How to Increase Protein Intake Effectively?

Protein plays a foundational role in maintaining overall health. They don’t only help in building muscle mass but also reduce cravings, increase calorie-burning rate, encourage weight loss, and strengthen the immune system. Moreover, adequate protein intake is also indispensable for the nourishment of nails, hair, and bones (because bone density decreases with age, and protein can help fulfill that deficiency). 

Ensuring an appropriate protein intake is important for women, even if they are in their not-so-old years, like 25 to 35. Protein deficiency can lead to severe health issues like fatty liver, fatigue, weak immune system, and muscle mass loss regardless of age, so knowing how to increase protein intake will come in handy. 

How to Increase Your Protein Intake Like An Expert

Taking in enough protein every day is mandatory to meet your body’s needs. No matter your fitness goal, whether it is to maintain muscle, boost energy levels, or improve hair and skin health, proteins are vital. Here are some practical tips on how to meet protein goals every day. 

Ways to Increase Protein Intake Throughout the Day

• Protein intake is indispensable in nutrient transport, preventing muscle loss and improving neurotransmitter synthesis. Here are different ways that will help you increase your protein every day. 
• Utilize both animal and plant-based protein sources. It will prevent your protein-intensive diet from turning boring, and you’ll feel full for longer periods of time. If you want to have a quick summary of which food items can make you step up on your how to increase protein intake goal, you can check the below-given chart.
• Incorporating protein in your snacks and meals will ensure blood sugar regulation. Adding a spoonful of peanut butter to a slice of apple will increase the protein by 7g, and similarly, using half a can of tuna in green salad will add 20 grams of protein.
• It is also important to create all-rounder meals with proteins, carbs, and vitamins and prioritize eating protein items before other foods, like starch.
• It is better to swap regular breakfast cereals with protein alternatives. Greek yogurt is known to make delicious nutritious snacks. Simply grab a container of greek yogurt, mix 2 tbsp of pumpkin seeds in it and pair it with a cup of fresh raspberries. You can also make variations with dark chocolate toppings.
• Stocking up high-protein bars can also help you increase protein intake when you are having random cravings during your work hours. 
• Moreover, if you are aiming to achieve a muscular body, you can also consider using protein powder. But remember to stay mindful of the sweeteners and sugar contents and read the product label before purchasing.
• Collagen is also a good source of protein, and it is relatively easier to consume, especially if you have limited kitchen time. You can mix the collagen peptides in any beverage, and they typically offer 18-20 grams in a single serving. 

How to Get 30 Grams of Protein Per Meal

Eating 30 grams of protein ensures a lot of positive effects, like weight management, promoting bone health, and aiding muscle growth and function. To simplify things, here is a list of what foods have 30 grams of protein and how you can include them in your meals:

Eggs also have good protein concentrations, and one egg has almost 6g of protein. So eating 5 whole eggs or 8 egg whites can give you 30g of protein per meal. 

100 grams of chicken breast contains about 30g of protein, give or take. Commonly, a standard chicken breast weighs about 174 grams, so you can just have over half of it to gain the necessary protein concentration.

Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids as well as the protein concentration. A 100g of salmon includes about 20 grams of protein. There are 150g servings available in supermarkets as well. If you use that, you can get 30g of protein in each serving. 

Tuna is also an amazing protein source, if you go with the standard 85g can you can get around 30g of protein easily. 

A cup of yogurt delivers about 22g of protein, and if you add some nuts, you can easily increase the figures to 30 grams.

How to Meet Your Protein Goals

Once you have the accurate knowledge about how to increase protein intake, meeting your protein consumption goals won’t be much challenging. Undoubtedly, protein needs depend upon a lot of factors like age, gender, height etc, but there are some generic guidelines on how to hit protein goals without much hassles. 

How to Hit Your Daily Protein Target?

In order to achieve the target, you must first know the actual figures. To calculate your daily protein needs, take the product of your body weight (in pounds) with 0.36 (body weight * 0.36). If you are using the weight in kilograms then divide it by 0.8 to calculate daily protein needs. 

