When it comes to eating for weight loss, health, and satiety, including high protein foods in your daily eating plan is a must. Not only does protein keep you feeling full and energised, but it’s also considered the building block of life! Among its many roles, protein plays a key role in cell regeneration, helps protect your body against viruses and unhealthy bacteria, and makes the haemoglobin that transports oxygen to your blood. Whether you’d like to increase the amount of protein you’re consuming in breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or all three), you’ll find that the recipes in this roundup are a delicious and filling addition to any meal plan.
When it comes to eating protein, it’s important to consider the timing of your intake and spread consumption throughout the day. As a rule of thumb, if you look up the protein content of a food in the per-serve column of the nutrition information panel: 5g of protein equals a source and at least 10g of protein is a good source (a.k.a. high in protein). How much protein you need depends on many variables, such as your weight, age and physical activity levels. The current recommended dietary intake (RDI) for protein is 0.75 grams per kg of body weight per day for women and 0.84 grams per kg of body weight per day for men. Meaning? A female who weighs 65 kg needs about 49 grams of protein per day. However, there may be higher individual recommendations for active people and athletes, as well as for healthy ageing and weight management.
High protein breakfasts
Eggs are the ultimate easy-to-make high protein food, with one large egg containing 6 to 8 grams of protein (depending on the size.) Make a batch of hard-boiled eggs to stash in the fridge for a grab-and-go breakfast. Protein smoothies, which can be made the night before, are another efficient way to get a filling head start on the day. Quinoa and chia seeds are both rich in protein and dietary fibre, which make them ideal additions (or replacements) for oats and other grain-based breakfast recipes.
The following breakfast recipes have at least 10 grams of protein per serving, to help you kickstart the day.
High protein lunch recipes
Take the time to re-energise and refresh over your lunch break with these high protein lunch recipes. The meals in this section make use of chicken breast, eggs, and legumes to keep the focus on taste as well as protein. Ideal for lunches at home or in the office, we recommend assembling the sandwiches and wraps just prior to eating. Cold bean salads, on the other hand, can be made up to 3 or 4 days before eating, which makes them ideal for enjoying throughout the entire week.
Try tossing a can of chickpeas into the blender with garlic, lemon juice and 2 tsp olive oil to make hummus for a wrap or crudités. 1 cup canned chickpeas has about 11 grams of protein. Or shred BBQ chicken breast (skin removed) into an Asian slaw with fresh lime and coriander and roll up in lettuce cups. 1 medium 150 gram grilled chicken breast has 45 grams of protein.
The following lunch ideas have at least 10 grams of protein per serving, to keep you full till dinner time.
High protein dinner recipes
Ending the day with high protein foods will fill you up, which means you’re less likely to feel hungry later in the evening. We’re big fans of healthy mains such as turkey meatloaf, grilled chicken, chilli, and fish — all of which are high in protein and big in flavour. You’ll find that many of the recipes listed below make excellent leftovers, either for lunch or dinner the following day. To complete the meal, add a serving of your favourite non-starchy vegetable. Broccoli, spinach, artichokes, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts are considered higher protein vegetables, which makes them the perfect accompaniment.
The following dinners have at least 20 grams of protein per serving, helping to keep you full all evening.