Protein is essential for our health, but we may not be getting enough. Nutritional guidelines state that the average adult should consume at least 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight (PDF). For example, if you weigh 150 pounds (68 kilograms), you should aim to consume about 55 to 68 grams of protein per day.
Active people, those who lift weights, compete in sports, or work strenuous jobs may find it beneficial to consume more protein than the recommended minimum amount. Older adults, especially those at risk for sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), can also benefit from consuming more protein. To calculate how much protein you need, try this Dietary Reference Intake Calculator from the USDA. CNET’s visual guide also shows: 100 grams of protein It seems.
Maximize your protein intake with these seven other tips. Want to learn more about improving your diet? Learn what foods to eat to boost your sense of well-being, how to build a healthier heart, and how to master the Mediterranean diet.
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1. Make protein a ritual
The adage “consistency is key” is true and applies to almost everyone, making it universal advice. habit Habits you want to start, continue, or stop.
Ritualizing things, or linking one action to another, can help solve problems such as: Consistency, which eventually leads to habits. For example, if you’re trying to increase your daily step count, you could say, “Every day, after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he walks for 10 minutes.” Dawn — That’s an extra 30 minutes of walking each day.
In that sense, try making protein a ritual. Protein may become part of your breakfast ritual by drinking milk with your breakfast each morning or having a protein shake instead. Consuming 20 to 40 grams of protein daily in a protein shake can quickly increase your overall protein intake.
You can also make your protein ritual by drinking a post-workout shake. This may seem like common sense, but if you say, “I’ll drink it after dinner or after my shower,” it’s easy to forget about your post-workout drink. Make it as soon as you finish training. Drink it during your post-workout stretch or cool-down and it becomes a ritual.
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2. Get your protein first.
When eating a meal that includes protein sources, try to eat the majority of the protein before moving on to other food sources on the plate, especially grains that fill you up quickly. Eating your protein source first allows you to eat it all before you’re full.
Added bonus: Protein makes you feel full, so if you’re trying to lose weight, consuming the right amount of protein can help you reach your health goals.
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3. Top with chopped nuts
Nuts aren’t necessarily the best source of protein quantitatively, but adding nuts to your meals throughout the day can provide a solid source of protein.
Add chopped walnuts (4.3 grams of protein per serving) to your salad, chopped peanuts (6.7 grams per serving) or almonds (6 grams per serving) to your oatmeal, or chopped cashews (5.2 grams per serving) Try adding it to stir-fries.
In addition to their protein content, nuts are also rich in healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, so adding nuts to your diet can benefit your health in all aspects.
Add nuts to salads, oatmeal, stir-fries, and more for protein.
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4. Choose lean meat
Lean meat has less fat per cut, meaning more lean meat per cut, and more protein. This is one very easy way to add protein to your daily intake if you consume animal protein daily.
This is a good strategy for people trying to lose weight because lean meat has fewer calories than fatty meat, and protein makes you feel fuller. According to the Mayo Clinic, the leanest types of beef are:
- Top quality sirloin steak
- Top round roast and steak
- Bottom round roast and steak
- Thigh loin and steak centerpiece
- sirloin tip steak
When eating chicken, a good rule of thumb is to choose white meat rather than dark meat. The Mayo Clinic says the leanest cuts of pork are the tenderloin, loin chop, and leg.
5. Choose brown rice or quinoa over white rice
Quinoa contains more protein than white rice.
This is one easy substitution you can often use to get more protein in your diet. Both quinoa and brown rice have more protein per serving than white rice and can be used in place of white rice in most meals.
Although the texture is similar, quinoa has a earthier taste than rice. Cooked quinoa contains 8 grams of protein per cup, while brown rice contains 5.3 grams of protein per cup. White rice, on the other hand, contains just 4.4 grams of protein per cup.
Quinoa surpasses both white and brown rice in terms of protein, but brown rice still contains more protein than white rice, so it’s a good option if you don’t like quinoa.
6. Add beans to something
Beans are often overlooked and undervalued as a source of protein. Easy to add to salads, pasta, tacos, and many other dishes, they can add up to 10 grams of protein per half cup, depending on the type of bean.
Although this isn’t as much as animal protein sources like chicken or eggs, adding beans to your diet can fill in gaps in your daily protein intake. Additionally, beans are a good source of fiber and other nutrients.
7. Swap white bread for whole wheat bread
Bread is a humble place to increase your protein intake, but some breads are actually rich in protein. Just as brown rice contains more protein than white rice, whole wheat bread contains more protein than white bread.
This is because whole grain foods retain all parts of the grain, such as the germ, bran, and endosperm, whereas the refining process strips the grain down to just the endosperm, which contains many nutrients. Because there isn’t.
For example, Dave’s Killer Bread 21 Whole Seeds and Grains contains 5 grams of protein per slice. Eating two slices for breakfast automatically means you’re getting 10 grams of protein, which you won’t get from refined white bread.
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