Want To Increase Protein Intake? Try These 4 SIMPLE Tips! | Increase Protein Intake
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Protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to building muscle. As such, you want to make sure you calculate your protein intake to be somewhere between 0.7g to 1.2g/lb. However, actually increasing your protein intake is another matter. And for a lot of people, even though they have calculated their protein intake, consuming enough protein is another struggle.
So if you’re struggling to increase your protein intake, here are 4 simple and easy tips to get you to that daily goal.
So the first thing is just to increase your portion sizes of protein per meal. Now while that might seem obvious, it isn’t always intuitive to people who have different eating frequencies. For instance, someone who’s eating just 2 meals a day may find it difficult to eat enough protein in those meals. But typically, increasing your protein per meal is an easy way to increase your daily protein intake. Let’s say you typically have a 3oz chicken and now you bump it up to 5 oz. That’s about a 14g increase in protein which is substantial if you apply that basic principle to each meal throughout the day. So if you have 3-4 meals per day and you increase each meal by 14g of protein, that’s an increase of 42-56g per day.
The second tip is to increase the frequency of your meals. I mentioned earlier if you are only eating two meals per day, it may be hard to load up on protein in those meals. Some people just don’t find protein particularly palatable. However, if you can, consider increasing the number of meals you have per day. If you ARE eating 2 meals and you start eating 4-5 meals, that’s 2-3 extra opportunities to increase your protein intake and if you increase the amount of protein per meal like in the first tip, you’re on your way to reaching your protein goal for the day. Additionally, there has been some evidence to suggest that muscle protein synthesis is maximized by distributing your meals more evenly throughout the day if your goal is to build muscle. So it may be in your best interest to eat more frequently. But in the end, it’s still your total daily protein intake that matters most.
The 3rd tip is using a protein powder or supplement. Now I made a video where I said that protein powders aren’t TECHNICALLY needed to build muscle but if you need help getting that extra bit of protein throughout the day but don’t want to eat a full on meal, then this is precisely what a supplement is for. Now it doesn’t have to be a protein powder either. Mixing greek yogurt with some fruits or berries can offer you a high amount of protein as a snack while also giving you a different taste to avoid flavor fatigue.
And the last tip kind of reinforces all the tips I’ve mentioned so far and that is to make sure that each meal you have includes protein and a high amount of it. This is regardless of a regular meal or a snack. Ideally, if you are able to include some sort of protein source, whether that was a protein powder or just a high protein snack, you’re bringing yourself closer to hitting your protein goal. A good number to hit for each meal is between 20-40g. If you can make this into a habit and remember to consume a high amount of protein each time you eat, hitting your daily goal will be quite easy and doable since it’ll also become a habit. Foods that provide the most protein per calorie, with little to no fat include nonfat Greek yogurt, skinless chicken & turkey breast, egg whites, white fish, and shrimp. So don’t think you’re just limited to chicken and steak. You have options throughout the day.
I really can’t stress how important protein is and for all the questions and myths surrounding protein…one thing that I see people not prioritizing is simply reaching their daily protein goal. Trust me. If you can reach this number daily and you’re consistent with your training, you’ll see improvements in muscle gain and I think these 4 simple tips will make that goal a lot easier.