Protein and Fibre in Peri meno

[Ilovelowry]

Everything I read and listen to on podcasts seems to emphasise protein for women at this stage in life. But after a life of dieting and focussing specifically on calories and not the macros involved, I am really struggling to eat enough real protein. (I have no interest in protein powder...)

I do manage to get lots for breakfast but then it's all downhill. Usual breakfast is kefir and Greek yog and flax/chia/oats etc.

I have to eat over 30g of mixed soluble and insoluble fibre every day but in concentrating on this I struggle to eat enough protein.

I'm not big on eating an evening meal either.

Plus I try to keep to around 1600 cals to keep my weight in place.

Has anyone solved this conundrum?

How do you eat enough fibre and protein to stay healthy in mid life?

Do you have an actual health problem? What is it?

I have a post surgery recurred prolpase which means I have to eat a lot of fibre. Which is fine I love eating fibre.

But I find it shoves out space for eating enough protein.

Is this what you mean by health issue?

Most of the podcasts etc say over 100g protein a day. I struggle for 60-70.

Plus I do a lot of working out, usually weights. So protein is important.

I'm not too sure what you're asking.
It's quite hard to get 100gm protein in a day and TBH the 'advice' varies from 0.85gms per kilo body weight to 1.5gms per kilo. I'd not take podcasts as always the best advice- they are subjective.

But I find it shoves out space for eating enough protein.

Can you explain what you mean? You can get food that has both fibre and protein- example, nuts and nut butters. Oats, wholegrain cereals, brown rice, lentils, pulses, (chick peas etc) peas.

If you don't eat an evening meal, does that mean you're only eating breakfast and lunch?

If you were to eat a chicken breast, eggs, and a salmon fillet in a day, plus your Greek yoghurt, add lots of fruit, veg, wholegrain cereals or pulses, where would that leave you?

@JinglingSpringbells

I just sort of eat little snacks in the evening, or like a slice of toast and avo as I'm super tired and don't want to eat. Also have reflux so try to eat as little as possible before bed.

I keep seeing and reading things that say women in peri should aim for more protein.

Perhaps you're right and I don't need over. 100g a day!

I just wondered what other people manage to do, given we don't need as many calories in peri and we should eat a lot more fibre. I just struggle to manage enough fibre and protein and stay within a reasonable amount of calories AND not feel overwhelmed by eating so much protein!

@JinglingSpringbells if I ate salmon and chicken and eggs and Greek yog all in one day. I wouldn't manage to eat enough fibre.

I should add, I started this thread idly. It isn't life or death and I'm not worrying about my protein intake day and night!

It's just another dimension of the meno journey for me now my HRT is on track and I've got a bit more gusto for life!

I don't dwell too much on it but I do have full fat Greek yogurt with wheat bran, flaxseed and chia seed + crushed berries for breakfast. That's some protein + fibre.

Home made brown bread, with real butter and some topping like cheese, tuna, tinned salmon and some leaves for lunch snack.

Dinner is usually fish or eggs, sometimes veggie. I swerve pasta, rice and spuds, but eat a good bit of my brown bread!

I also do 16/8 and eat between 11am and 7pm only, breakouts allowed now and then of course!

I don't focus too much on how much protein I get, I kind of know what to eat and what to avoid now. I'm 67 and bloods v. good for my age, no deficiencies and bone scans ok too. I know I'm post meno but still..

Have protein and fibre at every meal and focus on low cal protein sources. So a big bowl of 0% Greek yogurt with Chia seeds, fruits, other seeds, etc. Then lunch is a chicken breast, or a fillet of salmon, or a small tin of tuna, or even better beans and pulses for a protein/fibre double up. E.g. a tuna and chickpea salad with chopped veggies and a low cal dressing or a chicken stirfry with peas and edamame with other veg. Then dinner is similar to lunch. Don't max out your cals on big portions of white pasta, etc. Snacks can be edamame beans, hummus on ryvita, fruit and veg, a few dates a day, some nuts. I eat like this and also add one protein shake in the morning as a booster, but you'd get a good amount of protein even without it.

But add fruit and Chia seeds to the yogurt. Then add a big chopped salad to the protein lunch and follow up with some dates. Have a chickpea and chicken curry for dinner with a small portion of brown rice. A whole kiwi skin on and an apple for snacks. Could you not do that?

@GobbledyBook absolutely. My lunch yesterday was a tuna and butterbean salad with kefir. But then as I don't really eat dinner I'm not sure I get enough across the day.

Yesterday's breakfast was kefir and Greek yog with 20g chia/flax/35+ boost mix from Marks and Spencer. I hit 20g of fibre and 30g protein. Then my lunch was about 30g protein too.

And that's where I stall. I just can't summon the energy for a protein based meal post 4pm. All I want is toast!

