Tips to meet your protein requirements!
Getting 30-50 grams of protein per meal can be a challenge! Here are some ideas to help you meet your needs to maintain and build muscle as you age and prevent sarcopenia and other age related disease.
Breakfast Ideas:
Greek Yogurt- depending on the type and style of greek yogurt you purchase it can typically have anywhere from 17-23 grams of protein per serving.
Eggs- One egg has approximately 6 grams of protein.
Egg Whites- Egg whites are a great, easy low calorie way to boost your protein. One cup of egg whites has ONLY 126 calories and 26 grams of protein!
Chicken Sausage- One serving of chicken sausage (3 links) equals 9 grams of protein.
ProDough Pancake Mix-These delicious pancakes have definitely stepped up my breakfast game! One serving has 25-30 grams of protein and only 240 calories.
Use CODE: Yogimomma and save 10%Protein Powder/Shakes-Having a protein shake or smoothie is a easy and fast way to meet your protein goals and keep calories low. Most protein powders have 25 grams of protein and around 110-120 calories. Some brands that I prefer are ProDough (Use CODE: YOGIMOMMA and save 10%). Fairlife, and Clean Simple Eats.
Lunch/Dinner Ideas: Of coarse these foods can be eaten for any meal!
Chicken Breast-A 3.5-oz. (100-g) serving of chicken breast provides 165 calories, 31 g of protein, and 3.6 g of fat. That means that approximately 80% of the calories in chicken breast come from protein, and 20% come from fat.
Chicken Thigh-A 3.5-oz. (100-g) serving of chicken thigh provides 179 calories, 24.8 g of protein, and 8.2 g of fat. Thus, 55% of the calories come from protein, while 45% come from fat.
Red Meat-Depending on the cut and how lean the piece of meat is you choose calories and fat will vary. But the protein amount remains about the same for most cuts of meat. In general a 3 ounce cut of meat has about 27 grams of protein. The leaner the meat, typically the higher the protein.
Canned Tuna- A can of tuna on average has 132 calories and 24 grams of protein.
Edamame- 1 cup of cooked edamame has 17 grams of protein and 122 calories, PLUS 8 grams of fiber!
Beans- Navy, kidney, pinto, black, lentils and chickpeas all have about 15 grams of protein on average.
Tempeh-1 cup = 31 grams protein
Tofu-1 cup = 20 grams protein
These are just a few examples of high protein foods that you can mix/match to try and meet your protein goals! Using tools like My Fitness Pal can help you track your protein intake to make sure you are getting enough to reach your goals! Remember, most of us need to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of desired body weight. If you need additional help trying to meet your protein requirements feel free to reach out to me!