Are you hungry all the time?
More often than not the reason we are hungry throughout the day is the lack of sufficient protein at each meal and in our overall daily food intake. We will most definitely be hungry if our breakfast is a piece of toast, our lunch is a salad, our midday snack is an apple, and our dinner is spaghetti. But it sounds healthy, right?
The problem here?? Where is the protein?
Maybe there was a PB on your toast? Maybe there were a few chunks of chicken on your salad? Maybe your spaghetti had meat in the sauce?
No, no, no! This is not nearly enough.
If we want to reap the benefits of protein we need to be eating about 25 grams at each meal. Here are some examples of sufficient amounts of protein:
Lean Chicken 4 oz = 36 grams
Cottage Cheese 1 cup = 28 grams
4 Eggs = 24 grams
Greek Yogurt 1 Cup = 25 grams
Lean Beef 4oz = 28 grams
If we don’t eat enough protein we may experience:
Slow metabolism
Trouble losing weight.
Moodiness.
Hormonal imbalances.
Decrease energy levels.
Slow healing.
Joint, muscle, and bone pain.
Blood sugar issues.
How to add more in at each meal.
Aim to eat 25 grams of protein at each meal. You can do this by planning each meal and snack around a lean protein source.
Good breakfast options: Eggs, egg whites, omelette w/added meat like ham, chicken, ground turkey, protein smoothie, protein pancakes, greek yogurt, and cottage cheese.
Good lunch and dinner options: Eggs, Lean protein with a salad, Lunch meats, Chicken breast w/veggies, other lean meats like ground turkey, lean beef, lean pork, fish.
Get creative with your protein options and eat pancakes for dinner or chicken for breakfast..
Who cares?!
As long as you are getting the protein your body needs, right?