For instance, a 50-year-old woman weighing 140 pounds with a sedentary lifestyle needs about 53 grams of protein daily. Once you have your daily protein requirement, it is time to make a diet plan that can deliver the needed protein content. 

Lastly ensure to maintain a balanced diet by using vitamins, healthy fats and necessary calories as well. Because proteins just make up one part of your diet. 

Start by having a protein-rich breakfast, including items like Greek yogurt and eggs, which will give you the needed boost. 

For day cravings prefer stocking high-protein bars. You can cheese, nuts along with some peanut butter to make them. Or search for some great recipes online. 

Opt for lean protein sources (foods which are jumbo packs of proteins with less or no other compounds). You can consider the above chart to know those. 

Best Times To Eat Protein: The time of consumption matters greatly in reaping the health benefits from a specific nutrient, and proteins are not exceptional. Hence, to guarantee the maximum benefit, experts suggest three ideal consumption times to eat protein. The first is early in the morning (in your breakfast), as after-meal snacks, and after a workout. Studies also reveal that eating proteins 30 minutes after a workout, results in increased physical strength and muscle-building capacity.

How to Up Protein Intake Game with Supplements

The knowledge of how to increase protein intake with the help of supplements can be incredibly helpful, especially when you are struggling with your daily protein goals. 

Protein supplements come in numerous forms like ready-to-use drinks, powders, gummies and even snack bars. Powdered supplements like whey protein, casein protein and soy protein are mostly easy to consume as you can add them into water, smoothies or yogurt. These are helpful for people with less time to prepare healthy food due to busy schedules. 

Since the supplements are proteins in another form, you must stick to the recommended consumption intervals to maximize fitness benefits. 

Protein Health Gains and Increasing Protein Levels in Blood

Protein deficiency can conjure up several health issues, like muscle loss, fatigue, mood swings, hair loss, and dwindling immunity. And if you’re noticing symptoms, it may be about time to know how to increase protein levels in blood. 

How to Raise Protein Levels

A healthy diet is a simple and effective way to raise protein levels. Focus on including lean meats, dairy, legumes, and eggs. These foods not only boost your blood protein levels but also improve overall health. Other tips for increasing protein levels include:

Eat More Low-Fat Dairy: Food items like milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt are excellent sources of protein. But for lactose-intolerants, vegan protein sources are relatively more suitable. 

Don’t Dodge Legumes: Similarly, foods that are high in fiber and offer plant-based protein include beans, lentils, and chickpeas. 

Fish And Lean Meats Are Best Protein Sources: You can also use fish like salmon and lean cut meats in your daily diet to ensure protein-intensive meals with minimal fat.

Conclusion

Protein is indispensable for your overall health. And fortunately, fulfilling your daily protein intake is not something unachievable either. You can easily do it by ensuring different types of protein sources in your daily nutrition via meals and snacks. 

Whether you are aiming to build muscle, boost metabolism, or improve hair and skin health, protein is a key factor. So, make a conscious effort to prioritize protein in your diet, and don’t hesitate to use supplements when needed!

FAQs

1. How Can I Add More Protein to My Diet Without Meat?

If you don’t want meat daily then use food items like tofu, lentils, quinoa, and tempeh. You can also go with other options like supplements, nuts or other plant-based protein sources.

2. Is it possible to Increase Protein Intake on a Budget?

Absolutely! Cost-effective sources like beans, eggs, and canned tuna are some of the popular choices. But bulk-buying protein-rich foods such as legumes and oats can also help hit your protein goals without paying through your nose.

3. What are the Best Plant-Based Protein Sources?

Some of the best plant-based options include tofu, tempeh, almonds, chia seeds, pistachios, seitan, quinoa, and lentils.

4. Is It Safe to Consume High Amounts of Protein Daily?

Highly active people can consume high concentrations of proteins without any side effects. However, most studies conclude that eating more than 2 grams of protein per kg of body weight causes health issues.

5. How Do I Ensure I’m Meeting My Protein Goals if I’m Active?

Tracking your daily intake and spreading protein evenly across meals can help ensure you’re meeting your requirements. You can also use online tools to calculate how much daily protein you need and then customize your diet accordingly.