How to eat more protein
As an online coach providing fitness and nutrition services, I start to notice trends among my clients. Believe it or not, the biggest nutrition struggle that I see is not getting in enough protein. It is not overeating. (Many of my clients are actually undereating – which can be one reason you might not be able to lose weight).
Getting in enough protein can be tough if you are used to eating a traditional American diet. If you are relying on only your three traditional meals each day to get in your protein, you might have a hard time getting close to what I would recommend, which is around .8 grams per pound of bodyweight per day. Further, if your “snacks” are more of the cracker variety than the beef jerky or string cheese variety, it is pretty likely you just aren’t getting in enough protein.
Planning for more protein
If you aren’t planning out at least most of your meals ahead of time, you are likely going to have a more difficult time getting in enough protein. It is pretty easy to “wing it” when it comes to your diet and not do a terrible job. You can just make healthy choices most of the time and you will probably do okay with nutrition without really having a “plan”.
However, to truly optimize your diet for building a great physique, you likely need to do more than “wing it”. If you want to be getting in at least 100g of protein (the minimum amount I would tell anyone to eat each day), you need to plan ahead. While it is easy in our world of abundant food to find snacks very high in carbs and fats (that probably taste wonderful too), it is much more difficult (and expensive) to find high protein snacks. Therefore, a little advance planning is helpful when it comes to getting in your protein.
I tell my clients to plan out at least 3-4 meals in advance. These meals should all be centered around a protein source. From there, the carbs and fats can fall into place pretty easily since they are so readily available.
Sample Meal Plan – Low Protein
Let’s take a look at a typical “healthy” meal plan. I think most would agree this is a healthy diet. However, if we dig a little deeper, we can see that this diet is very lacking in protein (and in calories). This is so typical of what I see women eating…not enough protein and not enough food in general.
Breakfast: 1 serving oatmeal, berries, 1 Tbls peanut butter (about 300 calories)
Lunch: frozen lunch consisting of lentils, grains, and veggies (about 300 calories)
Snack: apple, 2 Tbls almonds (about 300 calories)
Dinner: grilled chicken, veggies, sweet potatoes (about 300 calories)
Snack: yogurt (about 100 calories)
This meal plan looks “healthy”, but only adds up to about 1300 calories per day. Definitely not enough for someone who is even semi-active. The total grams of protein is somewhere around 70-80grams. While that is not terrible, it could be a lot better. Let’s make a few changes
Sample Meal Plan – Higher Protein
Breakfast: 1 egg, 3 egg whites, 2 pieces of toast (about 300 calories)
Snack: string cheese, apple (about 200 calories)
Lunch: ground beef, rice, veggies, salsa, avocado (about 300 calories)
Snack: quest bar (about 200 calories)
Dinner: salmon, sweet potatoes, veggies (about 400 calories)
Snack: protein mug cake with ice cream (about 300 calories)
This plan has so much more protein in it. I would estimate it contains about 140g of protein. Moreover, it has 1700 calories, which is much more adequate for anyone who is active and lifting weights even just a few times per week. A male could even add another snack and still experience fat loss on this plan (assuming that was their goal).
High Protein Snack Ideas
If you are struggling with getting enough protein in your diet, here are some ideas for you to incorporate into your day. Some of my favorite high-protein foods include:
chicken
lean beef (93% lean or higher, filet mignon, top loin)
turkey
deli meat
greek yogurt
flavored tuna packs
jerky
protein shakes/protein powder creations (more on these below)
quest bars/other high protein bars
string cheese
eggs/egg whites/hard-boiled eggs
High Protein Desserts
If you are still having trouble getting in enough protein, try a high-protein dessert at the end of the day! One of my favorite things to do if I’m short on protein at the end of the day is to make a protein mug cake. I will mix a scoop of protein powder with 1/2 tsp of baking powder and a Tbls. of cocoa powder in a mug. Add enough water to make a pancake-batter consistently. Microwave for 15 seconds and stir. If needed, microwave another 10 seconds. Then add any toppings to meet whatever macros you still need to add into your day! I like to add Halo Top ice cream, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.
Protein and Building Muscle
Getting in enough protein is so important when it comes to building muscle. Eating 60 grams or less per day (like I see so many people doing) is not going to cut it! You should be getting in at least .8g of protein per pound of bodyweight. 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight is even better. This, combined with weight training, is what will allow you to build metabolically active muscle tissue that is necessary to build a great physique.
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