Protein.
Protein, protein, protein.
You either love it, or you hate it.
We know it’s good for us. But sometimes, it’s just so dang tough to hit our protein goals for the day.
One of the biggest hurdles for our nutrition clients is reaching their protein goals. It’s easy to hit carbohydrates and fats, simply because they’re found in most foods we eat. Look at pretty much any label of every food in your home. Chances are, it’s predominantly made up of mostly carbs and fat, with some protein in there as well.
So, how do we solve this “protein problem”?
The first step, and yes this is an “obvious” answer, is that you just need to make a conscious effort to include it in your meals for the day and have it prepared ahead of time.
It's easy to grab a piece of fruit, or make a peanut butter sandwich or grab a granola bar. And these are all great options! However, to get our desired protein goals, you need to plan ahead.
I would recommend meal prepping your main protein sources the night before. By this, I mean if you’re planning on having chicken, or turkey, or beef; make it ahead of time so you have it ready. Preparing fresh meat or poultry takes some time, which is why we sometimes forget to have it ready. All of sudden it's 7am the next day, you need to take the kids to daycare, andddddd you have no protein to eat.
If you plan ahead, and make around 70% of your protein for the day the night prior, chances are you’ll be much closer to hitting your protein goals. Remember, preparation is key when it comes to our nutrition! The more prepare, the higher the chances of you hitting your macro goals are.
Our second tip is to try to incorporate foods that are higher in protein in our daily meals, that aren’t necessarily thought of as “protein sources”.
For example, one cup of Chobani Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt contains 22 grams of protein.
That’s a lot of protein, and it’s pretty easy to eat and not overly filling.
Some other foods that contain relatively good amounts of protein in them are things like cheese, milk, peanut butter, nuts, beans, and so on. Obviously, you need to take into account that all these foods are probably going to also have carbohydrates and fat along with them (which is fine!), so just make sure that if you’re going to be adding these foods that they fit in your daily macro allotment.
Obviously, these aren’t protein sources, but when you do add them up it can be a substantial amount of protein at the end of the day. More than anything, let this serve as a reminder to make sure you are counting the protein in these foods! We've had a few clients that didn’t realize that you absolutely can count the calories of protein in these “non-protein dominant” foods.
There are genuinely a lot of "protein focused" alternatives for regulars foods, that you may not realize. For example, there's Quest Protein Chips (a good snack), Kodiak Cakes (pancakes), and Protein Coffee Creamers.
Another option for getting more protein in your diet is protein shakes.
We understand that not everyone enjoys protein shakes, but if you can stomach them and find a high quality source and a flavor you enjoy, it’s a fantastic option to include with your whole foods throughout the day. Most protein shakes are around 25-30 grams of protein, and usually are accompanied with 1-5 grams of fat, and also carbohydrates. We are strong advocates for getting your calories from whole foods in, but when it comes to protein, we’re fine with a shake during the day as long as they’re not your main source of protein.
We find that if we have a client who doesn't have much of an appetite in the morning, a protein shake is a good trade-off for not eating anything until their first real meal.
Our last tip is going to be finding sources of protein that you can take with you throughout your day.
Protein can be very satiating, meaning it’s very filling. While this is a good thing, it can also make it challenging to eat all of your protein during your meals. If that’s an issue, consider lowering your protein amounts during your meals, and eat a protein based snack in in-between.
Flavored Tuna packets are my personal favorite, but options like protein bars, cheese sticks, beef jerky, nuts, and other items similar are really helpful. You can also incorporate shakes in this category as well! We find that breaking up our meals with small protein snacks can help alleviate hunger, and satisfies that urge to snack that we all get.
Those are just a few tips we have for getting your protein in throughout the day. More than anything, we just want to encourage you to put an effort into preparing for the next day. It’s easy to get home and kick your feet up and relax, but once you do that it’s tough to get up and meal prep! Take the time and pr
epare. We promise, it’s worth it.
If you have any questions, or want to chat about working with us on nutrition coaching, please feel free to visit our website www.harbertshealth.com or you can email us at info@harbertshealth.com. We’d love to work with you to help hit your nutrition goals!
Brendan & Kendra Harberts
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