It seems like this advice is everywhere, lately: Get more protein into your diet! Left to my own devices (even with lots of eggs and nuts!), I tend to be under 40 grams of protein a day… which is generally on the lower side. So let’s discuss — readers, are you trying to get more protein into your diet? Which are your favorite protein sources?

I’ve been making an effort to add more, and thought I’d share some of my favorites…

(Note that I don’t personally have any food restrictions — and a lot of my choices tend to be dairy heavy. If you’ve found different protein choices that work with your diet, please share!)

Why You Might Be Trying to Get More Protein Into Your Diet

Maybe this is just the way my social media algorithms are making me feel, but it seems like everywhere there’s advice to eat more protein. The two main arguments I always see:

• It helps you stay full longer!
• It helps you build (and maintain) muscle!

Protein is especially important for older people — according to The New York Times, studies show that “on average, people start to gradually lose muscle mass in their 30s and 40s, and that after the age of 60 this decline accelerates.” Yay.

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How Much Protein Is Enough?

According to SELF,

The RDA for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or about 0.36 grams per pound. (So you would multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36 to get your RDA.) For instance, the average 200-pound person needs at least 72 grams of protein per day to meet the RDA.

But that’s the minimum. They note that people with a higher activity level will need more, particularly if you’re trying to build muscle. It’s also recommended that people over 40 should eat more protein.

How much more protein? Again, according to SELF:

Several large organizations—the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy), Dietitians of Canada (DC), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)—reviewed the research on sports nutrition and agreed that the optimal daily protein intake for active adults and athletes is 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight (or 0.5 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound). Similarly, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or 0.6 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound) for most individuals who are working out.

Based on those recommendations, for instance, a 200-pound person would want to get between 100 and 180 grams of protein a day. Generally, the more active you are—the more frequent, strenuous, and long your workouts are—the higher in that range you’ll be . . .

Another example, using the math: If you’re 125 pounds and active or over 40, you should be getting between 75-112 grams of protein a day.

You can use Examine.com’s Protein Intake Calculator to figure out how much protein you need. (According to the NYT, Examine.com is “a large and independent database of nutrition research.”)

Note that you can only absorb so much protein at a time — depending on your weight it may be somewhere from 25-50 grams per meal.

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My Favorite Ways to Get More Protein Into My Diet

1. Cottage Cheese

I’ve always liked cottage cheese, but after I realized it can have 15-19 grams of protein per half cup, I started liking it a lot more. I’ve eaten fat-free or reduced-fat cottage cheese for years, but I must say: full-fat cottage cheese is so, so, so (SO) much better, and the calorie difference isn’t huge. I highly recommend it!

I’ve seen people pureeing their cottage cheese to get it to a whipped consistency (great for toast!), and I’ve seen people turning it into waffles and more. (There are TikTok recipes out there for making savory waffles with cottage cheese that I can’t find right now; I think going off the keto idea of “chaffles.”)

This is a great pancake recipe involving cottage cheese.

You can also add cottage cheese to scrambled eggs, but in my experience it makes the eggs a lot runnier — I’d only add a quarter cup if I were scrambling two eggs.

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2. Greek Yogurt and Protein Yogurt

One of my favorite things to eat is “protein yogurt” — plain Greek yogurt with a scoop of protein powder. If you’re avoiding protein powder, you can also use powdered peanut butter for this — I like both the original PBFit and the chocolate flavored version, although I prefer to add chocolate chips, syrup, or a tiny bit of hot cocoa mix if I want to add a chocolate boost.

Greek yogurt is pretty protein heavy on its own, so you can always just add fruit or hot cocoa mix, or some people add about 10 tsp. of Jell-O pudding mix. (I don’t notice a huge difference in taste between full fat Greek yogurt and fat free Greek yogurt the way I do with cottage cheese, for what it’s worth.)

I like to add Fiber One cereal (the old school little sticks) to my yogurt to add some crunch and a lot more fiber.

(Did you know you’re also supposed to be getting 25 grams of fiber a day, minimum? That may be another story all on its own because it’s a challenge to get there consistently. Most vegetables have about 3 grams of fiber per serving.)

