The importance of protein
When I first started tracking my food, I was shocked at how little protein I was actually getting in my day-to-day diet. By this point I was a few months into a weight training programme and realised I really needed to pay more attention to my nutrition to compliment my training. I was unsatisfied with the slim, but not toned look I had achieved by doing a year of cardio training. It’s impossible to avoid someone in the fitness industry banging on about the importance of protein. They have reason for it, though. Protein is essential to muscle growth and recovery due to the breakdown into amino acids by our digestive system.
You may have read that if we are training, it is advised we should have around 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight. Therefore, I tend to weigh around 57kg (125lbs) so would therefore try to aim for 125g of protein per day.
To someone consuming meat, this is a very achievable target, without having to get your protein from sources like whey (shakes, bars etc). However, I found that on a vegetarian diet, it was a lot harder to consume that much so I had to make a very concious effort to make sure I did get sufficient levels of protein in my day.
I would love to be able to get all my protein from plant based/natural sources without any extras. But at this point, I need a little extra help to hit that 100g+.
My top sources in my day-to-day diet are:
- Whey Protein Powder (20g per scoop) (I use the MyProtein Whey Impact in the Chocolate Smooth or the Sticky Toffee Pudding flavour)
- Eggs (13g for a medium egg)
- Greek Yoghurt (10g per 100g of fa*ge Total 0%)
- Quorn Pieces (13g per 100g)
- Quorn Mince (14g per 100g)
- Tofu (10g per 100g)
- Baked beans (9g per 200g)
- Chick peas (7g per 100g)
- Kidney beans (8g per 100g)
- Protein bar (most are around 20g. Grenade Carb Killa are my faves!)
I became a vegetarian for ethical reasons rather than for taste, so I eat A LOT of quorn because I just enjoy the taste. Quorn isn’t the best for macros and calories, however it is reasonable inexpensive and very versatile. I really enjoy cooking with tofu but sometimes it is less time effective and a wee bit more expensive.
So for all you plant based people out there- get those beans and pulses in! Not only do they have decent amounts of protein, they are obviously packed with fantastic micronutrients too.
My typical day of eating would be:
Breakfast – Protein Oats (25g whey, 50g oats and perhaps a banana/tangerine/grapes)
Lunch – either eggs on toast, beans on toast, or protein pancakes (25g whey, 25g flour, 1 egg, almond milk served with fruit)
Dinner – A base carb (rice, pasta, potato or noodles), a protein (tofu or quorn), and a PILE of veg including beans or pulses (chickpeas/kidney beans/black beans/mixed beans, pepper, onion, aubergine, courgete, cherry tomatoes). I cook these all together in a different sauce each day to mix it up. Sometimes I’ll make it more like a curry, or more oriental with soy or hoison, or with BBQ, or a tomato based sauce. A dollop of hummus on the side gives a little extra protein too!
Snacks – Greek yogurt and fruit, cereal (right now I’m enjoying the chocolate wheetabix protein crunch), hummus and veg or tortilla chips, protein shake. My new find for a nice sweet snack whilst I’m cutting is an ice lolly! Most fruit ice lollies you find in supermarkets are around 40 cals! Amazing 🙂
I hope this post was helpful, as it took me a while to get into a routine of what worked in my diet and what was feesable time and cost wise for me.
So if you are getting into weight training and are looking to change your body a bit more, get that protein in!
FAQs
Recent research suggests that aiming for more, for example, between 1.3 g and 1.8 g per kilogram of body weight daily (approximately 88 g to 122 g for women, 105 g to 145 g for men), may be optimal for health, especially when it comes to warding off age-related muscle loss, according to a 2019 review in Nutrients.
How to get 120g of protein a day as a vegetarian? ›
My top sources in my day-to-day diet are:
- Whey Protein Powder (20g per scoop) (I use the MyProtein Whey Impact in the Chocolate Smooth or the Sticky Toffee Pudding flavour)
- Eggs (13g for a medium egg)
- Greek Yoghurt (10g per 100g of fa*ge Total 0%)
- Quorn Pieces (13g per 100g)
- Quorn Mince (14g per 100g)
- Tofu (10g per 100g)
The average recommended intake of protein is 42 grams a day. Non-vegetarians eat way more than that (almost 80 grams), but so does everyone else. Vegetarians and vegans actually average 70 percent more protein than they need every day (over 70 grams).
