- Stock up on lean meats, fish, nuts, dairy, beans, and soy products for healthy protein-rich meals. Eat protein bars and shakes for quick and easy snacks.
- Plan out your meals every week to make sure you’re getting enough protein daily. Track your meals on food tracker apps.
- Prioritize buying your own ingredients and cooking at home to ensure you know exactly how much protein you're getting in every meal.
Incorporating Protein into Your Diet
Stock up on high-quality protein-rich foods. When you grocery shop, read food labels to ensure you’re selecting items with enough protein per serving. We tend to think of “meat” as the poster-food for protein, but you can get plenty of protein with a plant-based diet as well. Lean meat, fish, nuts, dairy, beans, and soy products are all great sources of protein; mix and match different protein-rich foods based on your dietary preferences and requirements. Animal-derived proteins: turkey, chicken, beef, pork, fish, eggs, cheese, yogurt, Plant-based proteins: almond milk, soy milk, tofu, seitan, tempeh, edamame, lentils, kidney beans, whole-grain cereal and bread, quinoa, and peanut butter. Protein powders and protein bars are also easy and quick sources of protein. Check the whole label, not just the protein content. Some foods that are rich in protein, including many protein bars, may be high in sugar, carbs, fat, or fiber. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat these foods—just make sure you’re getting a balanced amount of nutrients. Buying your own ingredients and cooking at home ensures you know exactly how much protein you’re getting—but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat out healthily! Lots of restaurants offer protein-rich meals, and many fast food places provide specific nutritional info on their menus.
Plan protein-rich meals in advance. Planning out your daily or weekly diet will ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need, including protein. Be sure to measure your food before eating it to make sure you’re getting the right amount of protein. To consume 100 grams of protein per day, divide 100 by the number of meals you eat on an average day. If you generally eat 3 meals, that means you’re aiming for about 33 grams of protein per meal. If you have a couple snacks throughout the day, you might shoot for 25 grams per meal and 12 or 13 per snack. If you have a busy schedule during the week, consider setting aside meal prep time each weekend so you’re ready for the days ahead.
Use apps to track your protein intake. My Fitness Pal and Lifesum are 2 examples of food diary apps that can help you keep track of your protein as well as other nutrients. You can also use these apps to record your daily physical activity and manage your weight and muscle gain. These apps are especially convenient when you plan your meals in advance: you can input the meal information into the apps ahead of time so you know exactly how much of each nutrient you’re getting throughout the day. Tracking your meals can be incredibly useful for helping you meet your fitness or weight loss goals, but keep in mind that while these apps may accurately reflect the nutritional content of prepackaged food or fast food, they’re not always accurate when it comes to meals you’ve made at home. Furthermore, if you struggle with an eating disorder, these apps (particularly their calorie counter) can be triggering and ultimately unhelpful.
Example Meal Plans
Breakfast Aim to get about 33 grams of protein in your breakfast (or 25 if you snack during the day). Eggs, dairy, bacon, cheese, yogurt, nuts, and beans are just a few common high-protein breakfast foods. Late for work? Blend a shake for a quick protein-rich breakfast. If you’re not a fan of the taste, try adding some tahini for a nuttier flavor, or Medjool dates and coconut water for some sweetness. Animal-derived breakfast: Scrambled cheesy eggs with a side of turkey bacon and whole-grain toast makes for a hearty breakfast for carnivores and omnivores. Vegetarian breakfast: If you're a vegetarian, try a meatless Mexican breakfast frittata—just a couple eggs, cheese, beans, rice, and a few delicious veggies. Vegan breakfast: For vegans, try an overnight oat protein bowl: combine oats, almonds, berries, soy milk, and flax and chia seeds in a container and refrigerate it overnight to have it the next morning.
Lunch Try to get about 33 grams of protein in your lunch as well. Salads, wraps, and stir-fries make for simple high-protein lunches that are also rich in greens. Customize your lunch to match your preferences and restrictions. Vegan and vegetarian lunch: Top a bed of greens, quinoa, or bean salad with stir-fried or baked tofu or tempeh. Animal-derived lunch: Even if you’re a total carnivore, go for fish or a plant-based meal now and again. Beans and lentils are rich in fiber and low in cholesterol in addition to being killer sources of protein. Fish, too, is way lower in cholesterol, sodium, and saturated fat than most meat, as well as high in healthy fats like Omega 3. Tuna salad is an excellent source of protein and makes for a tasty lunch!
Dinner As with breakfast and lunch, try to get about 33 grams of protein in your dinner. Be sure to balance your protein intake with plenty of leafy greens—100 grams is nowhere near “too much” protein, but your body requires plenty of other nutrients as well. Animal-derived dinner: If you’re a meat-eater, opt for lean, protein-rich turkey or chicken. Vegan and vegetarian dinner: For a plant-based diet, consider tofu or seitan, soy-based protein-rich foods. Tempeh is a great plant-based alternative for people who are allergic to soy. Impossible Burgers and Beyond Meat are yummy plant-based protein-rich meat substitutes, but keep in mind that they’re heavily processed and high in both sodium and saturated fats. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them now and again, but make a habit of eating food in its most natural form when you can. Noodles don't have to be “empty calories”: use a spiralizer to make noodles out of vegetables like zucchini, or try protein-rich buckwheat noodles: they’re gluten-free and provide fiber, magnesium, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals including vitamin B, folic acid, copper, and zinc.
Snacks If you snack twice a day, try to get about 12 grams of protein in each snack to stay on track. Stock up on protein-rich goodies from the store, like granola bars and shakes. There are also plenty of snacks you can easily make at home. Animal-derived snack: A few pieces of turkey jerky, a chunk of cheese, or couple of boiled eggs can give you a quick protein boost. Boiled eggs also make a simple protein-rich snack: boil a few eggs in advance so you can have a snack ready to go for the next couple of days. Vegetarian snack: Make a high-protein smoothie using fresh or frozen berries, Greek yogurt, cashews, coconut water, shredded coconut, and cacao nibs. Vegan snack: Try chia seed pudding: this one takes a little extra prep, but it’s super simple and worth the extra time. Steep some chia seeds overnight in your plant-based milk of choice (like almond milk or cashew milk). It’ll form a thick pudding. In the morning, stir in fruit and, if you want, a sweetener such as honey or agave. Short on time? Grab a handful of almonds or a big scoop of peanut butter to fill you up between meals or after a workout.
How much protein do you need?
How much protein you need depends on your body and your fitness goals. The minimum RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) is .08 grams per kilogram of body weight. However, your age will determine exactly how much protein you need, as will your amount of physical activity each day. Generally, try to make sure that 10-35% of your daily calorie intake comes from protein. For a 2000-calorie diet, that equates to about 50-175 grams of protein a day. Most sedentary adults below the age of 40 need about 46-56 grams of protein every day. People above the age of 40 need about 75-90 grams. Active adults need about 1.1-1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. So if you’re 200 lbs (91 kg), for instance, you need about 100-136 grams of protein. Avoid getting too much protein, as many protein-rich foods are high in cholesterol and calories. Additionally, be sure you’re getting enough carbs and fats; protein alone can lead to malnutrition.
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