Once you’ve figured out how to EAT REAL FOOD FIRST you can start working through the rest of the Eat By Design steps, beginning with eating protein with every meal.
Here are 10 tips to get your protein at every meal.
1. Eat your protein first.
There are many wonderful and healthy reasons you should choose high quality proteins to fill your plate.
- It’s more satiating than carbohydrates and fats.
- Moderates spikes in your blood sugar.
- Requires more calories (energy) to digest.
- Helps build lean muscle.
- Helps build strong bones.
- Reduces cravings.
No matter what your meal is comprised of, a simple behavioral modification can be to eat your protein first.
This helps you take better advantage of its positive effects and decreases the chance you’ll consume more of the less-than-healthy options you have to follow.
2. Replace cereal with eggs.
The majority of breakfast foods are extremely low in protein.
Boxed cereal, oatmeal or bread make up the most common breakfast choices and each is considered a poor source of protein compared to healthy animal products.
Not to fret, the fear about consuming whole eggs has been dispelled and is slowly making its way into the general population.
Each egg contains about 6 grams of protein.
3. Go Greek.
Although we consider dairy a “grey area”, for those who pass the test, choosing Greek yogurt will reduce your sugar dose when compared to most commercial yogurts and boost your protein significantly.
Pro tip: mix in some chocolate whey protein for a tasty pudding!
4. Top your salad.
Instead of just lettuce and veggies, add some cooked or leftover protein to your daily salad. Chicken, salmon, beef and pork all go great.
5. Shake it up.
Ideally, we get our protein mostly from real food sources and stay away from excessive liquid calories but we’re realistic…sometimes it’s just more convenient to grab a dose of it mixed with some sugar free nut milk (cashew, almond, coconut) and good fat (nut butter, avocado).
6. Be a jerk.
Beef jerky is an easy way to up your protein count and it’s the perfect travel companion.
7. Try cottage country.
Back to the dairy conundrum, if you’re good to go on cow’s milk (we do recommend full fat and fermented sources), cottage cheese is filling, perfect as a salad topper or solo and makes a good carrier for protein powder.
8. Canned can work.
Tuna, salmon, even chicken and turkey in a can are useful variations for adding more protein to your diet.
9. Add protein powder.
Adding grass fed whey protein into a shake is an obvious use but protein powder goes well with baking, mixed into Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and added to a homemade grain free pizza crust.
10. Build from your protein up.
The general principle at work to help build up your protein intake is to start thinking about the sources you have available and building your meal from there. Instead of starting with rice or pasta, start with your protein in mind and fill your plate with the rest.
Not to worry…more protein won’t damage your kidneys, give you 18-inch biceps or turn into body fat.
Even if you’re not following the Eat By Design principles in full, by choosing to eat protein first and with each meal, you’ll reap the benefits and mitigate the potential negatives that come from making it an afterthought.
If you’re looking for some delicious recipes, ask us about our Recipe of the Week the next time you’re in the office!
Dr. Derek Gallant
Dr. Derek Gallant has committed himself to helping others live the best life possible. After graduating from Wesleyan University, he received his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Life Chiropractic College West where he finished 2nd in his class. He is the owner of Beverly Family Chiropractic and co-founder of The Well Family Foundation. Dr. Gallant is certified through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) in the Webster technique, an analysis focused on assisting pregnant women in a healthy pregnancy and natural birth. He has inspired thousands of people to take control of their own health using the Life By Design method. Apart from full time practice you can find Derek at the parks and coffee shops around Beverly with his family, training hard at the gym, or at the beach surfing.
