The Five Step Guide To Getting More Protein in Your Diet

Walking, sleeping, lifting, protein…this topic of longevity can be anxiety producing to say the least.

Social media bombards you with tons of longevity content daily and sometimes it’s hard to focus on the things that truly matter.

With Nutrition you are told to:

Be VEGAN
Eat low protein
Do KETO
Do the CARNIVORE diet
Low Carb
Intermittent Fasting
Slow carb

And with Exercise you’re told:

Crossfit is the best.
HIIT
Sprints
Zone 2 cardio
Nope, do MARATHONS
Barefoot running is where it’s at
Only Kettlebell Swings
High reps
Low reps

Let’s forget the dogma. and focus on what I tell all my clients:

Get good at doing the foundational habits….THE BIG ROCKS of human health and performance.

And today the big rock I want you to change your habits on is PROTEIN.

If you are going to get one thing right with your nutrition, start with protein first.

Why is Protein Essential?

Simply put, protein is the building block of your body.

The very word protein comes from the greek work proteios, which means “primary.”

Life would not exist without protein and amino acids. Without it we would never maintain or build the muscle mass we need to flourish in life.

As we age we lose muscle easily and it is quite challenging to rebuild it. If you or someone you know needs to build lean mass, extra protein will be a significant difference.

The twenty amino acids that make up proteins are the building blocks for our hormones, muscles and enzymes. They help us grow and maintain our hair, skin, nails as well as form the antibodies in our immune system. We do not make these amino acids which means we must consume them daily in our diet.

Another benefit is when dieting extra protein will provide fullness to your meals, making protein a smart tactic to regulate appetite.

How Much Protein Do We need?

Right now the US recommende dietary allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams / kg of bodyweight. Although this amount will probably keep you alive, it’s not the amount required to thrive, age well and perform at a high level.

According to Dr. Peter Attia “The data suggest that for active people with normal kidney function, one gram per pound of bodyweight per day (or 2.2 grams / kg / dau) is a good place to start, nearly triple the recommendation.”

Another way to calculate your protein requirements would be to take your goal bodyweight (assuming you are not there yet) and multiply it by .8 or 1 gram.

Example: Goal Body Weight = 175

175 x .8 = 140 grams protein / day

175 x 1 = 175 grams protein / day

So rather than hit a specific number each day, this person could in a range between 140 and 175 grams of protein per day.

I find that eating in a range is much easier for people to follow and removes some of the anxiety from having to hit a specific number each day.

So let’s examine the steps you could take to get more protein into your diet.

Step 1 - Calculate your Daily Protein Needs

Ok. Pull out your cell phone and do the calculation.

GBW (goal body weight) x .8 and 1

Get your range of protein and right it down.

Step 2 - Make a List of Your Favorite Proteins

Changing dietary habits can be hard for many reasons.

One of the biggest obstacles to remove is the concept of restricting your favorite foods that you enjoy eating.

I invite you to write down a list of your favorite proteins and start with those.

Here is a list I would make:

Chicken breasts
Mahi
Canned Tuna
Eggs
Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Steak

Write down your list and let’s move on to the next step.

Step 3 - Plan Your Day / Plan Your Meals

There are lots of ways to do this. There is no “one” approach.

“I don’t eat breakfast.”

No problem.

“I eat dinner at 6pm.”

That’s good.

You make this work for you by spreading out the protein between 3 and 4 meals.

From experience it’s very difficult to get enough protein if you are eating only one meal a day and for that reason I don’t recommend that approach.

Here’s what I do on most days:

Breakfast

4 hard boiled eggs - 24 grams protein
2 mozzarella cheese sticks - 14 grams protein
1 slice Dave’s bread with peanut butter - 5 grams protein

Total protein - 43 grams protein

Lunch

Can of tuna - 43 grams protein
Bowl of berries.

Total protein = 43 grams

Snack

1 Cup nonfat greek yogurt - 20 grams protein
1 scoop whey protein - 25 grams protein
1 cup blueberries

Total protein - 45 grams protein

Dinner

- 8 ounces chicken, mahi or steak - 42 grams protein

- 1 cup rice or 1 baked potato

- 1 bowl sharazi salad

Total protein - 42 grams protein

Protein total for the day = 173 grams protein

So you can space it out anyway you want.

The goal is to look at your daily trend and what you average over a week.

With some preparation, planning and structure, you can absolutely make this happen.

4. Track Your Protein for One Month

One thing I tell my clients is that data removes drama.

Get an app to track your protein for the next month so that you can be objective about how much you are actually eating.

I recommend My Fitness Pal or Macro Factor.

5. Use Protein Powders To Boost Your Protein.

Now I know I’m gonna get some haters saying that protein powder is not real food.

And to those people I say “STOP.” Just stop.

It’s amino acids that you need and protein powders will absolutely give you those.

For people struggling to eat higher levels of animal meat, protein powders are an easy way to boost your intake.

Find a protein powder you can digest well. I personally prefer many grass fed whey protein options available on the market.

The Bottom Line

Don’t ignore protein. It’s the one macronutrient that is essential to our goals.

It will improve metabolic health in every way. It will help you regulate your appetite.

It will help you maintain muscle mass while you are losing fat.

Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.

Franz

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