I’ve heard numerous times that women don’t eat enough protein, and every time I heard that, I thought it didn’t apply to me. I’m part of the weird crowd that actually really enjoys protein shakes and I’ve been loyal to my shake for years. I eat meat, dairy, and love seafood. I thought that was basically a recipe for protein success. It wasn’t until I started actually tracking macros (protein, fat, carbs) that I saw I wasn’t actually hitting the grams I should be eating for muscle growth and weight maintenance.
This lead me to researching different ways to add more protein into my diet without adding a ton of food. I don’t like feeling full, if that makes sense. I like eating enough that I’m satisfied but feeling full makes me feel gross. So for this reason, I didn’t want to have to add a lot of food into the diet I was already pretty happy with.
If you suspect you’re not eating enough protein too, here are a few things that have worked well for me. Keep in mind that I have an intolerance to soy so I have to choose whey protein sources more often than plant based, unless it’s pea protein.
- Collagen peptides – Collagen has a ton of benefits for skin, nails, hair, and gut health. Depending on which one you choose, it also packs in protein while staying low calorie/fat/carb. It’s ideal for a straight protein source. My favorite is the unflavored collagen from Orgain because I can easily add it into coffee, shakes/smoothies, or even dissolve it in a drink. I don’t love it in water because it tastes a little funny but it’s flavorless for the most part.
- Greek yogurt packs – The key to single serving yogurt containers is looking out for added sugar. I don’t like the taste of plain yogurt so I always buy flavored options, but always choose the ones that have less sugar. If you’re not careful, this will drive up your carbs and you probably don’t have a hard time eating those. Chobani Greek Low Fat Less Sugar is my favorite.
- Protein bars and snacks – This is really a hit or miss and when you choose pre-packaged food like this, it’s common to find nasty ingredients too. Do research before you go to the grocery store so you don’t get overwhelmed by all the choices in front of you in the aisle. Avoid snacks/bars with artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame. Also avoid anything with MSG (monosodium glutamate). So far I really like Quest protein chips (nacho flavor tastes like Doritos) and Power Crunch bars (kinda has the texture of a kitkat). The Quest peanut butter cups were a total fail.
- Protein shakes – There’s no way I would hit my daily protein goal without a shake of some sort. This is also a hit or miss situation. Some shakes/powders are just nasty with bad flavor and gritty texture. Plant proteins are more likely to give you that gritty texture. It’s also common to find artificial crap in shakes. Do your research, be picky, and sometimes the non-name brands are just as good as the fancy ones but less expensive.
I’m still fairly new to this macro-counting protein-goal lifestyle so as I find more products I like, I’ll keep this list updated! Please share suggestions with me @lindsaykalsow on Instagram.
