Eating more protein may improve your health

Omnivore or vegan?

Let’s say you read my last blog post. You believe that eating at least 1.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight each day (at the low end of the range in the previous post) would improve your health. What might you eat to accomplish that goal? As you’ll see, it’s not difficult.

If you weigh 150 pounds, your daily protein intake would 82 grams (2.9 ounces).

If you’re an omnivore, you’ll have more options. Here’s a day’s worth of food that contains a total of 90.4 grams of protein.

Breakfast (6 grams in one large egg, 7 grams in one ounce of cheddar cheese, 11 grams in four ounces of low-fat yogurt, 3 grams in ½ cup cooked spinach)

AM and PM snacks (12 grams in 2 ounces of almonds)

Lunch (7 grams in one ounce of peanut butter, 3.7 ounces in one ounce of whole wheat bread, 8 grams in one cup low-fat milk). Plus small amounts of protein in a vegetable and a piece of fruit.

Dinner (18 grams in 2 ounces of lean beef; 14.7 grams in one cup of cooked pinto beans). Plus smaller amounts of protein in vegetables and a piece of fruit.

If you’re a vegan, you’ll have fewer choices but you can still make it work. Here’s a  day’s worth of vegan food that contains a total of 83.7 grams of protein.

Breakfast (12 grams in 1 cup of granola, 7 grams in one cup of soy milk, 4 grams in 1 ounce of walnuts)

AM and PM snacks (12 grams in 2 ounces of almonds)

Lunch (7 grams in one ounce of peanut butter, 3.7 ounces in one ounce of whole wheat bread, 8 grams in one cup low-fat milk). Plus small amounts of protein in a vegetable and a piece of fruit.

Dinner (9 grams in ½ cup of cooked red lentils, 10 grams per 1 ounce of tempeh, 4 grams in ½ cup of cooked quinoa, 4 grams in 1 ounce of cashews, 3 grams in ½ cup of cooked spinach)

Upping your daily protein intake may improve your health - and it isn't difficult. As with most suggestions about eating, try something and see if it works for you. I also recommend that you approach eating with an open mind, being willing to try foods you aren’t accustomed to eating.