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Writer's pictureDaniela Radoman

5 TIPS TO GET MORE PROTEIN IN YOUR DIET

Struggling to get your protein in each day? That's actually a pretty common problem, especially for women.


We talked about how much protein you need in our last article "How Much Protein Do You Really Need?", but let’s look into how to actually reach that number so you can reap all the benefits with a few tips.



Tip #1: Add Protein To Every Meal


Whether you’re looking to get leaner, maintain your physique, or to gain some muscle, you


should make sure you’re getting a good amount of protein with each meal. Not only does this allow you to spread your protein across the day (who wants to save all their protein needs for one meal?), it also helps you build the habit of making sure to actually include protein in your diet whenever you eat.


protein dinner meal

Not to mention, there’s something called the “Protein Leverage Hypothesis"1 that states that protein has leverage over your eating habits. Basically, it states that protein consumption influences your carb and fat intake, and as a result, your total caloric intake. A higher protein diet triggered people to eat less carbs, fats, and calories in general, while the opposite was true for lower protein diets.



Tip #2: Eat Your Protein First


When you look at your dinner plate, what should you eat first? The chicken, the mashed potatoes, or the salad on the side? Considering the article and what the heading above is, it’s the chicken. 


Eating your protein first thing during a meal will help you feel fuller faster. Protein helps reduce ghrelin, which is the hormone that makes you feel hungry, as well as boosting the levels of the peptide YY which helps you feel full and satisfied. 


On top of that, eating protein before higher carbs and fatty foods found that blood sugar and insulin levels rose significantly less in people with type 2 diabetes when compared to when people ate higher carb foods first and then protein.2 Something to consider if you’re watching your blood sugar levels.



Tip #3: Start Your Day With Protein


What better way to start your day than to get a good serving of protein from the get-go? This

kind of goes hand in hand with the first protein tip in this blog, getting protein in at every meal, but many people overlook the first meal of the day. People might be rushing to go to work, getting their kids ready for school, or just not really hungry. Any of these scenarios often lead to people picking up something fast and easy like a granola bar or a banana. This isn’t necessarily bad, but if your goal is to up your protein intake, then this simply isn’t going to do the trick. 


Instead, opt for quick and easy higher protein breakfasts like hard boiled eggs (made the night before so you don’t have to make them in the morning) or even some greek yogurt.

omelette

If you have the time, then eggs are usually my go-to. Feel free to throw in some turkey bacon for some lean protein, or make yourself a smoothie with some protein powder. 


There are also plenty of higher protein versions of classic breakfasts like protein pancakes and protein-rich cereals that are available to buy in grocery stores nowadays too.


Either way, it’s a good idea to start your day off with this muscle building macronutrient!



Tip #4: Make Some Swaps


Instead of completely changing your diet, an easier way to stay consistent and actually hit your goals is to swap out some foods you’re already eating for more protein rich ones. 


This could look like:


  • Swapping out fattier meats for leaner ones

    • Chicken breast has about 30g of protein per 100g!

  • Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt

    • Greek yogurt usually has twice the amount of protein per 100g compared to regular, but this may depend on the brand, so make sure to check the nutrition labels

  • Whole grains and seeds like quinoa instead of rice

    • Quinoa has roughly twice the amount of protein compared to white rice when cooked

  • Cottage cheese instead of other cheeses or spreads

    • 1 cup (or 210g) of cottage cheese contains about 23g of protein

  • Protein packed wraps instead of regular ones

    • “Protein Up” wraps have 12g of protein vs a generic brand contains around 5g per wrap



Tip #5: Meal prep


When most people think of meal prep, they probably think of making your meals for the next few days in advance and keeping it stored in tupperware containers so it’s ready to go when you need it. That’s definitely a method you can use, especially if you’re always on the go.


meal prep tupperware

Prepping allows you to know what you’re going to eat ahead of time and have it ready for when you need it. It can help you stick to healthy eating goals throughout the week and takes out the guesswork of “what am I going to make?” you sometimes get after a long day.



Another thing you can do is to make sure you always have healthy protein packed snacks on hand. This works especially well if you’ve got a busy day ahead of you and don’t have much time to prep or plan out what you’re going to eat. 


Rather than reaching for chips or chocolate when you’re hungry, opt in for snacks like nuts, seeds, edamame, beef jerky, or even cheese, as these foods are higher in protein compared to other snack foods. Another option is healthy protein bars - just beware that many “protein bars” are just candy bars in disguise, so make sure you read the labels.



BONUS: Use Protein Supplements


Supplements are a quick and easy option to add some protein if you find you’re struggling to get enough throughout the day. This shouldn’t be a substitute for “real” food, but rather treat it for what it is, a supplement. 


There’s a variety of supplements out there, the most popular being whey protein. There’s also casein protein, soy and other plant-based proteins available. They usually are in the range of 20-30g of protein per serving, and they can be added to smoothies, yogurt, baking mixes, or even just water for a plain protein shake. 



Takeaway


A high protein diet offers numerous benefits such as more muscle building potential, helps improve body composition, keeps you feeling fuller longer, and is good for metabolic health. 

You should be making sure to get enough protein in your diet. If you’re not sure how much you need, check out our previous post on this topic here.


Hopefully you found these tips useful. Let us know which ones you’ve implemented and which works best for you!



Final Remarks

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Our goal at Delta Kinesiology is to help women reach their health and fitness goals, whether it be online, in the gym, or in-house! We specialise in conditions and injuries that women are more likely to experience, and we tailor the sessions using evidence-based principles and methods to help you reach your goals. Whether that be going about your day pain-free, building muscle, improving stamina, or feeling better about yourself, we are here to help.


Check out some of the ways we can help below!




References

  1. Gosby, A. K., Conigrave, A. D., Lau, N. S., Iglesias, M. A., Hall, R. M., Jebb, S. A., ... & Simpson, S. J. (2011). Testing protein leverage in lean humans: a randomised controlled experimental study. PloS one, 6(10), e25929.

  2. Shukla, A. P., Iliescu, R. G., Thomas, C. E., & Aronne, L. J. (2015). Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels. Diabetes care, 38(7), e98–e99. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc15-0429


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