At this time of year, we’re often revamping our diets and aiming for a healthier lifestyle. One of the key ways we can do that is to add more lean protein.
Here’s why we should:
- It helps us feel fuller for longer, reducing hunger hormones and helping to control our appetites.
- Our bodies use more calories to digest protein than carbohydrates or fats, so it helps speed up the metabolism.
- It stabilises blood sugar – That reduces the sugar spikes and crashes and reduces cravings for sugary foods.
- It helps us retain muscle mass – That’s particularly important when losing weight and as we age, when we tend to lose muscle.
Ingredients that will add protein oomph to your dishes:
Lean meat – Think chicken or turkey breast or less than 5% fat mince. Chicken or turkey is the perfect addition to create high protein but lower fat curries and stews, and you can add lower fat mince to ragus and cottage pies.
Fish – Oily fish is great for the joints and brain function, too. Try a homemade smoked mackerel pate on toast as a starter, or add flakes of tuna or salmon to your salads or grain bowls.
Seafood – Adding prawns or crabmeat to a salad gives it extra protein and extra flavour. Add prawns to soups, stews, and curries, too.
Cottage cheese – Add this to scrambled eggs or sauces to boost the protein content of your dish.
Greek yoghurt – Put a dollop into soups or stews instead of sour cream for extra protein.
Eggs – A fantastic source of protein. Top a salad with hard boiled eggs, add a softly poached egg to top bowls of noodles or grain bowls.
Nuts – Add chopped almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, or hazelnuts to top your salads. Cashews are a good ingredient for curries or stir fries.
Nut butters – From peanut butter to almond butter, this is an excellent way to beef up your sauces or your breakfast porridge.
Peas and beans – Legumes are packed full of protein. Try lentils, peas, chickpeas, black beans, and edamame in salads, stews, and as sides. Pair peas with rice for a complete protein containing all nine of the amino acids that the body needs.
Tofu – Add smoked or marinated tofu to salads, stir fries, omelettes, and fried rice to increase the protein content.
Grains – Quinoa is a protein packed grain is perfect to add to rice dishes or salads. Try using quinoa or wild rice with stews and casseroles. Buckwheat and quinoa can also be used to thicken broth.
Seeds – Add chia seeds to Greek yoghurt for a daily protein hit at breakfast, or put the seeds in oats and milk or yoghurt for overnight oats. Ensure you soak the chia seeds before you use them. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on salads and add sesame seeds to stir fries.
Get inspired by some of our protein-packed dishes! Take a look at our sample menus.
