Typically considered to be a nutrient that only athletes should focus on, protein is one of the most critical aspects of your diet and is non-negotiable for a good diet overall.
As well as helping gym-centric people achieve their fitness and body goals, adopting a protein-rich diet is helpful for individuals that wish to lose weight and better their overall health.
How much protein a person needs per day can fluctuate depending on the size and weight of the individual, yet on average, a typical adult should aim to consume 0.75g of protein each day. Consuming protein-rich foods is linked to maintaining/losing weight since the nutrient helps ensure satiety, reducing the number of calories an individual consumes daily.
Typically, those who follow this diet will consume large quantities of protein-rich food while limiting the amounts of carbohydrates such as bread, highly processed food, white pasta, rice, and other baked goods. They might follow a high-protein diet like The Atkins Diet or increase their protein intake without limiting other food groups. Fortunately, for those aiming to do the latter, there are various ways of upping your protein intake, from consuming high-protein diet shakes to eating your protein first. Below we list several ways of doing so:
Drink High-Protein Diet Shakes
A convenient way of incorporating protein-rich foods into your diet is by drinking high-protein diet shakes, which are an excellent way of getting your daily amount of protein while on the go with little hassle. Contrary to popular belief, protein shakes are not solely for bulking up or gaining weight, as seen by bodybuilders, but they can do the opposite while upping your protein intake.
Not only are protein shakes helpful in ensuring that you get enough protein per day, but they are a fun way to up your intake. Since they are so popular nowadays, you can find protein shakes in various flavours, from caramel to mint chocolate, in different strengths.
If you’d like to learn more, consider visiting shakethatweight.co.uk, where you can find a variety of protein shakes, diet shakes, meal replacement bars, and much more. Head to their website to browse their complete catalogue, or consider contacting them directly for specific inquiries and see how their products could help you incorporate more protein into your diet today.
Eat Your Protein First
We’ve all heard of saving the best bit until last when it comes to mealtime. Yet, if you’re actively trying to incorporate more protein into your diet, you should eat this portion of your meal before anything else.
This is because consuming protein encourages your body to produce peptides, a gut hormone that makes you feel satiated, and ghrelin, which helps you stay fuller for longer. It can also help keep your blood sugar and insulin levels from rising too high and keeping you fuller for longer.
Choose Smart Snacks
When hunger strikes, it can be easy to wander into the kitchen, pull open the nearest cupboard and grab the first food item that comes into view. When we’re hungry, we don’t necessarily make intelligent snack choices since we want to satisfy our desire for food. As a result, we usually opt for crisps, chocolate, bread, or other confectionaries that are very low in protein.
However, making wise snack choices is an excellent way to incorporate more protein-rich foods into your diet. For instance, most servings of crisps will be between one hundred and fifty to two hundred calories and two grams of protein. Yet, if you were to switch these with a serving of cheddar cheese or other protein-rich snacks, it would be lower in calories and higher in protein.
Include A High-Protein Food In Each Meal
Another way you can strive to incorporate more protein into your diet is by including high-protein food in each meal. The average adult is recommended to consume 0.75g of protein per day and 20-30g of protein each mealtime.
Whether you choose to include fish, poultry, lean meats, soy products, legumes, eggs, tofu, tempeh, or other protein-rich food building your meal around one high-protein food is an excellent way to meal plan and ensure that you are getting the recommended amount each day without forgetting.
Experiment With Peanut Butter
As well as being delicious on their own, peanut, and other nut butters are excellent protein sources and are even better when paired with other food items. Not to mention, when you combine peanut butter with other food items, it can help to boost the overall protein content of your snack/meal – making it a convenient way to sneak additional protein into your diet.
As well as being suitable for adding to the flavour of some foods such as porridge, apple, pears, celery, yoghurt, whole wheat toast and much more, there are several health benefits linked to peanut butter, such as decreasing your appetite, burning fat quicker, and reducing your blood sugar levels.
