A super common problem that I see a lot is that people tend to way under eat on protein. I even will sometimes be guilty of this myself and constantly have to be mindful of how much I am taking in. It is super important to make sure you’re getting enough protein throughout the day for numerous reasons. It is the most satiating macro nutrient, it helps build and preserve muscle, and it is the least likely to turn to fat when consumed, just to name a few.
Yet not too many people will bat an eye when someone’s food consumption for the day looks something like this: a bagel/muffin/donut with their coffee for breakfast, a PB&J with chips and fruit for lunch, a snack mix or granola bars throughout the day for snacks, then pizza for dinner. The amount protein consumed in a day like this is very minimal. There is pretty much none in the breakfast, a little in the peanut butter for lunch, usually not much in those types of snacks, and depending on the type of cheese and toppings - just a little for the pizza. Now I know some people may say, “well that example is of someone who doesn’t eat all that healthy, that’s more of what a kid would eat, I follow clean eating so I’m sure I am taking in a lot more”. But think about if you hear someone tell you they eat this in a day: oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, a salad – yogurt (not greek) – and some cut up veggies for lunch, fruit and granola for snacks, then whole grain spaghetti with red sauce and peas for dinner. Many people would think this individual was eating really “healthy”, but yet again there is almost no protein throughout the whole day. There is a couple grams in the morning oatmeal, a few more grams in the yogurt but probably not a lot in the salad, then depending if meat was added to the sauce there may be a decent amount in there. Overall for the day, it adds up to a very low protein count.
Yes, my first example may be closer to the normal eating habits of child and the second example is a super “clean” example that most people probably don’t follow. But it paints the picture, that if you don’t pay attention to it, protein intake can get overlooked pretty easily. Even someone who thinks they are fine because they are eating a ham sandwich for lunch can be misguided if they only have 2 slices of ham on it that barely add up to 10 grams of protein for their whole meal. Without counting at least a few times, your protein count can easily be low.
So to fix this problem, I have found some strategies that help me get more protein throughout the day and make it a lot easier to hit my protein intake goals. The first thing is to be conscious of how much protein you are taking in. By consciously thinking about it you are more likely to gravitate towards protein sources when they are an option. I also find it easier to split my protein intake up throughout the day. If I am ever low on protein consumption and try to consume a lot at once, I usually tend to get really full fast and have a hard time consuming such a large volume all at one time.
It also helps to realize what foods have high protein contents. Once you have a better understanding of what foods contain a moderate to high amount of protein, you will be able to do quick estimates of how much you have been eating throughout your day. I will often start to think about what I have been eating during the course of my day and if I realize that I haven’t had much protein intake, I will start gravitating towards higher protein foods for the rest of my day.
I will also keep snacks around that are higher in protein or even make little changes such as switching from normal yogurt to greek yogurt in my lunch or add some muenster cheese to my sandwich. Making multiple little changes that add 5-15 grams of protein here and there add up fast. Then let’s also not forget about bars and shakes. If you have extra calories in your diet, protein bars are an easy snack that can tack on 15-25 extra grams of protein to your daily intake. Then if you do not have as many calories to spare and want just pure protein, supplementing with a protein shake is another great option to add 20-30 extra grams of protein per serving. I used to buy protein bars all the time and would always keep one in my lunchbox or backpack. Recently I have been gravitating towards shakes so I can allocate those extra calories that are in bars elsewhere. There is also no real protocol on how many shakes you should or should not consume in a day. A lot people believe that you should consume more solid food rather than shakes or bars. Because of some peoples’ schedules, they may end up drinking more shakes compared to eating actual meals. I personally try to get as much as my protein as possible from food, but do usually have 2 shakes a day. I will have one in the morning because I find it hard to actually eat in the morning, then after my training session I will have a double scoop shake. This equates to about 75-80 grams out of the 160-180 grams of my protein that I try to eat a day.
There are many different types of strategies that can be used when trying to figure out how much protein you should consume in a day. For the purposes of this article and all other things considered, there are 2 easy ways to pick a protein goal. The first is, take your body weight and set our protein goal in grams to your weight in pounds. So if I weigh 160lbs, I want to eat 160 grams of protein throughout the day. The other good option would be to follow that same line of thinking, but rather than use your current weight, use your goal weight. So if I was trying to lose 10lbs and weigh 160lbs, I would eat 150 grams of protein. Or if I was trying to gain 5lbs and weighed 160lbs, I would eat 165 grams of protein.
*This is just a blanket statement that can be generally applied to a large amount of people. If you have recommendations from a coach or physician, you should follow their recommendations. Also if you have a lot of weight to lose (50-80-100lbs) following this protocol may not fit best. Again, that would be a situation where you may want to follow up with a physician and coach to help get your started on the right track.
It may take some getting used to at first and may even be an ongoing challenge to get enough protein in during the day. Even though I have been training and taking my nutrition serious for over 5 years, I still tend to under eat my protein when left to my own devices. By putting it at the forefront of my mind, making small adjustments, finding protein filled snacks, and consuming shakes/bars, it makes hitting your goal doable and minimizes stress.