Hello everybody, it's been about a year since I've scrutinized my diet so I need a few tips. I'm aiming for 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat, although I'm open to any suggestions. I've been working out my arms, chest/back and legs on seperate days and have been doing HIIT between them during rest days (Mostly because my cardiovascular system is grossly out of shape). So far I weigh about 167 pounds and my height is 5'9.

I have trouble swallowing foods (I suffer from something called dysphagia), so I can't really take any tough meats. So far I'm eating eggs, bagels, spam (I know, it's just that it's one of the few things I eat with rice), whey and turkey (sliced ham) sandwiches w/ cottage cheese. I'll be adding yogurt, maybe some mixed nuts w/raisons to my diet and possibly melt some mozerella (18 g worth) into my pasta. I also add a banana during my pre-workout meals and some orange juice in the morning.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Oats?

have trouble swallowing foods (I suffer from something called dysphagia), so I can't really take any tough meats.

What is dysphagia?

People with dysphagia have difficulty swallowing and may also experience pain while swallowing. Some people may be completely unable to swallow or may have trouble swallowing liquids, foods, or saliva. Eating then becomes a challenge. Often, dysphagia makes it difficult to take in enough calories and fluids to nourish the body.

Ground beef, turkey, chicken, ground anything. When baked as a meatloaf thend to have more moisture than when it's fried or grilled. You could make meatloaf ahead of time or casseroles and pre-freeze them.

fish, shellfish(oysters, mussels, prawns, shrimp etc...), squid, octopus....good sources of protein.
canned/fresh tuna, canned/fresh salmon

cottage cheese, ricotta cheese


Things like Nitrean.

Thanks for the replies. The ground chicken sounds good! I think I may be able to handle boneless chicken breasts as long as I try to make them as moist as possible, I'm not the best cook though. My not eating much "real" protein is what worries me. I'd like to give seafood a go. I used to eat these sliced salmon my grandmother used to buy, they were so very tender and juicy, you could practically taste the omega 3, sadly that brand got taken over by some conglormerate. Nuts are a bit too dry for me.

If you're not afraid of soy, tofu is extremely versatile.

Beans are a good source of protein, affordable and widely undereaten. You might like falafel (to keep the fat down, dry fry them, instead of deep frying), bean salad, hummus, or chili. Some soups could be high in protein as well, especially miso soup, or soups that contain beans or chunks of meat.

Bagels are pretty high in carbs; you might want to cut back on them if your target is 40% protein. Same with rice, especially if it's the white variety. Experiment with the grains in this list (http://www.livrite.com/wholegrains.htm) that are higher in protein. Watch the type of yogurt that you buy. many of the fruit varieties are very high in carbs. Some yogurts are higher in protein; I think maybe they are the ones labelled Greek or Balkan style.

Eating mozzarella and Spam could make it more difficult to keep your fats at a low/moderate level. I eat a ton of peanut butter, which has a similar problem, but at least it's a healthier fat.