Alright, so yesterday I had a post showing how eating more protein leads to quality of life as you age.
If you’re new to the fitness game, just recently got a personal trainer, or are trying to lose weight and not sure what to do for protein, you need to get at least on gram of protein per pound of body weight a day. Weigh 200 pounds? You need to get 200 grams of protein. That’s about 3 pounds of ground beef or 35 eggs or 5 chicken breasts.
That’s a lot of food and can at times be daunting (particularly for newbies, ie, YOU)
Here are my top 6 favorite protein options
First - Steak 🥩🥩🥩
Cows, or any ruminant animal, steaks are the most nutrient dense protein you can get. The meat and fat that comes with it are packed with not only protein, but iron, zinc, b vitamins, magnesium, and potassium (not only found in bananas). Steaks have so much flavor, they really just need salt to round em out. (I really like my local butcher, Seven Cedars Butcher Shop in Lebanon Tennessee, but if you don’t have a butcher or can’t afford one, the meats at a conventional store will work just fine.)
Second - Ground Beef 🐄🐄🐄
This meat is a great secondary to steaks and can often be spiced up in ways that steaks can’t – Taco Tuesday, Meatloaf Monday, or Fajita Friday anyone?! You can get various levels of fat content in beef and I find the 80/20 works best for me, but I prefer more fat in my meals for extra calories since I’m coaching all the time.
Third - Greek Yogurt 🥛🥛🥛
This dairy product is absolutely packed with protein with around 16 grams per serving. Not only that, it has great bacteria in it to help your gut microbiome. It can be consumed for breakfast, a midday snack, on the go, or as a substitute for other less healthy options like sour cream, ranch dressing, or mayo.
Fourth - Protein Powder 💪💪💪
A high quality protein powder supplement is clutch for getting in your protein needs. Protein powder can be mixed in water, milk, gatorade, yogurt, or even pancake batter. A typical serving is about 20 grams of protein. If you mix in 2 servings into your midday snack, that’s an extra 40 grams to help meet your goal.
Fifth - Eggs 🍳🍳🍳
Eggs are a great source of protein and good fat-soluble vitamins. One egg has about 6.5 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat. They can be made up in all sorts of different ways, can be mixed in different meats, and just added to the side of a meal for extra protein.
Six - Chicken 🐔🐔🐔 (guess that answers that age old question!!! 🤣🤣🤣)
Chicken is a good protein source, but is low on my list because it lacks a lot of other nutritional value that the proteins above do. They don’t have a lot of vitamins and their omega 3 to 6 profile is not that great. Eating chicken is still better than eating tofu or no protein, but just not high on my list.
ONE BIG CAVEAT HERE
If you cannot afford these foods, you can find a bunch of other low cost replacements. Eggs are super cheap and if that’s all you can afford, knock yourself out. Same with milk and chocolate milk. Same with canned meats and lesser used cuts of beef or chicken.
If you've got any questions about diet or getting Jacked and living a longer, better life, let me know. Happy to help!!
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