Protein Hacks
Recently, I was helping a friend figure out her macros and suggested she increase her protein intake. She was eating about ~50 grams of protein a day, and I suggested she try to increase it to between 80 and 100 grams a day. This overwhelmed her - what was she supposed to eat? About five years ago (the first time I did a fitness competition) I made a conscious effort to increase my protein intake to 100+ grams a day. It was such a game changer that I've never gone back, and it's not even hard anymore. But eating this much protein does take some intention, education, and experimentation to figure it out if it's not a habit. So this post will be all about what it looks like to eat 100 to 120+ grams of protein a day.
The rule of thumb is to aim for .8 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass. Here's how this computes for me: 158 pounds x 23.5% (body fat) = 37 lbs. 158-37 pounds of fat = 121 pounds of lean body mass. So, I should be eating between ~100 and 121 grams of protein a day. I have better adherence when I have target ranges instead of precise number to hit every single day, so this is why I think of it in a range. But I view this range as minimum and not a maximum. First, I'm trying to put on muscle so eating more protein will support that goal. Second, I'm 47 and the experts say that protein consumption should increase as we age to help preserve muscle mass.
So then, how does one go about eating 120+ grams of protein a day? I've got some hacks for you. But first, the math. Assuming you eat 3-4 times a day (including a snack here as a fourth meal, which I highly recommend), eating 120+ grams of protein means that you are going to have to eat between 20 and 30 grams of protein at each meal. To put things in perspective, a 4 oz. chicken breast has 19 grams of protein. So you are going to have to eat the equivalent of five to six chicken breasts a day to hit a protein goal of 100 to 120 grams per day. That's a lot of chicken. The good news is that there are a lot of great protein sources beyond chicken. The other good news is that you are going to want to include a protein source in each meal. The best news is that you are going to feel pretty amazing if you do this because protein is extremely satiating and stabilizes blood sugar.
Breakfast
One of my hacks is to front load protein at breakfast. I work out first thing in the morning so the extra protein is good for workout recovery, but it also ensures that I've got the day off to a good start and that if something goes awry with a meal later in the day, I've got a bit of a protein buffer. Also, I love breakfast. It's my favorite meal and nothing makes me happier than eating a big breakfast. Bring on the First Watch. Eggs are my favorite protein source at breakfast and here are some of my favorites to incorporate them:
Oatmeal cooked with egg whites. If you are used to eating oatmeal every morning, try cooking it with a half-cup off egg whites, which has 16 grams of protein. This is my go to breakfast when I'm really lazy. I throw 1/2 a cup of oats, 1/2 cup of water, and 1/2 cup of liquid egg whites in a bowl. The key is to cook it slowly - 10 seconds at a time in the microwave - until it reaches the consistency you like. From there I add in different things like peanut butter, protein powder, canned pumpkin, cocoa powder, berries, really whatever sounds good. I call this particular recipe "everything but the kitchen sink" because that's sometimes what I throw in.
This was breakfast earlier this week: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1/2 cup skim ricotta, 1 tbsp. of peanut butter. It had 44 grams of protein. I might have gone a little overboard with the ricotta and the peanut butter, but it was delicious!
Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese: this is another go to breakfast for me. I scramble two eggs with 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, coming in at a whopping ~35 grams of protein. The thing about cottage cheese is that it has casein protein which is slowly absorbed by the body. Think long-lasting protein that will keep you going forever. I know cottage cheese is not everyone's favorite, but it makes scrambled eggs really delicious and creamy. I often add in leftover veggies to my scrambled eggs and cottage cheese - asparagus, broccoli, sauteed zucchini. Whatever I can find in the fridge, really. (Are you seeing a trend here?)
Typical scrambled egg breakfast: two eggs, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, and asparagus leftover from dinner the night before.
Breakfast on the go. If you need a grab and go option, there are a lot of recipes you can make with eggs. One go to breakfast I ate throughout my entire fitness competition prep was muffins made with a packet of low-sugar cinnamon apple oatmeal and four egg whites. You whisk the ingredients together and bake it in large muffin tin or cook it like a pancake. I'd make weeks' worth of these muffins at at time and stick them in the freezer. Easy breakfast on the go that packs a good slug of protein. You can also make savory egg muffins with eggs, cottage cheese, sausage, veggies - whatever sounds good and fits your calories/macros - and bake them in a muffin tin/or casserole and freeze in individual servings.
Kodiak Cakes/Protein Pancakes. Thank goodness for the invention of high protein pancakes. I mean, who can't get behind pancakes that are packed with protein? This is the perfect combo. Kodiak Cakes are a little high on the carb side, but they pack 14 grams of protein per serving and you can buy the mix anywhere. (At Target yesterday I noticed that Kodiak Cakes has instant oatmeal with 14 grams of protein per serving. My kids will be trying that for breakfast this week.) If you want a lower carb option there are some boutique offerings in the marketplace like Pamcakes (created by a fitness competitor). They are 25 grams of protein per serving and about one-half the carbs of Kodiak Cakes. I got some Pamcakes' CarrotCake mix for my birthday, and I can attest these are tasty! With both, you can up the protein game by cooking them with--you guessed it--egg whites instead of water.
