How to eat more protein without supplements: easy foods and meal ideas

TUREFF• •0

Protein powders and bars are popular, but most people can reach their protein needs with ordinary food, often more cheaply and with more fibre, vitamins and minerals along the way. How much you need depends on your weight, age, activity and health; if you have a medical condition, particularly a kidney condition, check with a doctor or dietitian before changing your diet. This guide is about the how, not the how much.

Know the main sources

Protein is in far more foods than meat. Rough figures help you compare, but always check the nutrition label, since amounts vary by product and preparation.

Meat and poultry: cooked chicken breast is one of the most concentrated common sources, at roughly 30 g per 100 g.
Fish and seafood: fresh, frozen or tinned. Tinned tuna, sardines and salmon are convenient and keep for months.
Eggs: a large egg has around 6 g of protein.
Dairy: Greek-style and strained yoghurts, cottage cheese, quark, milk and cheese. Strained yoghurts usually have noticeably more protein than ordinary ones.
Pulses: lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas. Cooked lentils have roughly 9 g per 100 g, with fibre too.
Soya foods: tofu, tempeh, edamame and soya milk. Tofu's protein varies a lot by firmness, so read the packet.
Nuts and seeds: useful, but also high in fat and calories, so think of them as a top-up rather than a main source.
Grains: oats, wholemeal bread, pasta and quinoa contribute smaller amounts that add up over a day.

Spread it across the day

Many people eat little protein at breakfast and lunch and most of it at dinner. Spreading it more evenly is often recommended, and it is also the easiest way to increase your total without huge portions.

Breakfast: eggs on toast, Greek yoghurt with fruit and oats, porridge made with milk or soya milk, or leftover beans.
Lunch: add a tin of fish, eggs, beans or tofu to a salad or soup.
Dinner: build the plate around a protein, then add vegetables and a starch.
Snacks: cottage cheese, a boiled egg, hummus with vegetables, roasted chickpeas, a glass of milk, a handful of nuts.

Easy swaps that add up

Ordinary yoghurt to strained or Greek-style yoghurt.
A plain bagel to toast with eggs or beans.
Water in porridge to milk or soya milk.
Half the minced meat in a chilli or bolognese to lentils or beans, which also stretches the meal further.
Plain pasta salad to one with chickpeas or tuna.
A sprinkle of seeds on salads, soups or porridge.

Plant-based? Combine and vary

Plant foods contain protein, but most have less per portion than animal foods, and individual plant proteins differ in which amino acids they supply. Eating a variety across the day, for example grains with pulses, covers that. Soya foods, lentils, chickpeas, beans and seitan are the backbone of most plant-based diets. Larger portions of pulses, or adding them to more meals, closes most gaps.

Doing it on a budget

Eggs, dried or tinned pulses, milk, oats and frozen chicken tend to be among the cheaper sources per gram of protein.
Compare the unit price on shelf labels rather than pack prices.
Buy dried lentils and beans; red lentils need no soaking and cook in about 20 minutes.
Tinned fish and frozen fish fillets are cheaper than fresh and waste nothing.
Cook a big batch of chilli, dal or bean stew and freeze portions.
Store-brand Greek-style yoghurt and cottage cheese are often much cheaper than branded.

A sample day without powders

Breakfast: two eggs on wholemeal toast.
Lunch: lentil soup with a slice of bread and a yoghurt.
Snack: hummus and carrot sticks.
Dinner: chicken or tofu stir-fry with vegetables and rice.

A note on balance

More protein is not automatically better, and a diet built around one food is not a balanced one. Keep plenty of vegetables, fruit and whole grains alongside it. What are your favourite protein-rich meals, or what do you find hardest to fit in? Share your ideas or ask a question in the comments.