9 Smart Yet Easy Ways To Eat More Protein Daily

Finding ways to eat more protein is no longer an obsession exclusive to the world of bodybuilders.

Over time, the general population has become increasingly aware of just how important protein is and why we should try to include more of this essential nutrient in our meals.

National healthcare bodies and charities alike, such as the British Heart Foundation, have all become advocates of a diet rich in healthy sources of protein. Their reasoning for this encouragement includes an increase in health, energy, and muscle mass.

Another significant reason that may inspire you to eat more protein is that this can help with weight and fat loss while improving your strength!

We’ll look at ways to easily increase our daily protein intake later in this post. But first, let’s grasp an initial understanding of what exactly protein is.

You may remember from school that protein is considered ‘the building blocks of life‘- and it’s true!

‘Protein molecules play all sorts of vital roles in the functioning of our bodies. They are responsible for strengthening our immune system, regulating our hormones, and maintaining/ repairing our bodies’ tissues.

Let’s go ahead and put our scientist coats on for the next part…

Protein is a large and complex molecule made up of small organic compounds called ‘amino acids‘.

20 different types of amino acids exist; 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) and 11 non-essential.

Essential amino acids must be consumed via our diet since our bodies make these compounds themselves. These 9 EEAs are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

Excellent sources of EEAs include meat, eggs, and poultry. Tofu and edamame are also great options for vegan diets.

It’s also worth mentioning that you can get EEA supplements. This may be useful if you’re unable to eat a consistently balanced and nutritious diet or have a rigorous training schedule where you may need more EEAs to promote muscle repair.

Foods that include all 9 EEAs such as these are also commonly known as ‘complete sources of protein‘. It is therefore a good idea to focus on consuming more of this specific type of protein to reap the benefits!

Now you know what protein is and have even learned about the importance of including complete protein sources in your diet, let’s discuss how much protein you should try to eat on a daily basis.

It is generally recommended that adults should consume 0.8g-1g of protein per kg of body weight.

Therefore, a 60kg individual is recommended to eat anywhere between 48-60g of protein each day.

However, depending on your goals, you may consider including more protein in your diet (perhaps to achieve the benefits we will discuss in the next section).

For example, if you work out 3-5 times a week and have the goal of growing muscle, you may even double this recommendation and consume 2g of protein for every kg of body weight. Increasing your protein will therefore help muscle recovery and encourage greater muscular growth to occur!

Don’t worry, this is also very safe to do. It is even advised that to maximise muscle growth, you should consume between 1.6g and 2.2g of protein per kg of body weight!

In short, active individuals should seek to consume at least 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight to support muscle maintenance and growth.

Tip: If you’re not used to eating lots of protein, I’d advise gradually increasing your intake weekly until you’ve hit your desired goal. This will help to reduce any upset stomachs from a sudden change in eating habits!

A diet that includes more protein can encourage many health benefits including:

• Muscle growth and maintenance
• Enhanced weight management
• Increase fat loss
• Improved metabolism
• Better bone health
• Lower blood pressure
• Faster recovery from injury
• Improved skin, hair, and nails
• Better immune system function
• Enhanced hormone production
• Migitgate age-related muscle loss
• Improved attention and cognitive flexibility

This is a common concern, especially for women who are told to eat more protein. The answer…

NO!

In fact, for women, it is quite the opposite.

When combined with resistance training, consuming more protein can gradually shape your body into a more ‘toned’ physique.

This is because protein is great for fat loss while increasing muscle growth at the same time.

Additionally, women naturally have significantly lower levels of testosterone (a muscle-building hormone in the body) in their bodies compared to men, making it extremely difficult to put on size and become ‘bulky’ in the same way.

So no need to worry!

Beginning your day with a high-protein meal is a great way to ensure you are fitting in your daily protein requirements throughout the day.

American author Timothy Ferris, explains in his book ‘The 4-Hour Body‘, that eating 30g of protein within 30 minutes of waking, followed by 30 minutes of low-intensity exercise can lead to fat loss.

Part of the reason behind this is that a high-protein breakfast helps to stabilise blood sugar levels for the rest of the day. This results in feeling the sensation of ‘fullness’ longer so you consume less food throughout the day while also reducing sugar cravings.

How cool is that?

