How to Add More Protein to Your Diet
Protein is an essential part of everyone's diet, whether you're looking to lose weight or gain muscle or not, on both counts. Protein is what makes up a healthy, balanced diet so it's important that we get as much of it in our systems as is reasonable. For a woman, you should be eating 45g of protein a day, whereas men should be consuming 55g, according to the British Heart Foundation.
But it can be difficult to deliberately ensure you're getting this amount of good protein, so here's how to easily and effectively consume more protein, regardless of how busy your day is or how forgetful you are. By following these simple steps, you'll be up to your daily recommended intake in no time!
Snack on cheese
Cubes of mature cheddar, the odd Babybel or a Dairylea triangle once a day will help to boost your protein intake. Not only are these easy to come by but they're also a simple-yet-delicious addition to the average lunchtime meal or even as an afternoon snack to keep you going till dinner time.
Buy a box of protein bars
Protein bars are notoriously easy to snack on. You can eat them pretty much anywhere if you're feeling like you're low on energy. They're also the perfect post-workout snack for those of you who like to hit the gym. Not only is protein great at keeping your energy levels up, but it also helps to promote muscle recovery and encourage fat burning even after the exercise is done. I find Nature Valley protein bars to be one of the best on the market.
Incorporate quick and easy snacks into your diet
Life is starting to get busy again after a far few months working from home. Don't get me wrong, I'm welcoming the return to normality, but it does mean that my snacking choices, together with them I actually snack, have been affected by the change. With a new busy work/life schedule to contend with, I find the best snacks that give me the most protein are as follows:
- Carrot sticks and hummus
- Hard boiled egg salads
- Greek yoghurt with fruit and honey
- Peanut butter sandwiches
- Babybels or cheese strings
- Cottage cheese on Ryvitas or crackerbreads
Replace cereal, toast, bagels and other breakfast food with eggs or Greek yoghurt
Fruit and yoghurt is by far my go-to breakfast choice when I'm looking to be a bit healthier. I'm not so keen on eggs, any which way, but if I were to have them in the morning, I prefer them scrambled, poached or even boiled as opposed to fried. Eggs are versatile and go with pretty much anything - that and they can be eaten at any time during the day, not just breakie!
Sprinkle food with chopped almonds
Add around 25g of chopped almonds to a variety of different dishes, including porridge, yoghurts, salads or even cottage cheese snacks. They provide exceptional taste, just the right amount of crunch and they also provide just the right amount of protein.
Choose lean cuts of meat, if possible
Lean meats include some cuts of beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey and even salmon. Fish can be just as lean and healthy for you as a lean cut of beef, so opt for the seafood options if you're wanting to be particularly healthy. If you can't get lean meat cuts, then buy what you can and trim off the fat before cooking.
Find ways to add peanut butter to your meals
Peanut butter can be added to a variety of different foods, including porridge. Many choose to add peanut butter to protein shakes or smoothies for added flavour and for good reason. Peanut butter contains oleic acid and that's responsible for maintaining the following:
- Good cholesterol
- Blood sugar
- Blood pressure
By managing all three of those things, you'll help to lower your risk of developing heart disease, according to Nourish by Web MD.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let me know in the comments about how you like to add protein to your diet and I'll see you again really soon with a brand new article for you!
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