When starting a new fitness goal eating enough protein can be quite a challenge mainly if you don’t know what you need and where to get it.
Eating enough protein not only helps you feel more satisfied, creates muscle, helps you reduce body fat and it helps to have better hormone regulation.
The recommendation is to have at least 1.3 g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight and to have even greater benefits is to have up to 1.6 g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. You also need fats and carbs, but that is something we will talk about another day, let’s focus on protein.
Let’s say you are a woman of 58 kg, you actually need to have around 93 grams of protein a day. How can you achieve it?
By eating:
Whole Cereals
Dairy
Animal Products
Legumes
But what are most foods with the highest amount of protein, let’s check them out:
1)Greek Yogurt
For about 1 ⁄ 2 cup or 4 oz of greek yogurt, it has 9.2 grams of protein, compared to natural yogurt that has 4.5 grams of protein per ½ cup of yogurt. It doubles the quantity of protein. Greek yogurt it’s a great option if you want more protein in less quantity of food, plus if you are used to eating less quantity food but wanna add more protein.
You can also stick with the natural yogurt, and just add more quantity, it’s a good option if you need more food to feel satisfied.
2) WHOLE EGGS
These are one THE BEST foods with the best protein, high in bioavailability, meaning that almost all the protein gets absorbed. Plus it has healthy fat, calcium and minerals that help your heart be healthy.
For one large HEN egg you can get around 6 to 7 grams of protein.
If you normally have egg whites, one egg white has 3.6 grams of protein, so the main quantity of protein is stored on the egg white. SO if you prefer to have egg white it can be great if you wanna add more quantity in meals, but it won’t have much more protein compared to a WHOLE EGG, plus the fat of the eggs can make you more satisfied so you might be feeling a bit more hungry earlier.
3) Cottage Cheese
One of the most popular cheeses nowadays, because of how versatil it can be, how you can add it into many recipes gives a plus to the meal and adds protein.
For each 100 grams or 3.5 oz you can have 11 grams of proteins.
You can also find options with even lower quantities of fat, but we do prefer the “normal” kind.
4) Parmesan Cheese
For many a must just a topping of any pasta, but in reality a high protein cheese in disguised.
For each 100 g or 3.5 oz of parmesan cheese it has 35 to 38 grams of protein.
It is, however, also a bit high in FAT, so this might be a cheese that we recommend to have as a more less frequent option in high quantities.
5) Lean Meat. Turkey, Chicken, Lean Beef
One of the consumed foods that are high in protein, plus there are many you can actually make them.
For each ounce of chicken, turkey meat and lean beef you can have 7g to 8 grams of protein. The normal recommendation is to have at least 3 oz of these foods on your lunch and dinner that make your protein intake go up to 20 to 28 grams of protein on each meal.
6) Legumes. Lentils, beans and garbanzos.
Not only high protein, but high in minerals, fiber that has many benefits for constipation and makes you feel satisfied.
For each Cup of cooked legumes you can get, in LENTILS 18 grams of protein, in BEANS 12 grams of protein and in GARBANZO 15 grams of protein.
7) FISH
A high water food, that has a lot of minerals and depending on the FISH you are choosing, high in omega 3.
For one ounce you can get:
White Fish - 7 grams of protein
Tuna - 7 grams of protein
Salmon - 6.3 grams of protein
Sardines - 7.1 grams of protein
Like lean meat, the recommendation is to have at least 3 oz of fish on each meal ( lunch and dinner) so you have up to 21 grams of protein on each meal.
8) QUINOA
One the best grains you can have, high in minerals, fiber and polyphenols that can have great antioxidant benefits.
For each ½ cup of cooked quinoa you can have 4.1 grams of protein. So it can be a great option if you wanna have more fiber plus get fuller.
9) Peanut Butter
A popular food in the fitness industry, delicious, easy to add and eat. Plus high in protein.
For 3 teaspoons of peanut butter you can get around 4.5 grams of protein.
If we look into the powder peanut butter you can get for 2 teaspoons 7 grams of protein, it doubles plus it has less fats.
10) Almonds
Great snack plus, high in omega 3 and vitamin E that helps your muscle get restored quickly plus have a better looking skin.
For 10 grams of almond or 8 pieces you can get 2.2 grams of protein, so it’s a great snack to have on the daily and add into desserts to have an extra protein source.
The key is to add, mainly more quantity on you day, let’s stick with th example of the woman of 58 kg, she needs 93 grams of protein, so she can have that by eating:
2 ½ cup of rice a day (10 grams of protein)
2 fruits
2-3 cups of vegetables ( 2 grams of protein)
8 oz of animal protein, beef, chicken, eggs, cheese (56 grams)
1 cup of cooked legumes like lentils of beans or garbanzo (16 grams of protein)
1 cup of low fat milk (9 grams of protein)
3 teaspoons of oil
If put into perspective it is quite easy to add these foods into your day, you just need to focus on being more conscious of what you body needs in regards nutrition in specific what each food group has, and manage to do your wholemeal balance with enough fiber, color and nutrients.