Lunch
Lunch is probably the most boring meal of the day for me, and my go to is lunch meat. I usually eat a wrap with 4 ozs. of turkey or ham with avocado, a smear of pesto, or something else to spice it up a little. Very portable. Tuna and chicken salads are also a great option and you can add a lot of chopped veggies to these salads. The key is measuring your protein - 4 ozs. of turkey is more than you would think it would be. The most exciting part of lunch for me is a protein dip I make with Oikos Triple Zero greek yogurt and PB2 powder or peanut butter and dip an apple in it or eat it with berries and a little sprinkle of granola. It feels like dessert but it's packed with protein. Between the turkey/ham and Oikos, my typical lunch usually comes in around 35 grams of protein.
Mid-Day Snack
On most days I have a protein shake mid-afternoon. After adding in a large serving of protein at breakfast, this is probably the biggest game changer I have incorporated since doing a fitness competition. I remember when I first started drinking them I could feel myself go from droopy to totally energized and satiated from the beginning to the end of the shake. It was like a liquid nap or something. Sometimes I don't feel all that hungry when it's time for my shake, but it makes the rest of my day go so much better that I just drink it anyway.
I'm a bit of a protein powder snob. I won't drink just any old powder from Wal-mart, CVS, etc. I really like Optimum Nutrition protein powders, which you can get at Amazon, The Vitamin Shoppe, or Supplement Superstores. Costco also sometimes sells it in bulk. You can mix it with water and ice or while I'm reverse dieting, I blend it with a 1/2 cup of skim milk and ice. It tastes a little like ice cream. Most protein powders have around 24 grams of protein per serving. That's better (and in my opinion, tastier) than a chicken breast! To me, finding a tasty protein powder is totally worth exploring.
Another great and very portable protein shake option is Premier Protein shakes. You can get these anywhere: Walmart, CVS, Costco, probably most grocery stores. They are delicious - peach is my favorite flavor. They pack a whopping 30 grams of protein per serving. Some people mix them with coffee (not the peach, but maybe the caramel or chocolate flavors) or blend them with ice.
Current state of our kitchen counter - we're trying to use up various containers of protein powder we have at our house. My husband really likes the Element protein powder in Red Velvet Cake.
My FB and Insta accounts are being flooded with ads for some new protein products - Fit Whip and Apollo protein powder. I've also heard MuscleEgg is really tasty. Stay tuned - I might try and review these in a future blog post.
Dinner
So if you are adding things up, I'm usually rolling into dinner with about 80 to 90 grams of protein under my belt. This means, I am not ravenous and dinner is usually one of my lightest meals. Most of our dinner are very simple and follow this formula: 4 to 6 ounces of protein, a green vegetable, a small serving of carbs (1/2 a baked potato, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of rice, etc.) or no carbs. This routinely takes the form of tacos, taco salad, chicken and vegetables, baked salmon with a dollop of pesto and steamed veggies, spaghetti (ground beef mixed with Rao's marina sauce) and a salad, burgers and roasted brussels sprouts, chicken or beef stir-fry. You get the idea. Pretty simple.
In terms of protein sources, I usually choose from the following:
Lean ground beef
Steak
Grilled chicken breasts or thighs
Salmon or other fish
Pork chops
Pork tenderloin
Not Protein
You see in magazines to eat some nuts for breakfast or with an apple as a snack as a means of increasing protein intake. While I have nothing against nuts, they are not protein. They are a fat with a little bit of protein. So here is a list of foods/meals that, while tasty and might have other health benefits, are not going to help in increasing your protein intake very much:
Nuts
Nut butters
Cheese - some cheeses are more fat than protein. String cheese and cottage cheese are good sources of protein. But, in most cases, greek yogurt is going to give you more bang for your protein buck than cheese.
Protein Bars - a lot of times these have the nutritional value of a candy bar and not that much protein. Make sure to look at the labels of what you buy in the grocery store. Qwest, Barebells, and Built bars and some other bars are different and definitely high in protein. Just read the label and make sure you are actually getting protein and not just a bunch of carbs and fat with a little bit of protein.
Avocado toast - delicious, but not a lot of protein. I plugged it into MFP and it comes in at 27 grams of carbs, 29 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein. I'd at least add in an egg or some egg whites on the side to this breakfast option.
Beans - I love black beans, pinto beans, all beans really. Remember, to make a complete protein source you have to pair them with rice. Also compared to other proteins, beans are high in carbs. For example, a cup of kidney beans has 20 grams of carbs and 7 grams of protein. This is not bad, but it's just to say you can't swap out a cup of beans for a chicken breast and get the same protein result. If you are a vegetarian, beans might be a key protein source. But that is probably its own blog post altogether (how to get all the protein in if you are a vegetarian).
All of this protein talk might be overwhelming. If you are looking to make a small change, I'd suggest adding some high-quality protein to your breakfast and consider adding a high protein snack in the afternoon. I can almost guarantee you will feel less hungry and more energetic throughout the day. If you have increased your protein intake and enjoyed the results, please leave your experience in the comments. Also, please leave any protein hacks or ideas in the comments! I'm always curious how other people meet their protein goals.
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