We often hear about athletes and body builders utilizing supplements to bulk up. While supplements can be great, why not utilize natural sources to get the essentials that out bodies need? Natural sources being foods to ingest versus powders and pre-made shakes. So what are the best sources of protein?
What Does Your Body Need Protein?
Protein is the building blocks of everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. All our our cells are made up of protein. To heal, you need protein. To make new protein cells you need to replenish protein. So protein is important in healing, building new muscle, and growing.
The average man needs 56 grams of protein whereas the average woman needs 46 grams of protein in a day. A nursing mother needs around 70 grams of protein a day to maintain a healthy supply.
Great Sources of Protein
Eggs
One egg a day will provide 8 grams of protein. The great thing about eggs, you can eat them anytime. There are several ways to eat eggs too to mix up your diet. That is the great thing about eggs. Try an egg with toast and coffee. You can scramble it, eat it over-easy, or hard-boiled!
Milk
One cup or 244 grams of milk has 8 grams of protein. You can utilize milk in other forms other than just drinking it straight. Put a serving of milk in a fruit smoothie, this way if you don’t like plain milk, you’ll still get your serving of protein from milk!
Greek Yogurt
170 grams or one container of yogurt has 17 grams of protein. You read that correctly… 17 grams! The great thing about greek yogurt? You can have it with a meal as a dessert or as a snack. It’s sweet enough to fulfill your sweet tooth and healthy enough to not make you feel poorly about yourself.
Almonds
Eating 10 almonds will get 2.5 grams of protein. Almonds are great for a snack for those that like to munch when they are bored. Try almonds and cheese as an afternoon snack!
Lentils
One cup of boiled lentils has 18 grams of protein. While you may not think beans are the best tasting there are tons of recipes that can help get your through a meal. Try balsamic glazed pork with lentils! You can find the recipe here!
Turkey
Believe it or not light and dark roast turkey differs in the amount of protein that they offer. One pound of dark roast turkey offers 127 grams of protein, while one pound of light roast turkey offers more than 133 grams of protein. While you won’t be eating the whole pound, 3.5 ounces is the usual serving size with around 28 grams of protein.
Fish
Depending on the fish that you choose, either cod, haddock, tuna, flounder, perch or halibut, you’ll get around 19 to 26 grams of protein. Choose your fish, bake a potato, and pick a veggie and you’ve got a ready made, healthy meal for your dinner!
Lean Beef
Four ounces of lean beef has around 26 grams of protein. If you’re going with lean beef, try to get 85% lean or higher.
Chicken
While most think that ground beef or steak as more protein, it is in fact that 4 ounces of chicken has more protein that 4 ounces of beef. Surprising, right?Four ounces of grilled chicken has 36 grams of protein. I know what you’re having for dinner!
For those With Allergies
Just because you’ve got allergies doesn’t mean that you’ve got to totally avoid getting protein from anything other than supplements. While there may be lesser options of what you can choose from, you’ve still got plenty of great options! There are also great options for plant based powers, like veg powder to get your protein too.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Chickpeas
- Beef Jerky
- String Cheese
- Quinoa
For the Non-Meat Eaters
While protein powders are great for those that are on the go or don’t have the ability to consume the amount of protein necessary in your daily diet, you can get utilize things like Casein or whey protein as a supplement. This is great for vegans and vegetarians to get the protein that they need as they’ve cut a large part of “natural consumption” out of their diet. Please do your research if you become or are thinking of being vegan or vegetarian. Going meatless may not be the answer if you’re going about it for the wrong reasons.
Let’s Not Forget
If you’re into body building, great! Bodybuilders utilize the necessary amount of protein to build new muscle. Keep in mind, bodybuilding is a complete growth of the entire body and the muscular system. If you’re just looking for an optimum workout, you don’t want to be cheap with your protein consumption either. Meaning, don’t skip breakfast. Have a complete list of all the food groups and make sure that you stick to low fat foods.
While meats, eggs, and cheese are your main sources of proteins, don’t forget about vegetables either. The average vegetable has around 2 grams of protein. This is an added source of protein in which can help you meet the goal of getting the amount necessary based on your weight.
Getting the recommended amount of protein doesn’t mean eating like dogs, it doesn’t mean losing out on what you want to eat versus what you don’t want to eat. It just means that after a workout your body has the ability to replenish and gain what it needs. This is not a loss on your part, think of it as a health gain to being the best you! What are the best sources of protein for you?
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