Eating more protein can seem like a barrier if you don’t eat the prescribed amount promoting strength training and optimum fat loss. The recommended intake for maximum muscle and less body fat is about 1 gram per pound of body weight.
If you have a weight of 150 pounds, that is 150 grams of protein.
Protein RDA (recommended dietary allowance) is currently set at eight grams per kilogram body weight. In imperial numbers, that’s about.36 grams of protein per pound.
When weighing 150 pounds is a recommended intake of around 54 grams of protein per day. And like many other micro and macronutrient guidelines, RDA mainly acts as a guideline for minimum daily intake to keep you free of disease.
But when you’re exercising hard at the gym, you probably require more protein, same goes with energy (from calories) in general, than the typical sedentary person. So trying to consume three times protein RDA can be difficult if you don’t eat much protein.
It’s also found in fruits and vegetables, though much smaller than animal products.
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Ways to eat more protein?
- Eat lean meat cuts
- Chicken’s breast
- Turkey’s breast
- Tuna canned
- Trimmed pork
- Deli meat (turkey, ham)
- 96% Lean Ground Beef
- Broth (gelatin)
- Other wild game (antelope, deer, elk)
- Egg whites
- Fat / low-fat cheese, dairy, cheese, Greek yogurt, quark, kefir, Skyr
- Tuna, cod, tilapia, sea bass, snapper, etc.
- Shellfish (crawfish, lobster)
- Squid, pulp
- Whey protein and casein powders
- Eat more low-fat goods
- Cheese cottage
- Quark
- Milk
- Cheese (look for low-fat varieties)
- Yogurt (protein-high Greek version)
- Whey and protein powder
- Using protein powders (moderate)
- VeryNutrition – I used this brand for a long time — when they were called TrueProtein. I never had a problem with this business, and I feel the quality and authenticity of their product are really strong.
- Supplements Legion – I haven’t used any of their protein powder, but I know that Mike Matthews makes a quality product for its consumers to use. He sent me his pre-workout and greens powder tubs, and I was very impressed with the no-BS marking because there are no patented blends. Here’s his Whey+ powder.
- Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate – Gelatin powder isn’t talked about much in fitness and bodybuilding because collagen has long been accepted as an incomplete protein and subpar to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.
- Plan your meals in advance
- 2 Lattes 2% milk sugar
- cGelatin powder
- Cottage cheese smoothie
- Kefir
- Orange juice 2%
- 2 Eggs with ham chunks,
- Jalapenos,
- Tomatoes,
- 2% cheese
- 1 Cup Greek yogurt
- 1 Cup of juice
- Half a honeydew
- 1 Cup of skim milk
- 1 Cup orange juice
- 200-300 grams of heel beef,
- chicken or pork cooked with peppers,
- onions and vegetables
- 100-150 grams (pre-cooked weight)
- 1 Cup of broth
- 1⁄2 cup Greek yogurt on the side
- Your day with a protein-rich breakfast
Meat is one of the protein’s densest sources. On average, there’s about ~20 grams of protein per 100 grams of raw meat. It will vary somewhat based on cutting, but most lean meats (anything below 5 grams of fat per serving) will contain 20 + grams of protein per 100-gram serving.
Your fatty meat cuts would have comparable protein, but more fat per serving. The more fat the cut and the less protein it will provide.
When you eat lean meat cuts, mainly protein and small amounts of fat, that’s why people on a low-fat diet (anything below 50g fat per day) tend to opt for lean cuts of chicken, beef, and pork over fat versions.
Significant, but not complete, list of lean protein sources:
There are more options, but this is a good list to get you started thinking about choosing leaner cuts over fatty meat cuts.
The trick is to examine your current diet. If you usually eat fatty cuts of beef, pork, chicken, or fish, you can easily replace the lean versions.
Dairy, in general, has some high-quality protein. But some dairy products contain fat. A glass of whole milk, for example, has 8 grams of fat per 8-ounce serving. It also has 8 g of protein and 11 g of carbohydrate.
Low fat or skim milk will greatly help you get more protein while managing your total fat intake. Due to the overall protein content per serving, cottage cheese or nonfat Greek yogurt is an even better option than milk. Both are filled with protein and little or no fat.
Daisy brand 2% cottage cheese is a daily staple. I like this brand for the flavor and because it doesn’t contain excipients like gums or carrageenan. Fage Greek yogurt is also a great choice since it is high in protein, low in fat, and can be a sweet or savory option depending on how you prepare it.
If I want my sweet Greek yogurt, I’ll mix it in a bowl with some pineapple or strawberries. I prefer to add it to my meat and rice for a savory dish. It’s also a perfect sour cream substitute to make homemade burritos or tacos.
A list of high-protein dairy products:
Protein powders should never be a dietary staple. For a reason, they’re called supplements, and that’s supplementing the current diet. Since I’m not a supplement industry fan, I don’t have any recommendations for quality protein powder.
I’ve got some, though.
They are:
However, given the larger picture, collagen protein from animal connective tissue is rich in glycine, an amino acid many lacks from their diet. A lot of people have moved past from eating nose-to-tail, consuming mostly only muscle meats (which are very low in glycine).
If you plan your meals, you’re likely to get enough protein all day long because you’ll have a good grasp of what you need to eat and when. Meal preparation may sound cumbersome, but it will make meeting your protein intake targets much easier as you leave nothing to chance.
Here’s one example.
