Increasing your protein doesn’t have to be this disgusting or hard.
Little changes and shifts to how you plan out your meals can really pay off. It just takes you pausing to assess what you’re currently doing and being open to looking at your portions and meals in another way.
That’s why I want to share 5 strategies to help so you can avoid common protein “mistakes” like these.
Let’s start with what I’ve already mentioned…
Increasing your current servings of protein by just an ounce!
Too often we try to find new ways to add in protein instead of just tweaking what we’re already naturally doing.
Which honestly just makes things feel more overwhelming and confusing.
So instead of trying to search for something new or a bigger change, just take a current protein sources your consuming and add an ounce.
If you usually have 3 ounces of chicken at lunch, make it 4.
Small increases to the protein sources you’re already eating can help you keep your meals and prep basically the same while helping you slowly increase your protein intake.
No big dramatic changes.
No having to think of new options.
Now, if you start adjusting your portions and are finding that your fat intake is way too high or you can’t keep your calories in check, this is where you can start to divide and conquer.
Often when a protein source is higher in fat or carbs, we think we just have to cut out something we enjoy.
Instead, we need to divide and conquer, which means we can simply COMBINE two different protein sources with different macros to hit our goals.
Love steak but finding it’s killing your macros while leaving you low in protein?
Try a surf and turf dish so you can have your steak but lower your fat by including another protein source you love that’s lower in fat.
This can sometimes be a better option than just eliminating the cut of meat we love.
Sometimes swapping for a completely different cut or type of protein isn’t enjoyable but the combination of two sources we love is!
So to get that 6 ounces of protein you want at a meal, you do 3 of each.
This can also help you avoid feeling like you’re just having to power through a bazillion ounces of protein as well at a meal.
Because another common protein mistake we make is just forcing ourselves to power through protein portions that simply aren’t enjoyable.
While a new and better result does mean embracing change and often that includes making some sacrifices, if we feel like we’re force feeding ourselves something, chances are we won’t keep doing that for long.
We can avoid this protein overload not only by dividing and conquering with different protein sources but even further HIDING the protein in meals.
How can you hide protein?!
Using dishes that allow you to diversify!
By diversifying your protein sources in a dish and not making yourself feel like you just have to eat more, you can often pack in more protein.
Soups, smoothies or oatmeal parfaits, casseroles or even omelets make this an easy task because it is easy to combine a variety of protein sources so the dishes pack a punch.
Try bone broth as the base for your soup with chicken or tofu and veggies to add 10 more grams of protein per cup.
Combine greek yogurt with a protein powder in your smoothie or even in your oats to pack in 30+ grams while being easy to take on the go.
Heck, even blend in tofu to add more protein while making it extra creamy, especially if you don’t consume dairy!
For your casseroles, bump the protein and cheesiness by adding in cottage cheese on top of your usual proteins included and even swap traditional pastas for edamame or lentil variations.
And in your omelets not only use eggs and egg whites to hit your fat and protein macros, but add in ground protein sources like turkey or ground beef to bump your protein intake further without getting bored of the same flavor!
But by diversifying your ingredients it can make for tasty meals that don’t just make you feel like your force feeding yourself protein.
And then don’t make the mistake of ignoring the boost you can get from so many non-traditional sources of protein.
So often we only focus on the amino acids from complete protein sources.
But there are amino acids in so many of the foods we eat that, combined over the course of the day can really add up!
This can make increasing our protein intake seem so much less daunting!
And by embracing this diversity, we can also get a great micronutrient boost.
Sooo….Don’t ignore the grams.
Small swaps like buckwheat noodles for regular white pasta can bump our protein intake.
Or peas with broccoli in our stir fry help us bump those protein grams and improve our micros.
Nutritional yeast and parmesan cheese are great little ways to boost flavor while adding protein even.
I stole this term from my Dietitian Michelle, but she calls them protein sprinkles. And I love calling parmesan cheese protein salt!
Heck, nutritional yeast is not only a great seasoning for the protein source you may be cooking up that day, but it can even be sprinkled on your popcorn snack.
Yup!
It’s a great way to make your popcorn taste cheesy and add a protein boost to a snack that normally is devoid of protein (and not in the gross protein powder on peanut butter cups way…)
You can even do this by pairing something you want with something you “need.”
Instead of putting protein into something that it doesn’t work in, consider it on the side to your usual snack or treat.
Try jerky with your crackers.
Or some natural deli meat on a snack plate with your apple and peanut butter.
But consider small ways to make those grams add up!
This can help us include the foods we love and not feel like we’re only eating bland and boring foods!
And then…stop seeing increasing your protein as having to be…well…bland and boring and diet food!
We often make the mistake of being lazy with the changes and defaulting into not trying to make the meals taste good.
It’s almost like we get this attitude of “Well it’s a diet. It’s not supposed to be enjoyable.”
But that holds us back from building lasting habit changes or even developing a good relationship with our food!
Make an extra effort to make your protein delicious through sauces and spices and seasonings!
Seasonings and spices can really make a huge impact and they come at basically not calorie cost!
Then even look for sauces that are flavor filled but lower in calories to start.
Consider things like soy sauce or tamari for some extra flavor while being low in calories.
Or use salsas even in place of other salad dressings.
Even consider making some of your own salsas or dressings out of greek yogurt and seasonings.
It’s a great way to even make some ranch variations while boosting your protein a bit, hiding that protein in your sauce!
But don’t shy away from finding some recipes that use seasoning to their advantage!
While I know it is easy to get overwhelmed by the idea of making changes and default into what seems easy but actually makes the process harder, you don’t have to fall into doing things that just aren’t sustainable and make you miserable.
Increasing your protein doesn’t have to mean destroying dishes and snacks you love.
Avoid making these protein mistakes and start building meals you love that help you hit your macro goals!
Learn how to adjust your nutrition to see all of your hard work in the gym pay off and build your leanest, strongest body EVER…
–> Learn more about the Metabolic Shred
