Do you want to unlock new Nutrition Skills? Increase your protein intake with this simple guide

Why do I feel I’m on a forever quest to get protein?

The simple answer is convenience. When we were kids and felt a bit hungry, our parents would give us anything packed in a bag to ease our “hangry” energy. Imagine if you’re stuck in a car for a 4-hour road trip and need your child to play cool; chances are you don’t have a pan-fried by hand to prepare some chicken, right?

So here it goes, the little plastic or aluminum bag found at the petrol station comes to the rescue.

Its nutritional value is around all the fat and carbs and, if we’re lucky, 1.5% protein.

Do you think any of those behavior’s change when we get older?

Look at the convenient vending machines installed everywhere, and you will answer your question.

Are you the cookie monster at your office? Will you dare to open your desk drawer and show me your snacks?

How do we start making positive changes?

Let me sound cliché for a sec. You need planning.

Now, as I know, 95% of the people are running late for work and have a chaotic day to go through. This is when the ninja tricks come into place to make your life easier. So let’s get into it.

Breakfast

Eggs are the protagonist of this meal. However, you will need around 6-7 pieces to get enough protein (A lot of fats and cholesterol). How we fix it?

You will need around one or two yolks to get the tasty flavour. Adding more egg whites to the recipe ensures getting more protein in without the extra fat you don’t need.

That sounds smart, but what should I do with all the yolks? Through away?

Thanks to the egg pasteurisation process, we have these convenient liquid egg whites bottles & cartoons in the supermarket. Using around 80-100 ml in your breakfast mix will help you achieve the right amount of protein and give you more volume, keeping you fuller for longer.

Are you a bread fan like me? Who doesn’t like a warm, good-looking piece of bread?

Many new options are available at the supermarket, like protein bread or brown or multigrain bread that comes higher in protein.

Now if you are a fresh bread advocate, I advise grabbing the sourdough bread. 

100 g (around two generous slides) can give you 6.7g extra protein in your breakfast.

If you add baby spinach (because we eat our greens), that will be an extra 2.4g. It doesn’t sound like much, but it all sums up, and you’re getting various sources, not only the animal one.

If you don’t have problems with dairy, cheese like babybel or light halloumi gives you an extra 4gr.

Boom! That’s a pretty good-looking breakfast of champions!

But I’m more on the sweet side…

I got you! How does it sound, Protein Pancakes? Yummy right? The good thing about it is that you can use the protein powder of your choice.

All you need is a mixer and drop in your eggs (Including liquid egg whites, as we just learned), one banana, one scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder, and some cinnamon (optional). Pour the mix into your pan and serve with your favourite topping.

Careful!! We don’t want to ruin the process with tons of calories in honey, peanut butter and maple syrup.

I recommend using Skyr or Greek Yoghurt on top with some berries. More protein, sweet touch, fewer calories. Or a square (or two) of dark chocolate instead of Nutella. This is how you play it.

Let’s upgrade your lunch & dinner

Step number one is getting more educated about your choices.

Sure, everyone loves delicious pasta, and I’m not telling you to stop eating it. However, if you’re eating out, chances are that the amount of pasta you get vs the animal protein in the mix (chicken, beef, shrimp) is very low.

Let’s improve it. Prioritise your protein when choosing your meals.

Think of all the animals, chicken, lamb, beef, and fish.

Make sure the cut of meat is at least the size of your palm, cooked.

Let’s not share one chicken breast with the whole family. Protein is the macronutrient where we cannot be stingy.

You can ask how many grams you get if you’re in a restaurant. Let me give you a guide:

• Chicken: minimum 120-130 grams raw.
• Salmon: 120 g cooked (one fillet approx.)
• White Fish: 170 g raw.
• Sirloin Beef (Trimmed to no fat) 195g raw steak can give you up to you 62 g protein 💪

You will feel when you’re cooking and looking at the raw piece that is quite a lot of animal. But remember, when you cook it, it will shrink, leaving you with a reasonable amount of protein.

How do you match your favourite protein?

Don’t skip the rice, pasta, potatoes and vegetables. Especially vegetables.

They give you lots of volume and nutrients, and they’re packed with a bit of extra grams of protein that will help you reach your targets.

Another great option to increase your protein is adding legumes and beans. My main choices are chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans, black beans and soybeans.

Did someone say burrito bowl?

I have no time to cook, and I’m not the best cooker either.

I highly recommend using a meal prep company if you need a convenient solution that will give you the nutrients with the best flavour. Here in the UAE, I work with Zero Fat, and they never disappoint me.

You can use my code NIKA10 to save some money on your plans 😉

What about my snacks? Do I need my snacks?

There’s no right or wrong answer to this question because it depends on your daily calorie budget and if you prefer to have more or fewer meals. If you have noticed, we’re working on getting more volume from your main meals so that you can be more flexible with your snacks.

I know it is challenging to be mindful and analyse our choices a bit more.

Just use my nutrition tracker that comes with my Crusher’s Lifestyle app to make it easier.

One of the most common mistakes I see among my clients: But is labelled as “healthy.”

This is the thing; it’s called marketing. People have to sell their products and will fool those who lack nutritional education. But as you’re here, I will save you the hustle.

Option number one, it’s a better-quality peanut butter. It has fewer calories per serving, gives you a bit of protein (but it’s not a primary source), and has less fat. It’s a winner.

**Notice the serving size says one TBS 15 g; this is very relative because it depends on how much product you can get in a spoon. I always recommend being mindful and weight your fats.

Option number two is labelled in the supermarket as “healthy and organic”; however, it has tons of sugars, is higher in fat, and the percentage of protein is not that important.

Should I avoid peanut butter, then?

Absolutely not, but let’s call it what it is. It is not a primary source of protein. It’s a source of fat.

Then you must ask yourself, do I have enough fat budget left to fit in my peanut butter? Yes or no.

And constantly scan the labels to ensure you get the best option at home.

Are protein bars a good option?

We have lots of variety in the market, and it comes to the same rule. So let’s scan the label and find the best option. I can recommend a good-looking bar that should give you around 19-21gr of protein per serve, and it shouldn’t be more than 200 kcal in total.

What about nuts? People say it has a lot of protein.

They do contain protein, but again for a 20 g handful of almonds, you get 5 g of protein but 12 g of fat. In the case of walnuts, for the same handful, you can get 6 g of protein but 26 g of fat (insert sad emoji).

Again they’re the primary source of good fats. So how do we leverage these guys?

Sprinkle them in your salad or bowl to add a different flavor/ texture to your food, more than using them as a snack. When was the last time you counted exactly ten almonds and stopped eating? Exactly.

Summary

Animal protein sources will always give you a higher amount of this macronutrient in your meals. This is because they’re paramount to helping you improve your body composition (looking leaner and stronger).perfection. I will go overboard sometimes.

You can help yourself reach your targets with other sources like legumes, vegetables and healthy fats. But only if you have enough calories in your daily budget to include them; and if they’re the best option according to the label.

If you want my guidance to learn how to become a calorie ninja and make more delicious choices daily, don’t hesitate to reach out. I have available a nutrition & lifestyle program; take a look here.

Nika