7 Ways To Get More Protein in Your Diet
The Last One is The Most Vital One!
With New Year’s Resolutions upon us, maybe one of yours is to eat healthier. One way is through adding more protein to your diet. There are multiple benefits to adding more protein to your diet: it can increase satiety; help retain muscle and encourage new muscle growth, and can be an integral part of someone’s fitness and health journey. Whatever your reasons, here are a few ideas on how you can get more protein into your diet.
Starting Off With Breakfast
1. Switch Sugary Cereal to a High-Protein, High-Fiber One.
If you’re someone that opts for a sugary cereal in the morning then maybe this wouldn’t be the best option for you. But there is also the alternative of buying a high-protein muesli and then just adding sugar to it. If you have to add something to make the healthier option more enjoyable then it is still worth eating the healthier option. Health isn’t an all-or-nothing race.
Lunch and Dinner
2. Switch Breads and Wraps to High-Protein Ones
You can easily get an extra 10g of protein per meal just by swapping out your bread options. I would say to be wary of products marketed as high-protein as sometimes the original version might be the better option protein-wise whilst they charge you extra for clever marketing.
3. Switch Some Carbs and Sides to High-Protein Ones
This can be something as simple as adding more eggs to your diet, adding them as part of a sandwich or a side for breakfast. But you could also experiment with pasta alternatives such as ones made out of lentils, green peas, or even mushrooms.
4. Add More Veggie-Based Protein Sources Such as Chickpeas and Black Beans
Not only do they bulk up your chicken fajita wraps but they also are a protein-rich source. You could also make curries out of all sorts of beans and legumes as an additional side to your rice.
Snacks and Desserts
5. Add in Protein-Rich Snacks Such as Greek Yogurt, Nuts, Protein Shakes, or Bars.
The protein bars/shakes are rather self-explanatory; however, Greek yoghurt is surprisingly quite a high protein-rich source and makes an excellent snack with some berries and nuts.
6. Add Protein-Rich Desserts e.g., Protein Ice Creams and Puddings.
For my dessert lovers, you could experiment with these high-protein dessert options as nowadays more supermarkets make these choices more readily available.
Most Importantly…
7. Meal Prep So That You’re More Likely to Eat Your Protein-Rich Meals
It is important to ensure you have a variety of meals with protein sources prepped if you’re serious about your goal. This is so that when you get bored of one you still have another high-protein source readily available ensuring your success. Also, if it’s the easiest food choice available, e.g. all you have to do is reheat it after a long day, you’re more likely to stick to it just because of how easily available it is.
Key Message: No matter your goal, there are a lot of ways to add more protein to your diet. Experiment and use the best option that works for you!
