Sneaky ways to increase protein

Brewers Diet for pregnancy (recommended by The Bradley Method&#174) includes 80-100g of protein every day to help a plethora of diseases and risk factors! It can be hard to do if you are not used to eating this much protein or if you are vegetarian or vegan. Go to the website for more info (click "Vegetarian" on menu to the left to find vegetarian or vegan modifications) or here are some suggestions below:

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• Ezekiel Bread: available at regular grocery stores, it is an organic, flourless, sprouted wheat whole grain bread (buns, cereals, etc.) and comes in a variety of flavors (sesame, cinnamon raisin, etc). While it only has 4g of protein per slice, it is a COMPLETE protein (most breads are not)
• Milk shakes: from non-fat dry milk (reconstituted), ice, fresh/frozen fruit, and/or yogurt
• Roasted soy nuts: buy in local grocery stores or health food stores or make your own. Soak soy beans in water in refrigerator for 2 nights, changing water once (use discarded water for soups or plants). Drain and roast in 300 degree oven on lightly oiled and salted pan until light brown.
• Cheese, cheese, cheese! Add grated cheese to eggs, sandwiches, casseroles, salads, snacks, on whole wheat crackers and celery.
• Cottage cheese: is a cheap and great source of protein! Add to gelatin salad, scrambled eggs, casseroles such as lasagna and other Italian dishes, make vegetable and cracker dips out of blended cottage cheese with onions and spices.
• Non-fat dry milk: add to hamburgers, meatballs, meatloaf, casseroles, and breads.
• Yogurt: blend with gelatin for interesting fruit salad, use in place of sour cream for dips.
• Soy flour: Add to bread (1/4 c.) when baking.
• Eggs: Keep hard boiled eggs and deviled eggs in refrigerator for snacking or make custard for dessert.
• Sunflower seeds: add to sandwich spreads (chicken salad) and sprinkle on salads.
• Wheat germ: buy at grocery or health food store and add to cereal, breads, cookies, baked goods, serve over ice cream.
• Brewers yeast or nutritional yeast (nutritional yeast does not contain the essential mineral Chromium): Brewers yeast is a complete protein and can be used to increase needed B vitamins to help combat fatigue. Good for milk production too!
• Liver: best source for just about everything! Cook and grind to combine with hamburger.
• Granola: make your own from whole grain cereals (oatmeal, 4 grain cereal), wheat germ, coconut, nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon.
• Combining vegetable proteins to make complete proteins: rice + legumes, corn + legumes, wheat + legumes, wheat + sesame + soy beans, rice + sesame, rice + Brewers yeast, vegetables + mushrooms or nuts or sesame seeds.
• Beans and corn: marinated salad of kidney beans, corn, celery, onion and Italian dressing. Serve chili with cornbread. Mexican food!
• Dietary Iron: good sources are liver, organ meats, whole grains, beans, pean and corn - necessary for blood manufacture, for increased blood volume of mother and baby. Oxygen-carrying component of blood (hemoglobin) dependent on iron. Also, baby stores iron in liver for postpartum life (draws on it for first 9 months!)

Adapted from The Bradley Method Teacher's Manual pg 249