3 ways to get more protein
Meeting your daily recommended protein intake can prove challenging, especially if you aim to add more muscle.
Eating five to six nutritious, protein-packed meals a day takes preparation (and dedication), but it’s essential if you want to rebuild muscle tissue and grow.
Sidebar:
Your protein requirements: 1.6g per kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg/day)
- A 57kg woman require 91g per day
- A 75kg man requires 120g per day
But you can use these handy tips to boost your daily protein intake and achieve your goals.
#1. Pump up the plant protein
Many of us rely on animal protein like beef, fish, chicken, turkey, venison, milk and eggs to hit our macros.
Adding plant proteins to your meals, even if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan, can boost your intake.
Pairing your preferred animal protein with quinoa, brown rice or oats, for example, are great additions to any meal.
Other suitable sources of plant-based protein include avocado, peas, lentils, soya beans and miso soup. You can also snack on various nuts like almonds, seeds and coconut, which all contain protein.
#2. Drink more protein
By juicing good sources of plant proteins and drinking the mixture as an accompaniment to your meal can boost your protein intake at each sitting. Wheatgrass, for example, contains 17 different amino acids and is a popular ingredient in juicing recipes.
You can also boost the protein content of your freshly juiced protein drink by simply adding some protein-rich superfood powders like spirulina – a tablespoon provides 4g of protein.
Choosing protein-rich liquids for smoothies and other drinks will also deliver more protein per glass. For instance, choosing soy milk (7g per 1 cup – 236 ml – serving) over almond milk (2g per cup) will add extra protein to your smoothie or coffee. Soy milk even has a comparable protein content to dairy milk (8g per cup).
Various fortified and flavoured milk products on the market also offer beneficial protein contents.
And the various tasty ready-to-drink (RTD) protein supplements available at Dis-Chem stores countrywide are also helpful options.
RTDs provide highly bioavailable protein in a quick and convenient pre-packaged product. This means you can get a protein boost whenever you need or want, be it between meals as a liquid snack, after training or as an after-meal dessert treat.
#3. Supplement your intake
Using well-formulated supplements is the ideal way to boost your daily protein intake without all the stress and hassle of preparing extra meals.
A protein powder supplement is a versatile product that you can use in more than just post-workout shakes. Add a few scoops to your morning smoothie or add a serving or two to your pancake, flapjack or muffin mix to up the protein content of these popular meals.
You can also add BCAAs and EAAs to your water bottle to sip on at work or varsity to feed your muscles with a steady supply of amino acids throughout the day.
