Protein. You know we need it, especially us athletes and fitness lovers. It’s so important for recovery because it contains essential amino acids that help repair and rebuild muscles after they’ve been torn down by tough workouts. When I track my food intake, I almost always max out fat first and often struggle to take in enough protein.
How Much Protein is Enough?
The recommended daily allowance (RDA), or the minimum amount of protein needed is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight. That’s 46 grams for the “average” not-active woman. It’s a different story for those of us who are very active (35-40 minutes of moderate exercise 4-5x/week) and/or aiming for “optimal” protein, which helps you build/maintain muscle as you age and assists in weightloss. Studies show that when protein intake is 30% of total calories consumed, the metabolic rate is boosted.
Calculate your optimal protein requirement by multiplying your caloric intake by 0.075.
Alright, so we know protein is good, how do we take in enough on the daily? Here are five ways:
How Do We Get Enough Protein?
Choose Greek Yogurt. Truth: Oikos is my favorite yogurt, even before they introduced their new Protein Crunch. It’s like they read my mind with the toppings, since that’s exactly what I do to my yogurt: Sprinkle nuts, seeds, etc. on top for extra goodness. Now it’s already there, ready to go so I don’t have to hassle with it.
Oikos Protein Crunch isn’t any ordinary Greek yogurt. Each cup packs 17 grams of muscle-building protein, 6 grams of satiating fiber and zero artificial sweeteners. Think it’s packed with sugar? Think again. Only 8 grams per cup.
Rather than empty-calorie, candy-like toppings, Oikos Protein Crunch features goodness like whole grain rolled oats, almonds and peanuts. I love tossing a cup in my gym bag to enjoy and kickstart the recovery process after a demanding workout or run.
Take advantage of this special offer and try Oikos Protein Crunch for yourself. Find it in the dairy section at your local Walmart. 
Take in protein with every meal. Start your day with a protein smoothie, but don’t limit your use of protein powder. Add a scoop to pancake and waffle batter as well. Enjoy a mid-day salad topped with nuts, fish or lean meat. Snack on fruits and veggies along with cheese or nut butter for a protein boost.
Eat protein first. Having protein before you eat carbs or fats helps stabilize your blood glucose and insulin levels. It helps you feel fuller sooner, so you’re less likely to over eat. It also puts a damper on cravings.
Add protein to salads. Sprinkle on a handful of chopped almonds or pecans, add in tuna, salmon chickpeas, turkey or cheese.
Swap in Quinoa or Lentils. Replace noodles, rice and starchy vegetables with these high-protein, high fiber alternatives.
Do you struggle to take in adequate protein? What are your favorite sources of protein? Did you grab the special offer to try Oikos Protein Crunch?
I’m linking up with Meranda, Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five.
I haven’t paid attention to how much protein Im getting but this is a good reminder. I think I used to do much better with it when I ate eggs for breakfast every morning. I think I do pretty well with it at lunch and dinner, but my snacks could be improved.
After I started doing CrossFit, I found myself needing more protein in my diet. I haven’t looked back to carb loading since. Increasing my protein intake made a huge difference for me.
I get quite a bit of milk daily, but I’ve kind of gotten away from yogurt…and I’m not sure why. I need to bring that back. I love Greek yogurt, especially with some extra crunch thrown in.
As a plant based athlete, I do have to be aware of my protein intake. I did notice, once I changed my breakfast habits by adding more protein, I stay fuller longer and I’ve actually lost weight!
The last few weeks I have been tracking my macros and realizing that I needed to add more protein. As a vegetarian, Greek Yogurt is a great addition to my diet.
Breakfast is always a struggle since there’s so many breakfast carbs. I can get protein with lunch between the lunch meat and nuts I throw in, and then dinner’s OK too. It’s breakfast I’m always working on.
I think I’m pretty good about protein, for the most part.I do love greek yogurt (although oikos isn’t my jam — not that I don’t like it, just that there are others I prefer). I do eat nuts, in moderation, but at the moment I happen to be tracking macros & I always seem to end up with a bit more fat than protein — healthy sources, but still.
As a Bodybuilder I do pay attention to my protein but prior to competing I was focused on the wrong macro’s as well I think you had some great suggestions on how to increase your protein.
Protein helps sooo much! Especially quality protein. And while I’m not vegan I do believe plant based proteins kick massive butt and people need to eat more of them!
YES!! This is such a great post girl! Protein is in so many other things besides meat that so many people aren’t aware of! I love getting my protein in with yogurt and leafy greens!
I’m sorry, but right now I’m in LOVE with Fage greek yogurt! I can’t get enough of it, I even quit Chobani for Fage. But I think my sister does eat Oikos.
Here’s my dilemma. I’m trying to steer clear of dairy because it causes major upheaval in my body. I love it, but I’m trying to limit it. And I’ve heard soy doesn’t do much for women and could actually not be very good at all. Annnnnd I don’t eat a lot of meat. So what do I do? I dunno. Find a nutritionist I guess.
As a vegetarian, I love this post! I don’t do much of greek yogurt but I do a lot of lentils and nuts.
Egg whites and cottage cheese! Egg whites are around 5g protein per 1/4 cup and 2% cottage cheese I get has 10% per 1/2 cup.
Other than that: chicken, hummus, nuts and legumes, cheese, and other meats and seafood are all great sources. I can usually get 80-100 grams of protein in my daily diet but it is sometimes hard to balance that out with fat. But if I’m cutting carbs I don’t worry about the fat as much since I need it to replace the carbs. And anyway most of it is good fat anyway if it’s coming from nuts and such.
I will eat whole eggs too but I love about 1/2 a cup of egg whites with a bit of cheese thrown in. Tons of protein without a lot of extra calories or cholesterol.
I found a recipe years ago called the Biggest Loser Pancakes that I make all the time when I’m being good about tracking my food (and especially macros). I just had them today actually! It’s just 6 items and pretty simple to make.
*1/2 cup egg whites
*1/2 c oats
*1/2 c cottage cheese
*1 tsp. cinnamon
*1 tsp. vanilla
Blend in a food processor or blender and make like regular pancakes.
(I drizzle honey on the finished products so I count a tbsp of honey divided by 4 in my nutrition counts for the batch)
This makes 4 decent sized pancakes. This morning I ate half of the batch and my nutrition count (without the little bit of butter to coat the pan) was: 182 calories and 12.6g protein! It’s definitely more “spongy” than normal pancaked but I have always liked the taste and have never felt bad about eating a whole batch on my running days. 🙂
I like to think I am eating enough protein, but I usually only get it in the form of meat. I got to start incorporating other forms of protein.
I love greek yogurt for protein! I need a lot since I’m pregnant with twins and my favorite source is definitely eggs.
I don’t eat dairy, so unfortunately Greek yogurt is not an option for me. Luckily I’m a fan of eggs, meat, nuts, and beans LOL.
I am going to have to give this yogurt a try, I can always use extra protein!
I’ve tasted Oikos yogurt, but never with the protein crunch. I taken in lots of protein throughout the day, but it’s always nice to try new products!
I often get the majority of my protein during breakfast since I drink a shake, but I need to be better about also taking in protein throughout the rest of the day. I think I might be adding some yogurt to my shopping cart during my next trip to the grocery store.
Yes! Protein is so crucial and often overlooked. So many folks think getting protein means eating steak or chicken. Great tip on the yogurt!
I love Greek yogurt and Oikos is usually my favorite brand too. I need to seek this out and give it a try!
I’ve been protein-focused this past year and love finding new sources of it!