About eight weeks ago I began tracking my daily meals and snacks. I have never done this sort of thing in the past as I am much more of a feel-it-out kind of person. I have always related food or nutrient tracking to the dreaded word DIET and just the thought of restricting what I can eat makes me want to stuff my face. I feel hungry just thinking about it!

So why did I start doing this daily tracking if all is going so well as is, why burden myself with one more “to-do” item?

The impetus came from a new client who wanted to track his intake. Makes sense. I can’t argue with such a sensible request and why not lead by example?

What an eye-opener!

I discovered a number of things in how I could improve my nutrient pairing and I also realized I was taking in a much higher Fat percentage per day than I realized. I knew my Fat intake was high but I had not realized how out of proportion it was relative to my other nutrients. In this instance the numbers were pertinent.

The reason I am mentioning all of the above has to do with what I discovered about my protein consumption – turns out it was very low. My grams of protein per day were well under the standard amount and this then prompted me to look into this a bit further. I wondered what the side effects of low protein might be? I had been feeling more tired and hungrier than normal and wouldn’t it be noteworthy (not to mention extremely helpful) to tie my low protein intake to these symptoms? Sure enough, I found that proteins help boost energy, curb appetite and of course, help to burn fat.

What I needed were some more foods I could add into my meals to help me reach my daily protein goal as I can only eat so much fish, chicken and red meat. I found some surprising sources of protein rich foods.

Listed below are my new go-to protein sources. Great additions to any meal or snack!

Gruyère Cheese
One ounce of this hard cheese contains eight grams of protein which is more than an egg! A great metabolically efficient snack paired with an apple or celery.

Sundried Tomatoes
One cup of this nutrient-packed food contains eight grams of protein. A perfect addition to salads and a tasty topping to meat and fish dishes.

Avocado
Contains over four grams of protein per cup. Research has shown that the greatest concentration of carotenoids in avocado occurs in the dark green flesh that lies just beneath the skin. absorption of two key carotenoid antioxidants—lycopene and beta-carotene—increases significantly when fresh avocado (or avocado oil) is added to an otherwise avocado-free salad. One cup of fresh avocado (150 grams) added to a salad of romaine lettuce, spinach, and carrots increased absorption of carotenoids from this salad between 200-400%. Add it to salads and even smoothies!

Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
A half-cup contains more than seven grams of protein. There are two basic types of garbanzo beans. Most commonly seen at salad bars and in canned products are the “kabuli-type.” These beans are cream-colored or sometimes whitish in color, fairly uniform and rounded in shape, and about twice as large as the second “desi-type.” In addition to being much smaller, desi-type beans are darker (light tan to black in color) and more irregular in shape. From a botanical standpoint, the desi-type beans also have a thicker seed coat (the seed coat is the protective outermost layer of the bean). While kabuli-type beans are the ones we are accustomed to finding in U.S. salad bars and grocery stores, they actually represent only 10-20% of the garbanzo beans consumed worldwide, where the vast majority of garbanzos are desi-type beans. There are great health benefits from both types of garbanzos. However, in the case of some nutrients—including some antioxidant nutrients like quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin—desi-type beans provide more concentrated nutrient amounts since these nutrients are found in the seed coat and this seed coat is thicker in desi-type beans.

Green Peas
Blood sugar regulation has been an area of special interest with respect to green peas. Few foods provide us with such substantial amounts of protein or fiber (about 8-10 grams per cup for this macronutrient) as green peas. These outstanding fiber and protein amounts directly regulate the pace at which we digest our food. By helping to regulate the pace of digestion, protein and fiber also help regulate the break down of starches into sugars and the general passage of carbs throughout the digestive tract.

Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds contain all 10 essential amino acids and in three tablespoons they have eleven grams of protein. Because hemp seeds have such a mild unobtrusive flavor, they keep a low profile and can easily hide out in a wide number of dishes. Add them to smoothies or just sprinkle them right on top of a salad.

Pumpkin Seeds
One ounce contains nine grams of protein! Pumpkin seeds are a very good source of phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and copper. They are also a good source of other minerals including zinc and iron. These are easy to sprinkle on yogurt or top off a salad.