These easy ways to eat more protein will help you to ensure you're getting enough protein in your diet. These healthy tips are based on unprocessed wholefoods, meaning you won't have to resort to protein powder.
For many people, eating sufficient protein is not an issue. But if you're older, post-menopausal or an athlete, you might be trying to add extra protein to your diet.
This recent BBC article discusses the latest guidance from the British Dietetics Association.
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High protein recipes and meals
Remember, it's better to eat protein regularly throughout the day, not just cram your whole daily allowance into one meal. If you are getting 20-30g of protein per meal, plus maybe a couple of snacks, you should find it easy to reach your goal.
A piece of research has indicated that people who eat more protein at breakfast (and lunch) are more likely to hit their protein goals for the day.
How to eat more protein at breakfast
A standard bowl of cereal and milk contains just 7.5g of protein, so why not switch to one of these healthy combinations to help you to your target? They've all got 20-25g of protein.
- Cottage cheese pancakes with 80g Greek yogurt, blueberries and 1 tablespoon flaked almonds
- Peanut butter porridge with 100g raspberries and 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 2 slices of seeded wholemeal bread with 2 scrambled eggs and 2 rashers of bacon
- Cottage cheese smoothie with 2 slices of seeded bread and 1 tablespoon of nut butter
- Greek yogurt parfait, 1 tablespoon flaked almonds and 100g guava
- Custard oats with 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt and 1 tablespoon flaked almonds
- 3 egg omelette plus 2 tomatoes and 100g spinach
- Baked beans on wholemeal toast, 1 apple and 1 tablespoon nut butter
- Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs
Snacks with 8-10g protein
If you regularly eat snacks, try switching to one of these healthy protein rich snacks. Just two of these nutritious options could give you an extra 15-20g per day.
- Healthy iced coffee (or a hot latte!) with a chocolate bliss ball
- Quinoa flapjack with 120ml milk
- 2 almond biscotti, or a healthy homemade muesli bar with 100ml milk
- Banana, homemade custard and 1 tablespoon flaked almonds
- Hummus and crudites
- 25g cheese with 2 oatcakes
30g protein dinners
If you regularly eat meat or fish, you'll probably find it quite easy to eat a high protein dinner, as a 100g portion of chicken or minced beef will provide you with 30g of protein alone.
If you are looking for inspiration, here are some healthy protein packed meat recipes
- Slow cooker braised steak and onions with vegetables of choice
- Healthy cottage pie with peas
- Quick and easy chicken ramen
- Coronation chicken salad
A properly made bone broth is a also great source of protein, with 10g per cup.
If you poach a whole chicken in the slow cooker, you'll have some delicious bone broth for soups plus plenty of cooked chicken to add to salads.
However, is it also perfectly possible to get plenty of protein without meat.
High protein meals without meat
These delicious healthy fish recipes and meals will also provide 30g.
- Gluten free fishcakes with healthy hollandaise sauce, leeks and peas
- Tuna and pasta bake with green salad
- 30-minute baked basa fillets with healthy mash, peas and carrots
- Egg fried prawn rice
Tinned fish is a convenient and cheap way to eat more protein.
Half a can of tuna has 20g - try serving it as a quick lunch alongside this healthy Waldorf salad. Or make it into a tuna bolognese sauce.
You could also whizz up a quick mackerel pate, either for a healthy lunch or appetizer.
How to eat more protein as a vegetarian
If you are vegetarian, make sure you include plenty of lentils and beans in your meals. You can also top up with plant-based protein in vegetables such broccoli, peas and baked beans, and healthy carbs such as quinoa.
High protein vegetarian meals often contain several different sources of protein - eg lentils, eggs and cheese.
These vegetarian options also great if you are trying to follow a higher protein diet on a budget.
The recipes below are all 30g protein vegetarian meals.
- Red lentil pasta with vegan mince, grated cheese and broccoli
- Vegetarian shepherd's pie with edamame beans
- Hummus, crudites, lentil quiche, waldorf with walnuts
- Roast chickpeas and pumpkin seeds, veggie lasagne
You can also add extra protein with delicious and healthy desserts - apple and almond crumble with homemade custard will provide an impressive 11.7g.
18 easy swaps to increase your protein
You can see from the table below that just 3 or 4 simple swaps could easily add an extra 20g of protein a day. And they are all delicious, natural foods that are good for you:)
| Lower protein | Higher protein | |||
| 100g | Greek style yogurt | 4g | Greek/Icelandic yogurt | 10.6g |
| 100g | Cream cheese | 4.3g | Cottage cheese* | 10.8g |
| 2 tbsp | Cream | <1g | Homemade custard | 6.4g |
| 200ml | Oat milk | 0.4g | Soya milk | 6.6g |
| 100g | Chicken thighs | 25g | Chicken breast | 32g |
| 100g | 20% fat beef mince | 23.7g | 5% fat beef mince | 31.3g |
| 300ml | Tomato soup | 3.6g | Tomato and lentil soup | 10.5g |
| 300ml | Kale/spinach soup | 3g | Broccoli/almond soup | 5.7g |
| 25g | Crisps | 2g | Peanuts | 9.1g |
| 30g | Popcorn | 1.5g | Almonds | 6.4g |
| 1 | Cereal bar | 1.8g | Peanut Butter Flapjacks | 5.7g |
| 2 slices | White bread | 4.3g | Wholemeal bread | 5.3g |
| 100g | White pasta | 5.5g | Red lentil pasta | 12.4g |
| 2 | Waffles | 7.7g | Protein waffles | 15g |
| 200ml | Fruit smoothie | <1g | Cottage cheese smoothie | 12.8g |
| 240ml | Stock (cube or pot) | <1g | Bone broth | 10g |
| 1 tbsp | Jam | <1g | Peanut butter | 4.9g |
| 2 tbsp | Bought mayonnaise | <1g | Greek yogurt dressing | 3g |
- Blend cottage cheese to make a smooth texture like cream cheese
How do you know how much protein is in food?
The nutritional numbers in this article are sourced from the nutrition labels on UK packaging and an online nutritional calculator.
If you've got a recipe or day's menu, you can use an online calculator to check your total protein intake.
Remember, protein is only one of the macronutrients that you need in your daily diet, and a healthy diet is a balanced diet. If you browse the healthy eating category, there are helpful articles with tips about how to eat more vegetables and how to eat more fibre.
Please note that this article is for guidance only. No information on Cinnamon and Kale is to be taken as or considered medical information.
Caroline Roberts says
This is brilliant information thank you for sharing!
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you, I'm so glad you found it useful:)