If you’re looking to level up your nutrition, you probably looked to protein to help you reach your goals.

Why so important?

Protein is the stuff of life.  From your hair on the outside to your muscles within protein is the glue that holds each cell in your body together and makes up many major hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. It also transports and stores nutrients and can act as an energy source when needed.

 Incorporating more protein in your diet has been shown to 

  • Improves satiety levels – High protein diet reduces hunger helping you eat fewer calories. This is caused by the improved function of weight regulating hormones.
  • Better bone health Higher protein diets tend to maintain bone mass better as you age and leave you at a much lower risk of osteoporosis and fractures. 
  • Lower blood pressure. Adequate protein intake helps lower blood pressure and reduce risk factors for heart disease. 
  • Weight management – evidence suggests that high protein diet (consisting of 25 to 30% protein of your daily caloric intake from foods and supplements will boost your metabolism significantly helping burn more calories throughout the day 
  • Muscle growth Those that consume protein after lifting weights showed increased muscle size and strength compared to those that didn’t. 
  • Recovery after exercise Since protein helps build and repair muscle, adequate consumption helps speed up recovery and wase soreness, reduce muscle damage enhance muscle strength and size and increase performance.

How much do you need?

How much you need per day varies with age and can increase significantly with physical activity, injury, and illness.

A sedentary adult should consume 0.8grams of protein per kilogram of body weight So an average 56 grams of protein for men and 46 grams for women. Aim to get between 10 and 35% of your calories from protein. 

However, things can get monotonous if you only consume lean meat and energy/protein bars as your protein sources. 

The below not only provide adequate amounts of protein but they also offer other nutrients that are important for overall health.

Sardines provide an impressive 28g of protein in a 4-ounce serving, which is higher than any other fatty fish. They offer additional nutrients such as calcium, iron, potassium, vit b12 and vitamin A, D and E, rich in omega 3 and DHA.

Pistachio nuts 30g hand full = 6g protein. Awesome combination of plant protein, iron, and zinc. Pistachio and almonds have the most protein of all nuts. 

Peas a cup (cooked) = 9g Like all legume’s peas pack a protein punch. get 25% of your daily fibre, thiamine, folate, manganese and Vitamin A, C and K, iron magnesium phosphorus, zinc copper and several B vitamins. 

Chia seeds –2 to 3 tablespoons of chia equal one large egg in terms of protein Chia offer all nine essential amino acids and thus a high-quality plant-based protein .100g contain 16.5 grams of protein. 

Peanut butter – one serving (2 tablespoons) contains around 8g of protein, which makes it an excellent plant-based protein.  

Bone Broth This powerhouse contains 9g in one cup serving and is also rich in collagen (the most abundant protein in the body) has been shown to improve symptoms of osteoarthritis and reduce overall inflammation, joint pain, and stiffness. As it also contains electrolytes it could be great post workout for those who wants to up their performance and enhance recovery 

Kefir – 8grams of protein per cup (comparable to dairy or soy milk) also vitamin D. 30% of daily recommended amount of calcium, micronutrients, vitamin b12 and magnesium. kefir has also been shown to improve bone health, aid in digestive problems, protect against certain cancers, improve allergy and asthma symptoms and boost immunity. It may contain up to 61 strains of bacteria and yeasts that can positively affect gut health which makes it a potent source of probiotics.