Protein is essential for our health, but you may not be getting enough of it. Nutritional guidelines say the average adult should be eating at least 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight (PDF). If you weigh 150 pounds (68 kilograms), for example, you should aim for about 55 to 68 grams of protein per day.
Active people, those who lift weights, compete in sports or have laborious jobs, may find it benefits them to eat more protein than the recommended minimum. Older adults, especially those at risk of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) can also benefit from eating more protein. To calculate how much protein you need, try this dietary reference intake calculator from the United States Department of Agriculture. CNET’s visual guide also shows you what 100 grams of protein looks like.
Use these seven other tips to make sure you’re maximizing your protein intake. For more on improving your diet, learn which foods to eat for a happiness boost, how to eat your way to a healthier heart and how to master the Mediterranean diet.
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1. Make protein a ritual
The “consistency is key” adage has become universal advice because it’s true and applicable for just about any habit you want to start and keep — or any habit you want to quit.
Ritualizing things — or attaching one action to another action — can help with consistency, which eventually leads to habits. For example, if you’re trying to get more steps in every day, you could say, “I’ll walk for 10 minutes after breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.” Boom — that’s 30 extra minutes of walking every day.
Try ritualizing protein in that sense. Maybe you drink milk with breakfast every morning, or perhaps drink a protein shake instead and then protein becomes part of your breakfast ritual. With 20 to 40 grams of protein, a daily protein shake can quickly up your overall protein intake.
You can also ritualize protein by drinking a post-workout shake. This may seem like common sense, but trust me, it’s easy to forget your post-workout drink if you say, “Eh, I’ll drink it after dinner or after I shower.” Go ahead and make it as soon as your workout is over; drink it during your post-workout stretches or cool down and it’ll become a ritual.
Add nuts to salads, oatmeal, stir fries and more to get a protein boost.
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4. Choose leaner meats
Leaner meats have less fat per portion, which means they have more lean meat, thus more protein, per portion. This is one super easy way to add more protein to your daily intake if you eat animal proteins every day.
Leaner meats have fewer calories than fattier meats and protein induces satiety, so this is a good tactic for anyone who’s trying to lose weight. According to the Mayo Clinic, the leanest cuts of beef are:
- Top sirloin steak
- Top-round roast and steak
- Bottom round roast and steak
- Eye of round roast and steak
- Sirloin tip steak
If you’re going for poultry, a good rule of thumb is to choose white meat over dark meat. For pork, Mayo Clinic says the leanest cuts of pork are tenderloin, loin chop and leg.
