Getting enough protein in your diet isn’t always easy. The average person needs about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which amounts to about 58 grams per day for a 160 kg person.
And if you work out regularly and want to increase muscle mass, you will need to even more than that — about 1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, depending on your training.
Fortunately, there are some simple swaps and tricks you can implement to increase your protein intake without overhauling your entire diet. Here’s how to eat more protein every day — no complicated macro tracking required.
1. Include protein in your snacks
Think of snacks as an opportunity to fit in more protein. This can actually be quite simple – it just takes a little planning to make sure you have some healthy snacks on hand when you’re hungry. Here are some easy ideas to increase the protein content of your snacks:
2. Swap legume-based pasta for regular pasta
“Pasta” is practically synonymous with “carbs,” but legume-based pasta can provide more protein than you’ll find in regular wheat pasta. Banza chickpea pastafor example, it provides 14 grams of protein per serving (2 ounces of dry pasta), compared to about 9 grams of protein in the same amount regular pasta.
“Chickpea pasta is also high in fiber,” she says Cynthia SassMPH, RD, virtual plant-based performance nutritionist.
3. Drink your protein
It’s always ideal to get your protein from lean, whole food sources, as they provide other important micronutrients. However, if you’re constantly struggling to meet your protein goals, protein powder is an easy and effective way to put ~20 grams into your daily protein needs. Additionally, you can add other protein-rich ingredients such as peanut butter or cottage cheese.
There are tons of options available, from whey protein to plant-based protein sources like pea, soy, pumpkin, chia, and flax. Beachbody Performance Recover available in both whey and plant-based formulations, it provides more than 20 grams of high-quality protein per scoop while helping to reduce post-workout muscle soreness.*
If you are looking for a diet drink with a high protein content but also essential nutrients, Psychology packs up to 17 grams of protein, plus fiber, probiotics, and vitamins and minerals into each scoop — also available in composition without added sugar.*
4. Use whole grains with high protein content
Whole grains provide carbohydrates and fiber, of course, but some grains can also help you meet your protein goals for the day. Here are a few to try:
- Teff (10 grams per cup, cooked)
- A type of wheat (11 grams per cup, cooked)
- Amaranth (9 grams per cup, cooked)
- Kamut (10 grams per cup, cooked)
- Quinoa (8 grams per cup, cooked)
In comparison, brown rice and oatmeal they have 5 grams of protein per cup. (Both are still healthy choices—they just provide less protein per serving.)
These sources of whole grain protein can be added to salads, Buddha bowls, soups, stews and chili, or used in place of rice in any recipe that calls for it, Sass says.
5. Choose soy or pea-based milk alternatives
Dairy-free milk alternatives are a great option if you follow a plant-based diet or have a lactose allergy or intolerance. But not all milk alternatives provide as much protein as dairy.
A cup of skimmed milk it has 8 grams of protein, but oat milk has 3 grams and almond milk it has only one gram. Soy milkon the other hand, it has about 7 grams of protein per cup, and pea milk provides about 8 grams of protein per cup.
6. Think Beyond a Smoothie
Adding protein powder to your smoothie is an obvious play, but there are so many other ways around it. baked goods or incorporated into energy balls,” suggests Sass.
The unflavored protein powder can also be used in savory dishes such as soups, salad dressings or bread recipes.
7. Eat the whole egg
Did you know that almost half of the protein found in a whole egg comes from egg yolk? Yolks sometimes get a bad rap, but in moderation, they can definitely be part of a balanced diet. Bonus: Many of the nutrients in eggs found in the yolk, including choline, lutein and zeaxanthin.
8. Make friends with beans and legumes
“Beans and their legumes—lentils, peas, and chickpeas—may be the most underrated superfoods on the planet,” says Sass. It is one of the best sources of lean protein – lentil, black beansand chickpeas All provide 16 grams of protein per cup.
Legumes are also one excellent source of fiber per cup and provide nutrients such as folate, potassium and iron.
