Ways to increase protein intake

PROTEIN is one of the most important food groups the human body needs, as protein is an essential macronutrient to our healthy diet, in addition to carbohydrates and fats. Protein contributes to the growth and repair of tissues, the production of enzymes and hormones, and most importantly, the maintenance of a healthy immune system.

For individuals above the age of 18, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. The RDA is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional requirements. Therefore, people trying to prevent muscle loss, maximise muscle gain, eliminate body fat, or those at risk for sarcopenia or muscle loss may benefit from higher protein consumption.

If you fall into this category where you need to consume more protein in the process of gaining muscle or are active in sports, here are some simple ways to increase your protein intake throughout the day.

You can start by calculating your nutrient intake and creating an optimal dietary plan with these simple ways of consuming protein to the optimal level.

Starts your day with protein (Breakfast)

The first step is to have a high-protein breakfast to get your day off to a good start. A daily protein intake goal can be met with the help of protein sources in breakfast. For instance, eggs, sausages, bacon, salmon, cheese, or baked beans will likely offer greater sources of protein than cereal, fruit smoothies, or toast with a natural, sugar-free spread – which is good for people who want to maintain a calorie deficit.

However, if you prefer a sugary breakfast, there is no problem with it. Just be as strategic as possible and seek ways to increase your protein consumption with dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, almonds, and peanut butter.

Increase protein portion size

More proteins, more gains. Simply consuming a larger amount of the protein you already have is the quickest and, perhaps, easiest way to improve your protein intake. Despite having one egg for breakfast, strive to make it two or three, which equals 18 grams of protein despite only 6 grams for one. There is no doubt that you can rapidly – and without much effort – increase your daily protein consumption by increasing the portion size of your protein source at each meal, even if it is a small amount.

Change the daily meal menu

You might want to change your daily meal menu to ensure that you meet your daily protein requirement. Try having it the whole day. It is not enough to consume only during lunch.

Although it is possible to prepare a healthy breakfast without a large amount of protein, skipping it will have you playing catch-up all day if you are attempting to boost your protein intake.

Whether you eat three large meals with snacks, or only graze throughout the day, there are plenty of other protein-rich foods to choose from besides just chicken breast and eggs if you want to be sure you’re getting enough of it in your diet throughout the day.

Snacks with protein are more filling than those with only fast-digesting carbs. You can also try snacks like protein-bar or peanuts.

Combine animal and plant proteins together

You don’t have to make a choice when it comes to what protein you should consume. It is possible to satisfy your protein needs by consuming a combination of foods derived either from animals or plants. This will not only provide you with more options to choose from, but also allow you to combine all of them.

You may increase the amount of protein you consume each day, while simultaneously increasing the amount of fibre, if you construct your meals around foods like chicken and red beans, or salmon and chickpeas.

Add protein powder to your meals

If you’re really having trouble with or are in the midst of implementing the preceding tips, you can try to include a small amount of protein powder in your meal as it is an excellent alternative to enhance your protein consumption. There is a lot of protein powder nowadays on the market that works as a supplementary diet.

A single scoop of protein powder has an average of 20 grams of protein per serving, which is about the same as 2.5 ounces of chicken, 3 ounces of steak, or 3 eggs, making it easier to gain high protein.

There are two primary types of protein powder: whey and mass. The difference between whey and mass gainers is based on their ingredients.

Mass gainers contain additional carbs, calories, and protein compositions, whereas whey often contains solely whey protein, resulting in fewer calories.

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