on a regular maintenance diet, my protein levels are higher...everyone will have a different experience.

Maybe the question could be, "How much do we need and how can we appropriately work that into a well balanced diet?"  Spacing out your protein grams throughout the day keeps hunger at bay and your blood sugar level.  You can see from the chart below an average amount of protein you would consume at one meal, this could be a good guide to follow. 

After all, when we get right down to it, we eat for nutrition and energy, not just to mark off the numbers on a chart. Our focus turns from rules to returning to health and wellness.  So with that in mind let's take a look at serving sizes and how much protein each food contains. The chart below will help guide you. Remember, if you are eating smaller amounts based on your current food phase, you should be getting between 70 and 100 grams per-day. That means that the remainder of your protein should be in supplement form. Protein grams on this chart are based on a "regular diet" serving size.*  See "food phase" entries for more information on what a regular diet looks like.

On average an ounce of meat or fish has approximately 7 grams of protein.  

Beef

Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein

Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams

Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce

Chicken

Chicken breast, 3.5 oz - 30 grams protein

Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size)

Drumstick – 11 grams

Wing – 6 grams

Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams

Fish

Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce

Tuna, 6 oz can - 40 grams of protein

Pork

Pork chop, average - 22 grams protein

Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams

Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams

Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams

Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams

Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams

Eggs and Dairy

Egg, large - 6 grams protein

Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams

Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams

Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label

Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz

Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz

Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz

Beans (including soy)

Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein

Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams

Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams

Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans

Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein

Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams

Nuts and Seeds

Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein

Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams

Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams

Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams

Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams

Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams

Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 19 grams

Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

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*The definition of portion size is dependant upon the amount of food you choose to eat. In other words, there is no standard portion size. For example, a toddler’s portion size will be much smaller than an adult’s portion size. Alternatively, a serving size is a standard amount used to “eye ball” or to give advice about the quantity of food eaten.

The first and foremost important ingredient in our pre and post op food plan as weight loss surgery patients is protein.

Protein offers a plethora of important benefits, but simply stated, protein is what helps us lose fat without losing muscle mass.  

There are so many protein supplement options on the market today and the list just keeps growing and growing...options are a very good thing...but with so many options how are we suppose to choose which one is the best?

Here are some tips on understanding which whey is the right whey for you!

First, lets talk about cost. It may seem that protein supplements are expensive, mostly because you're buying them in bulk. Remember your health is your priority. Consider the servings per container and remember protein shakes and powders are your meals for quite a while, your not eating a lot of "real" food. Protein shakes are essential for health during this weight loss phase, you'll phase them out after you're on maintenance. Not all proteins are created equal...start with high quality protein that you enjoy and then you can look around for other products you like.

Reading Labels...What to look for

Start by reading the labels...

Label reading can be confusing, but not when you know what to look for...

The top five things to consider are all listed on the nutritional label. 

1. calories
2. fat
3. sugar
4. carbs
5. protein

• Check ingredients and grams. First look for high quality protein. It should be listed first on the ingredient label. The protein content should be as high as possible. Protein supplements should offer a complete source of protein (more on this later). So of first importance is the protein content.  

• Twenty grams per scoop is considered high. 

• After checking protein check the label for: low carbs, low sugar, and low fat with the least calories as possible. (see below). Usually if the carbohydrates and fat are low the calories will be also. 

• High quality protein is imperative, not the lest expensive. I once heard that choosing a protein supplement is like choosing a car seat for your infant...would you go for cheapest of safest? (look for an upcoming post of complete protein)

• Whey protein isolate or hydrolyzed whey is best, but whey concentrate will do in a pinch. *These proteins digest very quickly and are the ones chosen for pre and post workouts or exercise. Casein or milk protein isolate will digest much slower. These proteins are great for mid-meal snacks, meal-replacements or pre-bedtime shakes. Other drinks may contain protein blends, including egg protein, soy and/or added amino acids such as branch chain aminos or L-glutamine. 

*Do not take this to mean that you need a different protein for each activitiy as a bariatric patient, this is to help you understand the benefits and differences between protein types. 

Taste

Select a protein drink that taste good. You will be on protein supplements during your weight loss phase. It's important to find a protein drink that you enjoy. Don't expect it to taste like the best milkshake you've ever had, but can you tolerate it? What flavors do you like best? You might prefer to find one you can add your own flavor to and get creative. Find several that you like and try not to get burned out on just one flavor or product brand. I chose one staple brand that I liked with high quality medical protein and made shakes of different flavors. Then I had more than a dozen that I liked, both powder an pre-made, ready to use varieties. 

Fats

Check the fat content. Contrary to popular belief, zero-fat products are not necessarily the best. Fat limits should be around 5 grams per serving (or single digits). Some fats are healthy, such as CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid, sesame see oil and medium-chain triglycerides (saturated fat from coconuts) help to fill you up, stabilize blood sugar and burn body fat. Avoid other high saturated fats.  

Sugar 

Check the sugar content. Many protein drinks are sweetened with the artificial sugar substitute sucralose, also known as Splenda. Anything over 10 grams of sugar per serving is considered high. Keeping the sugar as low as possible will ensure that you don't have dumping. Lactose free proteins are available. Lactose is milk sugar.

Fiber

Pick a product with some dietary fiber. Enlightened protein drink manufacturers recognize the link between fiber intake and reducing the risk of heart disease and obesity. Several products offer 5 or 6g of dietary fiber per serving, which can also help to suppress hunger between whole-food meals. If the product you select doesn't have fiber you can add your own by adding wheat germ. It's better to select a good product that meets the fat, sugar, carb and protein criteria and add your own fiber. 

Where to find protein supplements

Protein supplements are everywhere from health food stores, vitamin store, grocery and specially stores, the internet and many bariatric sites. 

It's a good idea to start by researching on the internet. Some places offer samples. Once you found one you like, high quality protein that fits the nutritional requirements and taste you prefer, then shop for price comparison.   

My staple protein was Unjury Medical Quality Protein, however, I had dozens of other brands I enjoyed. I am always on the lookout for new products. Unjury is sold in large containers and also smaller packets which made easier travel. Although I never really did a lot of the high protein "shots" or "viles", they are good for traveling, especially when traveling by air.  I always made sure that when traveling that there was at least one variety of protein that I could find at a local grocery store. I did this by researching different brands and knowing my homework ahead of time, not to get caught without.

I did a lot of research to find several proteins I liked and it paid off in the end. I actually enjoyed those protein shakes! Choosing proteins are essential for good health and weight loss...so enjoy the journey, get creative and most importantly, know your protein! Look for other protein favorites and information in this section.

Yes, we can, we have many more miles to go!