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Do you really need protein powder? No! As mentioned above, you can add fruit, chocolate, or powdered or regular peanut butter to Greek yogurt. According to The New York Times, though, it is a good source of protein:

If you can’t get all the protein you need from whole foods, then it’s fine to boost your intake through protein supplements . . . . Whey protein is a particularly good source of protein because it’s rich in amino acids — the building blocks of protein — and the body absorbs it nicely. It’s also been shown in studies to be particularly beneficial for muscle health when paired with exercise. But for people who are vegan, supplementing with soy, pea or hemp protein products can work as well.

Which is the best protein powder? Well, they’re all a bit of an acquired taste. I’ve bought multiple containers of Optimum Whey Vanilla, Pure Protein Chocolate, and Clean Simple Eats. (I’ve liked most of the CSE flavors I’ve tried, and love that you can buy individually-portioned packs to try different flavors.)

I finished my containers but probably won’t repurchase the flavors I got from Alana Nu (confetti cake) and Quest (caramel) — they were OK but not great. Quest does have an unflavored one I haven’t tried yet — I’ve also heard great things about Buff Chicks Buff Whey Brownie Batter, but have yet to try because it’s always sold out.

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3. Protein Pudding

I seriously love this stuff — I waited a long time to try it, but it’s really good. Pro tip #1: You can use any protein shake, but the taste and consistency with the Fairlife protein shakes are unbeatable.

(In general, Fairlife shakes are amazing and drinkable on their own – note that these do not contain whey powder, but instead “ultra-filtered milk.“)

Pro tip #2 for protein pudding: Do not get the cook-and-serve pudding!! I made that mistake at first because, well, I wasn’t thinking. I tend to get the sugar-free Jell-O pudding mixes because they’re fewer calories, but there are regular versions if you prefer that.

Here’s how you make protein pudding: Get a mason jar or other 16-oz. container. Dump an entire bottle of Fairlife shake into the jar. Then add entire packet of Jell-O pudding. Shake well, and refrigerate. That’s it. I tend to view the jar as 2-3 servings and eat as dessert, with whipped cream; the entire jar has 26-30 grams of protein, depending on which shake you used.

What flavors are good here? I’ve had very few failures, and I’ve tried a lot. I’ve never had pistachio pudding in my life, but tried it and now love it with the chocolate Fairlife protein shake.

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4. Chicken

Super boring, yes. I’ll either buy the pulled rotisserie chicken from my local grocery store, or throw a few breasts into the crockpot and cook them with broth or salsa for a relatively neutral flavor base. I’ll make chicken quesadillas, add chicken to soup, or eat it on salad.

More Options for Protein

We eat a lot of chicken, and I’ve noted before in our post on warm workday lunches that there are some freezer meals and canned soups that have a relatively high amount of protein. I personally don’t like to eat tuna more than once a week because of concerns over mercury, but a can of tuna has about 40 grams of protein so it’s a great source.

(My favorite tuna recipe, which I sometimes eat on salad and sometimes just in the bowl: 1 can of tuna, drained. Add a splash of pickle juice. Slice 1/2 a large avocado or an entire small avocado. Add Buffalo wing sauce. Mix together, enjoy! Lots of healthy fat, fiber (avocados are high in fiber), and protein.)

What about protein bars? I eat them, but I’m not a huge fan — even eating half of one often feels like I’m choking it down. Built Bars taste the best but have that chemical sweetener that can really affect your digestive system, so… start slow. Trader Joe’s Barebells bars are great and reasonably priced if you buy in store. I like Quest bars, particularly the birthday cake and the cookies & cream one. The Kirkland ones are super affordable but are very dry.

You can also make a lot of things out of high-protein baking mixes like Kodiak; protein pasta like Barilla’s can also help you meet your protein goals. Quest makes a number of savory products like the chips or crackers — these taste OK, and are fine for variety or if you need something quickly. (I saw one recipe where someone used the Quest chips for breading her chicken, which I might try.) If you like pork rinds, those are also pretty high protein and often more affordable than other savory options.

(I should also note that beans and lentils often make a lot of “great for high protein” lists — I personally think their protein count is a bit low compared to other things, so I view them more as a vehicle for fiber, rather than using them to meet my protein goals. Still, they’re incredibly healthy, and everyone should be eating lots of them. Hat tip to the readers for introducing me to the Rancho Gordo Bean Club; we often just soak a bag of beans on Sunday and cook it Monday as part of our weekend meal prep.)

Readers, these are some of my thoughts on how to get protein into your diet — how about you? What are your favorite protein sources?

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