Looking for high protein foods to help you feel full for longer? You’re in the right place! Protein is super important and is involved in many of the body’s processes, including cell renewal and muscle growth (no, that doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly grow loads of muscle). Proteins make up part of our hair, and connective tissues – the list is endless!
How much protein do men and women need each day? Women need on average 45 g of protein a day and men need 55g per day.
Many people who are trying to lose weight have a high protein diet. Why? The body uses more energy in order to digest protein when compared to fats and carbohydrates. A high protein diet is also beneficial if you want to feel full for longer. When you feel full it can help you to avoid overeating.
Some high protein foods include:
- Meat (including beef, pork and lamb)
- Poultry (including chicken, duck and turkey)
- Seafood (including cod, salmon, and shellfish)
- Dairy (including cheese, yoghurt, and milk)
High protein foods for vegetarians
Dairy products like milk, cheese and eggs have high protein intake but aren’t super healthy. You may be surprised to know that peas have 5g protein per 100g and pulses like quinoa (4.4g protein per 100g) and lentils (9g per 100g) can also be good sources of protein for vegetarians. Nuts also have quite a high amount of protein, however, they are also high in fat which is not ideal if you are following a high protein low fat diet. The Vegetarian Society has put together a helpful list of high protein foods for vegetarians.
How can I eat more high protein foods?
Eating huge portions of protein is no fun at all. Can you imagine eating 5 plain chicken breasts?! You can easily get more protein into your diet by making small changes. Here are our tips for how to eat more protein:
- Include protein in every meal – it soon adds up!
- Plan snacks in that incorporate protein (if you need something convenient try a protein bar)
- Include protein shakes into your diet
- Swap certain foods out for high protein versions. For example, you could swap normal pasta for black bean pasta which has a whopping 45g protein per 100g! It also has a great flavour and texture.
High protein snacks
We have put together a list of high protein snacks to save you time.
- Rice cake (0.7g) with 100g fat-free cottage cheese (11g) and 1 slice of chopped up ham (4g) = 15.7g protein
- 100g Greek yoghurt (11g) with 50g crushed almonds (10.5g), 20g honey (0.1g), 100g raspberries (1.2g) = 22.8g protein
- 1 mini wrap (2.5g), 100g cooked chicken (21.4g), 15g BBQ sauce, 20g cheese (5g) = 28.9g protein
- 1 mini wrap (2.5g), 1 x large boiled egg (6g), 1 slice back bacon (5g) = 13.5g protein
More high protein snack ideas:
- Homemade high protein flapjacks: Make some flapjacks and add a scoop of protein powder.
- Brownies: Follow your favourite recipe but add a scoop of chocolate protein powder.
- Beef jerky: Grab a pack of beef jerky if you’re on the go. It’s easily snackable and has a high protein content.
- Oatmeal: Make it with milk. You can even add in a scoop of your favourite protein powder.
Nourish Me High protein pancake recipe
Ingredients
2 large eggs
20g vanilla protein powder
1 small banana (approx 100-120g)
15g oats
1 tsp baking powder
Total protein: 29g
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.
- Spray a large frying pan with olive oil or use a knob of butter.
- Spoon mixture onto a large frying pan.
- Cook on low to medium heat for 4 minutes.
- Flip and cook for another few minutes until cooked through.
- Serve stacked with your favourite toppings! Add nuts or peanut butter for a few extra grams of protein.
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