One of the biggest mistakes I see people in regards to their nutrition is neglecting protein. And trust me, I get it. I struggled for years trying to hit my daily protein goal, and now it’s something I’m consistently going over on. It’s one of those things that takes practice and patience (which let’s be real.. aren’t my best attributes!)
The best piece of advice I can give anyone struggling to hit their daily protein is to make it a priority. Get a free tracking app (like MyFitnessPal), and get into the habit of logging your meals each day.
One thing I consistently do is I log my meals the night before. It’s the last thing I do before setting my phone down for the night; figuring out what my meals the next day will look like, and making sure my macros are in line with where they need to be. I do this because it helps take the guesswork out of things the next day; it helps keep me on track, and helps me identify areas I may be deficient (like protein!) or over (like fats!)
Other tips and tricks to increase your daily protein intake:
- Eat protein at every meal (even at snack time!)
- Add an extra ounce or two of protein at your meals (example: increase 4 ounces of chicken to 6).
- Supplement with protein shakes throughout the day, as long as they’re healthy! (Check your labels – how much sugar and “extras” are added in? Make smart choices when it comes to your protein selection).
- Add peanut butter or nuts to your meals (but watch the fat content when you do)
- Eat your protein first (at meals – don’t save it for last. Eat it first and you’re more likely to get it all in).
Those all may seem like no brainers, but you’d be surprised the difference it makes when you make a conscious effort to eat more protein each day.
One of my other favorite hacks is so simple, and one of my favorite ways to snack or eat a quick meal. Once you read it, you’ll be wondering why you never thought of it before, and I promise you’ll start adopting it into your daily food routine, too!
Protein Cereal Breakfast Hack
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Add protein to your breakfast cereal! It’s SO good, and SO filling. I promise! You can literally do this to ANY type of cereal, but I’m going to share one of my faves down below!
- 1 cup of peanut butter cereal (I like Peanut Butter Poppers from Good & Gather – you can find it at Target, or the Panda Puffs organic cereal).
- 8 oz of almond milk, shaken with 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (I love TrueNutrition if you need a dairy free protein, and Sculpt Nation if you can have whey).
- Once your protein powder and almond milk have mixed, pour over top of your cereal.
- Optional: add one tablespoon of almond butter, and 1/2 banana to the top of your cereal.
Macros (without the optional items): 260 calories, 24.5g Carbs, 5.9g Fat, 27.2g Protein.
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