High-protein breakfast ideas include:

• Eggs on wholewheat toast
• Protein smoothie
• Protein pancakes
• Low-fat Greek yoghurt with berries and a small handful of nuts
• Protein oats with chia seeds

Ward off those pesky hunger pangs with a high-protein snack.

Much like eating a high-protein breakfast, making clever decisions when it comes to snacking can make a huge difference when trying to reach your daily protein goals.

Some readily available yet affordable high-protein snacks include:

• Handful of nuts
• Handful of seeds
• Babybell lights
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Low-sugar/low-fat yoghurts
• Greek yoghurt
• Protein bars
• Protein shakes
• Beef jerky
• Cottage cheese

Building your meals around your protein of choice is an effective way to ensure you’re getting enough protein at each meal time.

You should also try aiming for 20-30g of protein per meal to space out your protein consumption and make each meal easier to finish. (You’ll become very full quickly otherwise!)

An example of building your meal around your protein would be:

1. Choose your choice of protein (I’ll pick chicken breast)
2. Choose your source of complex carbohydrates (I’ll choose homemade sweet potato chips)
3. Include some veggies (Broccoli and peas for me!)

Et voila! You see how simple it is to create a meal based on your protein source.

Of course, this is just a basic example. You can build much more complex and wonderfully tasting meals using this concept.

I love to make my favorite spicy peanut chickpea curry or sticky salmon rice dish, as a delicious way to eat more protein for dinner!

Organisation is key!

How many of us get caught up in our daily lives and/or feel too tired to prepare a high-protein meal every night?

I’m the same!

If you also struggle with this then I cannot recommend batch or ‘bulk’ cooking enough!

I often make enough for at least 2-3 meals each time I cook and portion these out into glass storage containers to keep in the fridge.

This means that for at least another night or two in the week, I can just warm up the high-protein meal that I have already prepared without having to spend time cooking!

If you’re out and about, I’d also advise packing a high-protein snack to ensure that you always can get your hands on a smarter snacking option.

This tip reminds me of Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.

Although I don’t believe he was specifically talking about eating more protein, this statement rings extremely true when it comes to achieving your protein and health goals!

Although not necessary at all, using protein supplements such as protein shakes and bars, is an effective way to incorporate more protein into your diet.

If you’re new to the world of protein supplements, opt for a whey protein supplement or if you are vegetarian/ vegan, there are soy and plant-based options available too!

If you’re not enthused about drinking a protein shake straight, why not add protein powder to your oats (I can confirm this tastes amazing) or to a smoothie?!

Swapping out your usual refined grains such as white bread, rice, and pasta for whole grains including quinoa, farro or barley will add a protein boost to your meal times.

By opting for wholegrains, you’ll also enjoy the added benefit of including more fibre in your diet.

Fibre is not only great for keeping you regular but also has a similar satiating effect to protein. This makes whole grains a godsend for those who struggle with snacking throughout the day!

Why not mix animal and plant protein for the ultimate protein-packed meal?!

Legumes such as beans, lentils, peas, and chickpeas are excellent plant-based protein sources that can easily be incorporated into your meal.

You can try adding one or some of these to salads, soups, stews, or curries for a nutritious muscle-building lunch or dinner!

To reduce the amount of nasty saturated fats you include in your high-protein diet, aim for the majority of your protein to come from leaner sources. These include:

• Chicken breast
• Turkey breast
• Fish (such as cod or haddock)
• Shellfish (shrimp, scallops, and crab)
• Egg whites
• Lean beef
• Pork loin
• Tofu
• Greek yoghurt
• Cottage cheese
• Legumes
• Reduced fat cheese

“Work smarter, not harder”.

Who would have thought so many maxims would apply to eating more protein?!

But, yet again, it’s true!

In today’s world, there are various smarter alternatives to items we use daily that can dramatically facilitate our ability to consume a high-protein diet.

Smart swaps you can make include:

• Pasta> chickpea, red lentil, edamame, or high-protein pasta brands (The brand Vetta is great but is sadly only currently available in Australia)
• Standard yoghurts> Greek or other high protein yoghurts (I get mine from Lidl or Aldi- they have 20g of protein and are delicious!)
• Bread> Seeded whole grain bread
• Pancakes> protein pancakes mix
• Standard cheese> Eatlean protein cheese
• Nutella> Grenade Milk Chocolate Protein Spread