Maybe my problem is not eating in the evening...

Yeah, you're missing a whole third of your daily opportunity to eat. I am procrastinating at work so I just worked out for the same calories of half an avocado on a slice of toast you could have a small tin of tuna (in water or brine) on two slices of ryvita and a 100g of edamame and it'd be 9g of fibre and 30g of protein. Now that's Internet calculators so could be wrong, but better than what you'd get for avocado on toast and still a small enough snack.

How about a protein bagel in the evening instead of toast? Warburtons do thin seeded protein bagels, think they have about 9 grams of protein, maybe have it with smoked salmon and cream cheese or avocado which would give you another 12-15gm

Do you snack during the day? Could you have a high protein yoghurt / mousse / pudding? They usually have 20-25gm protein.

If you take collagen supplements, the powders you can dissolve in your coffee have 10-20gm depending on the brand you use.

Skim milk is easy to consume quickly & also low calorie way to get Lots of protein.

I suspect that the advice you're getting from podcasts is almost certainly pure guess and invested opinions so not scientific at all, but anyway... if you want low calorie cheap and easily consumed protein, skim milk will do the job. Drink that rather than eat toast.

Ha ha, love that I've given your procrastination a purpose 😁

That's actually a really good idea. I sometimes do eggs, edemame and salmon for breakfast but I could mash the edemame onto the ryvita. And I wouldn't feel too sick either (have tried eggs in the evening but they make me feel awful).

Could you switch out your morning and evening meals, and have your Greek yoghurt + bits in the evening, as it feels light and is familiar; then in the morning you could have an eggs + egg whites scramble with some fibre-rich veg fried in with it..? Sliced avocado on the side, seedy sprinkle on top?

Sorry, cross post!

Totally get where you’re coming from. I’m also in peri and trying to up my protein to prevent muscle loss and help me with my strength training. It really does feel like it takes a lot of food to get to what is being recommended now by many people in the fitness space - one pound of protein for one pound of desired body weight is the figure I hear most and that is a lot to fit in if you’re also trying to keep calories down, and fibre up!

I eat a lot of pulses as they have both fibre and protein, but I’m conscious that the protein isn’t as complete or as available as animal products, so I’m trying to eat more meat and fish but then that leaves less space for the fibre… I do resort to protein shakes here and there. I choose ones with minimal weird ingredients, and I add veg and flax seeds to them.

First world problems I know, just wanted to say that I get it!

Yes, the lack of evening meal isn’t helping. Might be worth looking at some kind of protein smoothie type drink at night if you really only want to eat toast. If you don’t want to buy protein powder could you make it with yoghurt/kefir/cottage cheese, seeds/nuts etc?

@Alltheyellowbirds you have just written my post far more articulately than I did!

That's exactly it.

So let's say i weigh 140lbs. There's no way I can or want to eat 140g of protein. It's bloody exhausting!

Even hitting 100g is hard work.

@GKCHB thats a good idea.

Maybe my problem is not eating in the evening...

Yes.

I don't see how the amount of protein I suggested (as an example) means you also can't eat enough fibre. Obviously, I meant you would eat fruit, veg, a small portion of either rice, pasta, beans, wholemeal bread, etc with that protein.

I'm assuming you've looked into the fibre you are having and working out what you need? During the summer it's easier to get a lot of fibre because soft fruit is full of it- strawberries, raspberries, peaches, etc.

Do you actually need 30gms fibre? Have you tried 25gms? And plenty of water?

Even with reflux, you could eat your evening meal by 6.30pm

I wonder if you're obsessing over these amounts?

It's actually more important for older people (like me!) to eat more protein and I've never actually seen 'advice' aimed at women in their late 40s or 50s to increase their protein to the extent you're saying.

I think a lot of those figures you find online are from 'influencers' rather than scientists. This whole 'eat more protein' advice is relatively new and often goes hand in hand with adverts for products or subscriptions to sites.

The BHF suggests around 45gms per day for women. www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/protein#:~:text=How%20much%20protein%20do%20I,the%20palm%20of%20your%20hand.

I genuinely think that the people who need to be counting and concerned are professional athletes, training at a high level daily, who will have their nutrition sorted by medical professionals.

I think NHS advice is 1g/Kg, protein/weight ratio.

I’m aiming for that, plus 40g fibre.

Where do you stand on collagen powder, or fibre powder?

I’m having collagen in my morning breakfast which really boosts the protein. Inulin powder is boosting the fibre. I will swap across to ‘real’ fibre sources as I get used to it, but it’s a great way to add variety for me.

Breakfast was a weetabix, oats, inulin, collagen, chia/flax and oat milk.
Lunch will be cottage cheese and salad. Maybe a ryvita or toast.
Dinner will be something with lots of veg.

Menopause protein in the photo. I am sadly 100kg so need 100g protein.