Boost the protein of your meals with these quick tips!

After a sleeve gastrectomy you’ll hear one word over and over and over again… PROTEIN! Protein is important, but sometimes it can seem difficult to work out how to eat enough, especially if you’re struggling to eat meat due to their texture. In this post, I asked our LWAS Community to give me their tips and tricks to boost their protein after sleeve gastrectomy. By adding a little protein to meals and snacks you can still have meals that taste good and don’t leave you feeling like a body builder!

What are high protein foods?

Before we get going, it’s important to know two things: how much protein you need each day and which foods have protein in them. To work out how much you need, read this post. As a reminder, foods high in protein are generally those that come from an animal or from legumes (beans), so we’re talking about:

• Meat, fish and chicken
• Eggs
• Dairy products like milk, cheese and yoghurt (including soy and lactose free varieties)
• Beans, legumes, nuts and seeds
• Tofu and tempeh
• Meat alternatives such as Quorn.

Make sure each of your meals and snacks have one of these high-protein foods in them so you are starting from a good base. Ideally half your main meals will be protein (the other half vegetables and/or grains) and snacks will provide an opportunity to get a little more in.

Protein boosting tips

1. Make ‘super milk’!
   • To every cup of milk, add 1 heaped tablespoon of skim milk powder and whisk until dissolved. Make it even easier by taking a little out of the top of a litre bottle of milk and adding 4 tbsp. Pop the lid back on, shake it up and then make that your special milk to use as you would normally use milk during the day.
2. Add lentils, kidney beans or tofu to soups, stews, salads and casseroles. For example, instead of pumpkin soup, make it pumpkin and red lentil like this one.
3. While on the topic of soups, make them creamy by adding evaporated skim milk, plain yoghurt or blend through some soft tofu. For example, a creamy pumpkin or sweetcorn soup like this one.
4. Try baked beans or eggs (soliders, poached, boiled, omelette or a frittata)as an easy meal.
5. Top your meals like pasta, ve
   

   Image: hapanom.com

   gies or casseroles with a bit of grated cheese for a last minute protein boost.

6. Make porridge, soups, desserts and drinks with milk instead of water (use your super milk here).
7. Add yoghurt to cereal and salad dressings or use as a base for dips (think tzatziki!).
8. Sprinkle nuts and seeds over your salads, muesli or yoghurt.
9. Make sure your snacks have protein. For example, celery and peanut butter boats, yoghurt and fruit or mixed nuts. If you’d like some more high protein snack ideas you can also check out this post, which has a downloadable snacks list to throw in your bag when you head to the shops.
10. Stir through a spoon of clear protein powder (try Beneprotein or Bodiez Clear Protein Powder) or nutritional yeast (thanks to Nina for this one!) through your soft meals or smoothies at the last minute or make a protein powder-based pudding, protein balls or biscuits like these to have as a snack.
11. Read your labels – go for higher protein products such as YoPro high protein yoghurt or The Complete Dairy higher protein milk or just choose the product higher in protein when you can.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas! I’d love to hear more from you – comment below with your favourite protein boosting tips!