Hit Your Protein Goals
We all know how important it is to maintain our lean muscle mass. After the age 30, we start losing some each year with the aging process. Besides lifting weights, eating enough protein is another top strategy to preserve all of that metabolically active tissue.
So, let’s talk about hitting your protein goals. If you read about how much protein you require, you will get 10,000 different responses. I keep it simple. I recommend getting at least 3 full servings of protein every single day. This is going to give you about 60g of protein each day. We know that this amount is enough for most women to support their muscle mass. Obviously, if you are engaging in strenuous exercise, then you may require much more.
If you are not fasting, then I typically say to focus on including protein at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you are fasting, then you can decide what works best for you. Then you just build your meal around your protein.
For breakfast, think eggs, egg whites, turkey bacon, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein powder. I actually love making a protein shake and pouring it over my cereal or even dry oats. Adding some carbohydrates and a bit of fat will give you a complete meal. I love eggs on Ezekiel toast with avocado and tomatoes. It keeps me full for hours.
Next up… lunch.
Some great options might be lean meat, tofu, tempeh, eggs, tuna, greek yogurt, a plant protein of your choice like lentils. Then we do the same as above… combine with a complex carbohydrate, some fat, and lots of fibrous veggies. I love grilled chicken with peppers and onions on a whole grain tortilla with avocado. Also, try grilled shrimp over kale/spinach mix with fruit, nuts, and some EVOO. How about oven baked tempeh with sweet potato/almond butter and some crispy broiled broccoli. See… you just grab a protein, add a complex carb, a fat, some veggies and boom!
Then dinner!! Anything goes here.
Repeat protein as above. I love ground turkey made with cumin and chili powder over fresh greens, tomato, avocado, and crushed Quest chips!! I also like to make high-protein nachos. I use Quest chips then top with ground turkey, black beans, scallions, tomatoes, cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. Another favorite is thinly sliced sirloin with onions and peppers served in whole wheat tortillas… a Philly favorite for sure.
My best advice is to find the foods that you love…. and eat those. By balancing your meals as outlined above, it will keep your body metabolically happy and you will be doing your best to preserve your muscle mass and support your body optimally.