What Are the Must Have Proteins And…
Are You Getting Your Protein In At Every Meal and Snack?
I teach the Fit Yummy Mummy’s to keep their nutrition plan simple and to focus on creating healthy, fat burning meals based around whole food proteins and fresh produce.
Protein provides a lasting source of energy so you stay satisfied and when you are satisfied you are not eating mindless snacks…plus protein is essential for boosting your metabolism. Not only does it cause your body to burn more calories to digest but protein is the essential component of your Muscles!
Produce is simply your fruits and veggies ~ chock vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.
By creating meals and snacks that are based around protein and produce you not only feel energized and satisfied, but you are able to reach your body shaping goals that much faster!
To help you kick start your meal planning process, here’s a list of Must Have animal and plant protein sources.
Best Animal Based Protein Foods
1. Grass Fed Beef
2. Fowl
Chicken/Turkey – preferably organic
3. Fish/Seafood
Wild Salmon and Tuna
4. Eggs
What kind? See “Eat Your Eggs”
5. Dairy
Not a fan of milk however dairy products such as Greek yogurt are an excellent source of protein and at times I have organic cottage cheese and even a carton of organic Goat’s Milk on hand for cooking or to add to morning oatmeal.
Best Plant Based Protein Foods
1. Legumes/Beans
lentils, black, kidney and garbanzo beans
2. Nuts
almonds rock
3. Whole Grains
quinoa, kamut and millet
4. Soy
organic, unprocessed, fermented soy
(meaning not commercialized soy products you see on the shelves of mainstream grocery stores). I personally do not eat soy based on the conflicting information that I find. This is an individual choice and if you choose to eat soy, just make sure it is not processed….go for organic, fermented soy like tempeh and miso.
How Much?
While protein requirements vary from individual to individual, the RDA for adults is 0.8 grams of protein for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight or between 10% and 20% of your total calories.
I personally eat closer to 30% of my calories from protein for I have found this is what makes me feel my best while maintaining strong, lean body results.
Best advice is to keep track of what you are eating and see what protein intake makes you feel your best and helps you achieve the results you are after.
When you are eating for fat loss, you know to 1st map out your meals ahead of time, planning to eat every 3 to 4 hours, each of these meals are made up of protein and produce and you will have no trouble getting just what your body needs to fire up a healthy metabolism!
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My favourite protein is quinoa. You can eat it as a meal, you can have it as a side dish, you can have it as a warm morning meal. It’s such a versatile protein – you can add anything to it and it still tastes great – on its own or with veggies, another protein, warm with cinnamon and blueberries – yummy! I always feel really satisfied and stay full for a long time when I’ve had quinoa. It comes in several varieties too! Check it out at your grocery store or bulk food store.
Thanks so much for the great information.
I too love quinoa – in fact, I get it in powdered or flaked form and put it in muffins and cookies that I make for my boys’ lunches and snacks. These are the perfect go to quickie food before or after a workout, swimming lesson, soccer game or boxing class!
Lentils are a great source of protein too. I’ve got an organic black lentil stew in the slow cooker right now with a dash of thermogenic cayenne to add a touch of fat fighting to my dinner. Every little bit helps
I also love putting a tablespoon of coconut milk in my steel cut oats in the morning. It’s a truly wonderful dietary fat that’s so good for you (plus it adds a great flavour that’s not too strong to my morning cereal!)
My favorite protein is greek yogurt! It’s very low in sugar and high in protein.
Pairing it with frozen blueberries is quite the treat!
I too love quinoa. In fact I just made a Spicy Quinoa w/Shrimp recipe last night and it should last me for several days. I have no problem with milk and try to drink raw milk when I can get it. However, my stomach has a major problem with cultured cottage cheese and some yogurts though for some reason Greek yogurt is ok.
I have a question Holly–how about black-eyed peas? I have a crockpot recipe I like–spicy black-eyed peas with chicken chipotle sausage (from Natl Foods Coop).
My favourite is cottage cheese or hard boiled eggs.
I have tried Greek yoghurt but to me it just tastes salty and just like natural yoghurt. I can’t stand it.
I love yoghurt but the only one I seem to be able to stomach has a bit of sugar in with the mix (it is one I make at home)-any thoughts on this?
Thanks again Holly for a very informative blog… I am loving lentils at the moment and made an awsome lentil and leek soup for dinner a few days ago. Last night was brockoli/coliflower/Lima bean soup with baked Pink Salmon and soy mayonaise on Ryvita… YUMM!!! I definetly need to work on the meal planning though. Thanks for the contiuned support and information to make it possible to reach my goals!!!
I love black beans, when I am crunched for time I sautee some onions and garlic in a little olive oil then throw a can of black beans in and mash it a bit. Voila, a yummy side to eat with my salad!
I also love Quinoa and eat it every morning for breakfast. If I know it is going to be a rushed morning, I will make it the night before.
Hemp is also really great, a complete protein with all your efa’s in it, hemp butter is great as are the hemp hearts, sprinkle some on your salad, or I mix it into my quinoa.
I’m a figure competitor and if I only ate the amount of protein recommended (RDA), I would be very unsuccessful. For great results try 2.5 x your weight in kilos!!!!
I will have to try quinoa after reading all the reviews here. My two favorite protein sources would be chicken breast and almonds for a quick snack.
My favorite is Greek yogurt!! Stonyfield organic OIKOS I love vanilla…only 80 calories, 0 fat, 9 carbs, 8g sugar, and 11g protein….not too bad, all in a little 4oz cup and cost about 85cents per container!!!
quinoa rocks!! I use it for making waffles. I add whey protien powder in too. these are great with almond butter and a fruit spread on the go in the am or after a great workout! Sprouted beans and nuts are good too!!
Organic (or at least non-GMO) edamame!
Fresh salmon, either seared or poached. Add a side salad or some veges and that’s it. Great with brown rice too.
Thank you foro the information. I like tempeh best.
i eat cashew nuts for my morning snack…is this kind of nut contain protein?
Sounds like I need to try quinoa! I love beans – black, pinto, and garbonzo.
Ooh Cathy – would you please share your Quinoa waffle recipe with us? We are big fans of Quinoa as well
Greek yogurt every day! I love the stuff. It makes all other yogurt seem totally nasty!
Thanks for recommending it so long ago. I hate that I missed it all these years.
My favorite protein is fish: there are so many species available, all freshly frozen, you can try a new one every week and change lean sorts with more fatty sorts, so it newer gets too boring like with chicken breast. Every saturday, we have “Fish and salad”, but it is never the same dish twice because I cook/grill different sorts of fish and the ingredients of the salad change with the season, too!
My favorite protein is cottage cheese. I like 1/2 cup of cottage cheese mixed with a small sliced apple and a cup of Almond milk.