Say you’re preparing four meals a day—breakfast, lunch, pre-workout, dinner. If you try to consume 150 g of protein a day, divide that intake by 4.
150/4=37.5 grams
Ideally, each meal will contain 30-40 grams of protein to meet your daily target intake. Each meal doesn’t have to include the same amount of protein, but this gives you a good idea of how much protein you want each meal to consume by the end of the day.
So my day tends to look like complete meals and protein-rich food:
The breakfast is:
Lunch:
Pre-training:
Dinner:
If you’re struggling to get enough protein by the end of the day, one of the best ways to ensure you’re hitting your goals is to eat a good amount of protein early. This will also ensure you get enough calories if you’re really busy and fail to eat enough quality food.
I frontload my protein for the day by eating a decent amount of cottage cheese, yogurt, fresh milk, and gelatin powder for my first meal. I can quickly get 50-60 grams of protein in my breakfast shake and lattes to reach 180-200 grams of daily protein intake.
But what if you want to shoot up protein intake without an enormous increase in grains, fat, and calories?
If you want to consume a higher amount of protein but control calories, you’ll have to be flexible with your food choices and make some changes.
Everyone requires protein regardless of diet. Athletes consume it for recovery, bodybuilders to bulk it up, and most diets require minimum protein. But more is not necessarily better for any nutrient, including protein.
So, how much protein do you need?
Protein is a vast molecule that plays critical roles virtually all over your body, including your muscles, bones, skin, hair, organs, and body tissues. Perhaps best known for helping repair cells and body tissue, it also plays a vital role in many significant body processes such as fluid balance, immune response, vision, and hormone, antibodies, and enzyme production.
When you eat protein foods, the digestive system breaks the protein down into amino acids, the body uses the amino acids to perform various body functions, such as creating muscles or transporting nutrients. The body can synthesize most amino acids, but the body can not make nine essential amino acids alone. These should come from high-protein foods.
Popular and widely known protein foods include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy. But plants are also great protein sources. Protein-rich plant foods with other health benefits — such as vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients — include beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy foods.
What’re the over-protein symptoms?
One of the three macronutrients is protein, fat, and carbohydrate. These are necessary for optimal body functioning. However, excess protein — especially without fat or carbs — can be harmful. This is something to be mindful of considering several high-protein diets.
Protein poisoning is when the body makes too much protein for a long time with little fat and carbohydrate. Other names for this are “rabbit hunger” or “mal de caribou.” These words were used to describe only eating very lean proteins, like a rabbit, without eating other nutrients.
So, while you may get enough protein calories, your body experiences malnutrition due to lack of other nutrients, including fat and carbs.
The liver and kidneys perform important protein metabolism functions. When excessive quantities are ingested, it can put the body at risk for elevated blood ammonia, urea, and amino acids. While extremely rare, protein poisoning can be fatal due to elevated levels.
What are the symptoms?
- Protein-poisoning signs include:
- It’s nausea
- headache
- Changes in mood
- Weaknesses
- Tiredness
- Blood pressure
- Hunger and hunger
- Diarrhea
- Slow heartbeat
What food is high in protein but low in carbs?
5 High Protein, Low Carb Foods
High-protein, low-carbon foods can be delicious. Atkins has composed a list of the best sources of protein among low carb snacks and foods.
Look below for recipes and products that include these tasty ingredients.
- Fishes
- Tofu
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Chicken
Some types of seafood are praised as protein powerhouses like yellowfin tuna, halibut, and tilapia. You can try Bahian Halibut, a well-seasoned Caribbean dish with coconut flavors; 48.7 g protein, 18.6 g fat, 1.1 g fiber, 4.6 g net carbs and 400 calories per serving. Bring Tuna-Celery Salad for lunch and enjoy a protein-filled midday feast; one serving provides 37 g protein.
Tofu is an outstanding vegetarian protein to add to an entree as it quickly absorbs whatever flavors it’s cooked with—spice baked tofu with a zesty kick like a chipotle marinade or Moroccan rub. Try Tofu Pad Thai for a savory Monday dinner with 20.5 g protein, 26.9 g fat, 6.9 g fiber, 14.1 g net carbs, and 374.6 calories.
Food poster boy, one egg provides 6 g full food. This means it provides all the dietary amino acids in human needs. Start your day with a protein-packed dish, including Eggs Scrambled with Cheddar, Swiss Chard, Canadian Bacon. This entry contains 32.6 g protein, 36.9 g fat, 1.2 g fiber, 3.6 g net carbs, 482.9 calories.
Nuts are a high-protein, low-carb snack offering heart-healthy fats and lots of protein. Peanuts, cashews, and almonds are perfect bets for high-protein snacks. The Atkins Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bar packs a whopping 16 g protein between real roasted peanuts, pretzels and creamy peanut butter bites. You can also catch a handful of Atkins Sweet & Salty Trail Mix, equally salty and sweet, with 7g protein.
Chicken is a high-protein product. Try Green Goddess Grilled Chicken for dinner, which packs in 53 g of protein, 16.9 g of fat, 1.4 g of net carbs, and 382.4 calories of chicken salad, thanks to over 50 g of protein per serving—using a lettuce wrap to crunch.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, folks. Like my family always tells me, there is always a good side and bad side in every story. Nothing in life is perfect but you can make the right choices.
So unless you need to engage in doing a complete protein intake, you must understand what will be the cause and the effect it will have on your body.