How much protein should a 120 lb woman eat to lose weight? ›
If you want to lose weight, aim for a daily protein intake between 1.6 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (. 73 and 1 grams per pound). Athletes and heavy exercisers should consume 2.2-3.4 grams of protein per kilogram (1-1.5 grams per pound) if aiming for weight loss.
Can I build muscle with 120 grams of protein a day? ›
Experts differ on what the exact amount of protein you need to build muscle, but the general consensus is that if your goal is muscle gain you should consume 1 gram of protein for every pound of your target body weight. So if you want to weigh a muscle-stacked 185, that's 185 grams of protein daily.
What do 120 grams of protein look like in a day? ›
To realistically consume 120 g of protein a day, try to split your goal into 5 meals (24 g each), or 3 meals (24 g each) with 4 smaller snacks (12 g each). Snack on foods like dried meats, nuts, seeds, yogurt, string cheese, and peanut butter to help you feel energized and reach 120 g of protein daily.
Can a vegetarian diet provide enough protein? ›
Summary. A vegetarian diet can easily meet human dietary protein requirements as long as energy needs are met and a variety of foods are eaten. Vegetarians should obtain protein from a variety of plant sources, including legumes, soy products, grains, nuts and seeds.
How to complete daily protein intake in a vegetarian diet? ›
Nuts and seeds
Nuts are the seeds of plants, while seeds come from vegetables like pumpkins, sunflowers, flax, or hemp. Both are good sources of protein. You can eat them as a snack or sprinkle them on breakfast oats or yogurts. Nut- and seed-based spreads are also rich in protein.
How do I hit my protein goal as a vegetarian? ›
Some plant-based foods, such as soybean products, seitan, beans, and lentils contain high amounts of protein. You can also find protein in nuts, whole grains like quinoa and amaranth, and hemp seeds. People following a vegan diet may need to plan in order to reach their daily protein goals.
What happens if you eat too much protein but low calories? ›
Some high-protein diets limit carbs so much that you might not get enough nutrients or fiber. This can cause problems such as bad breath, headache and constipation. Some high-protein diets allow red meats, processed meats and other foods high in saturated fat. These foods may increase your risk of heart disease.
It makes you burn more calories around the clock, including during sleep. A high protein intake has been shown to boost metabolism and increase the number of calories burned. This effect is particularly pronounced during overfeeding (when you're eating a calorie surplus).
What happens if you don't eat enough protein? ›
Weakness and Fatigue
And over time, a lack of protein can make you lose muscle mass, which in turn cuts your strength, makes it harder to keep your balance, and slows your metabolism. It can also lead to anemia, when your cells don't get enough oxygen, which makes you tired.
What is the ideal protein level for a woman? ›
According to the Dietary Reference Intake report for macronutrients, a sedentary adult should consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. That means that the average sedentary man should eat about 56 grams of protein per day, and the average woman should eat about 46 grams.
How much protein should I eat as a female? ›
Anywhere from 10% to 35% of your calories should come from protein. So if your needs are 2,000 calories, that's 200–700 calories from protein, or 50–175 grams. The recommended dietary allowance to prevent deficiency for an average sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Is 120g of protein a day too much? ›
It's hard to provide a specific answer since so much is still uncertain and the experts themselves don't agree. However, for the average person (who is not an elite athlete or heavily involved in body building) it's probably best to aim for no more than 2 gm/kg; that would be about 125 grams/day for a 140-pound person.
Is 100 grams of protein enough to Build muscle woman? ›
The current research suggests that most active people could benefit from eating roughly 100 grams of protein a day from high-quality protein sources. To spur muscle growth, spread your daily protein intake evenly throughout the day—starting with a protein-rich breakfast.
