Protein, protein, protein… people talk about it as the magic food if you want to gain muscle and lose weight. Well that’s because it kind of is!!
But there’s a common misconception with foods labelled high protein being actually high in protein…
Ever seen those protein balls in the supermarket labelled as ‘high protein’?
These only have around 4 grams of protein in them!
There can also be milk and yoghurt products claiming to be high protein that actually don’t contain that much more protein than the regular versions, however tend to be more expensive.
Most adults need around 100g+ of protein per day to help build, maintain and repair muscle; help you lose weight by keeping you fuller for longer and make it easier to maintain a calorie deficit.
When it comes to food sources of protein, you might automatically think of foods such as:
🍗Meat – For example chicken is a GREAT lean source of protein and SO versatile.
🐟Fish – For example salmon has omega-3 fats and protein, what’s not to like?!
🍳Eggs – an excellent source of protein, containing ALL nine essential amino acids.
While these are all great sources, here are 10 foods that are also surprisingly high in protein:
🥛 Milk – 8-10g protein per cup. Soy and pea protein milk are the best plant based milks that contain the same amount of protein as cows milk. There are also plant milks with added protein up to 10g per cup.
Brown rice – Brown rice is a higher protein option for wholegrains, containing 10g per 1.5 cup serving of cooked rice.
🍞Bread – 2 slices wholemeal bread contains 7g protein. Wholegrain versions are the best options as they are also high in fibre which will help with keeping you fuller for longer.
Roasted edamame – With 23g protein per 50g serving, roasted edamame beans make a great plant based high protein snack.
🥜Peanut butter – 5g protein per 1 tablespoon serving. You can add it to cereal or spread on toast for a higher protein breakfast.
Peas – 1 cup of cooked peas contains 8g protein.
Roasted chickpeas – Roasted chickpeas make a great plant based protein snack with 11g per 66g serving.
🧀Cheese – 12g protein per 40g serve. Light and reduced fat versions are the best options.
Cottage cheese – Contains 12g protein per 100g serving. Cottage cheese contains mainly casein protein, a milk protein that takes longer to digest, making you feel satiated for longer. As it’s in the stomach for longer, this also increases calcium absorption, a nutrient important for bone health.
Pumpkin seeds – 9g per 30g serving. Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of iron and essential fatty acids. You can add them to cereal, salads, or roast them for a high protein snack.
By eating more protein, you can actually boost your metabolism which means you burn MORE calories!
As a solution, I would recommend you track your food for a while, purely to learn what’s in it! After all, knowledge is power 😉 Use an app like MyFitnessPal to do that (it’s free!)
That way you know EXACTLY how much protein you’re having and which foods are helping (or not helping so much!).
