5 Ways To EASILY Increase Protein Intake
We know how important protein is to our health, performance and especially how we look!
(I covered this in detail in ep. 32)
Today we’re going to look at ‘how much protein we need’ and 5 ways we can EASILY increase our protein intake.
How much Protein do we need?
There have been many studies carried out on how much protein we need.
A general consensus is that 1 gram of protein per lbs of bodyweight is the optimal level for us to reach.
E.g. If I weigh 180lbs I’d need to eat 180grams.
The exception to this rule is people who are carrying excess amounts of bodyfat.
In this case, we can set protein targets at a ‘desired body weight’ as oppose to a persons ‘actual bodyweight’ at that time.
I’m yet to work with someone who is already eating an optimal amount of protein.
Which means that the vast majority of the time…
The goal is to help somebody to increase their protein intake.
But…
There is often a limitation on a persons available time and ability to cook.
So finding ways to increase your protein intake that doesn’t require you to be a part-time chef can be a challenge.
(although carefully planning your meals each week with a focus around Protein is a very smart thing to do)
I’m here to share 5 ways that I’ve found to more EASILY Increase Protein Intake.
1. Protein Powder In Everything!
Protein Powder is almost always the first port-of-call for anyone looking to easily increase protein intake.
The 2 most common objections I hear are:
A person doesn’t know if they trust protein powders.
They’re worried that protein powder will make them bulky.
I understand why people feel this way.
A powder just doesn’t seem like a natural thing to consume.
And the marketing around protein powders doesn’t help either, typically protein powder advertising features highly muscular people posing on the tub, or drinking the shakes on adverts. Which leads people to assume that if they consume protein powder, they’ll gain lots of muscle, and that may not be their goal.
So, It’s no wonder people have these concerns.
However…
When you understand the purpose of protein and the role it plays in the body (which again I covered in Ep.32) and also the way that whey protein powder is produced, which is during the production of cheese.
… It often removes a lot of these fears.
Not to mention the first-hand experience of people who consume protein powder on a daily basis and feel great benefits.
So that being said…
I’m a huge advocate of introducing a protein shake for the vast majority of busy people trying to increase their protein intake.
I add protein to a lot of different things…
A few of my Pro Tips are:
Protein in Porridge Oats… or ‘Proats’
Protein in Greek Yogurt… ‘Progurt’
Protein Pancakes!
The greek yogurt and protein is a great choice for anyone with a sweet tooth.
2. Batch cooking
Another time saving tip is to batch cook your protein.
An FS46 member, in an effort to increase his protein intake, perfected the art of the Chicken Tray Bake.
He would cook a pack of chicken and some veggies at the start of the week.
And then he’d be able to have that as a lunch or put it in a wrap as a high protein snack at home.
This concept could be applied to any foods high in protein.
I know other members of FS46 have done the same with Hard Boiled Eggs.
Batch cooking in this way is very time efficient and can be done with minimal cooking effort.
3. Find High Protein Options at Fast Food / Local Restaurants
Many of us often find ourselves needing to grab food on the go.
It takes a bit of prior preparation…
But it is possible to eat on the go at familiar fast food places and still find high-protein options.
This is quite easily done for the major chains like McDonalds, KFC and other household names.
But, our choices can become much more varied when we look to independent / smaller businesses.
I often encourage people to do a ‘geographical audit’ where they work of all the local restaurants, cafe’s and coffee shops.
There are often things on the menu that will fit your calorie requirements, are high in protein and are delicious!
10 Steps Coffee Lounge opposite Fitness Studio 46 are best-known for their coffee.
But they also offer a Healthy Breakfast Bowl… a rustic hash with the option to add various protein sources and also a protein shake.
So if you find yourself grabbing the same sandwich and bag of crisps for lunch.
Do some research and find some high protein options nearby.
4. Packs of Meat!
This is a nice simple one!
And I can’t particularly say this is something I often find myself recommending to clients, but it’s one I find myself doing regularly.
When passing a supermarket or shop. If I know I’m in need of more protein, I go and buy a pack of cooked chicken or topside beef.
The calorie content is often very low in ratio to the protein.
They’re ready to eat!
And super convenient!
The warning here is that often, depending on what you buy… these foods can be more heavily processed.
In an ideal world, I’d rather buy fresh meat and batch cook it…
But it’s not about perfection.
Consuming enough protein on a daily basis is extremely important, so grabbing a pack of cooked meat from the supermarket is a great way to ensure protein intake stays high.
5. Food Adjustments
My final tip is to look for ways you can adjust your food.
To more easily explain this, I’ll give an example.
On a Saturday, my family and I like to go to a local place to have a full English breakfast together.
When we do this… I can often find myself struggling to eat enough protein for the day.
So I like to adjust my breakfast by asking them to remove the tomato (which I’m not a huge fan of) snd swap it for an extra egg.
They’re happy to do this. And I get an extra few grams of protein at breakfast!
It may not seem like much, but these small adjustments add up overtime.
Another interesting example of food adjustments I’ve cone across was for McDonalds.
A protein conscious friend of mine used to order a double cheeseburger but would also get a 99p Mayo Chicken, discard of the bun and add into the cheeseburger!
I appreciate this may not be for everyone!!
But thinking creatively and not being afraid to ask for some adjustments can be a great hack for increasing protein at every opportunity.
Summary
In an ideal world, we would try to get adequate amounts of protein from a carefully constructed diet, cooked from scratch and from wide variety of both plant and animal proteins (assuming your not vegetarian / vegan).
But as busy people, this can be very hard to execute amongst busy professional and family lives.
Often, we need more convenient and easy ways to quickly increase our protein intake.
The 5 suggestions I’ve covered are:
Use protein Powder
Batch Cook
Find high protein options at fast-food and local restaurants
Eat packs of meat
Make creative adjustments to increase protein content of your meals
If you’re able to successfully increase protein.
You will improve your health, recovery, performance, decrease body fat, build lean muscle, tone up, improve energy levels and ultimately be happier as a result!
Yours in coaching,
Harry