Prefer to listen? Check out the audio recording of this lesson.

¿Prefieres español? Escucha esta lección en español aquí.

In the previous lesson, you learned just how important protein can be as a stand alone tool in the Calibrate program. But what does that actually look like in real life?

Unlike fats or carbs, protein can’t be broken down and stored for later use. Instead, clinical studies have shown that protein metabolizes every four to six hours, so it’s key to consume it regularly throughout the day to get all the benefits. 

When is just as important as how much

Try dividing your daily protein goal into three to four even chunks, aiming for ideally 20 to 30 grams per meal. There will, of course, be times when you don’t hit the mark at every single meal, and that’s perfectly fine. There will also be times where you eat more than 30 grams of protein at a meal, too. Just know that whether it’s 30 or 90 grams in one sitting, your body utilizes it in the same way.

For dinner, this might feel like a no-brainer. But breakfast might be a challenge: Americans typically skimp on protein and fiber in the morning, leaning into fast-digesting carbs and sugars instead (hello bowl of cereal, muffin, or bagel). Working on increasing your protein intake at breakfast can be a good way to start and slowly adjust to a higher protein intake. Plus, studies show that participants with higher protein at the start of the day had lower overall energy intake. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Embrace cottage cheese. Amp up your scrambled eggs by stirring in a spoonful of plain cottage cheese (1 tablespoon per egg) and a handful of cooked veggies before cooking. Or add a scoop of cottage cheese to your pancake batter alongside fresh blueberries for an extra creamy protein cake (we like Kodiak Cakes mixes, because they’re made with processed whole grains and have a 8:1 carb:fiber ratio).
• Make over your oatmeal. Skip the brown sugar topping. Stir in an egg white while cooking for a flavor-neutral protein boost, then top with plain Greek yogurt, a drizzle of nut butter, and some berries, a chopped apple, or other fruit. Or go savory and top it with jammy soft-boiled eggs, plus your favorite combo of veggies, cheese, and beans (we love salsa, Cheddar, and black beans).
• Put an egg on it. Top your whole-grain avocado toast with some scrambled eggs, or have a few sunny-side up eggs over leftover cooked vegetables from last night’s dinner. 
• Combine your proteins. Hello, steak and eggs! Adding chopped smoked salmon to your eggs is delicious too. Pair either one with a fresh tomato salad and beans for a super hearty meal.
• Mix up a smoothie. Add nuts, nut milk, nut butter, protein powder, hemp seeds, or edamame to your smoothie for added protein, plus a handful of baby spinach or frozen cauliflower florets for extra fiber.
• Lean on protein powder: Use high-quality protein powder. Look for ones with no added sugar or artificial sweeteners (opt for natural sweeteners if needed, like stevia or monk fruit), 5 or 6 ingredients or fewer, and at least 20 grams of protein per 100 calories. For plant-based powders, check the ingredients to make sure it has all nine essential amino acids. Add protein powder to smoothies, stir it into yogurt, blend it into your coffee or tea, add it to pancake mix, sprinkle it on oatmeal, or blend with nuts, oats and a few dates and roll into energy bites.

What 30g of protein looks like

There are, of course, other meals beyond breakfast. And other ways to consume protein than from mostly animal sources.

For starters, here’s what 30g of some common complete proteins looks like (and some of these do exceed our recommended servings, so that’s why variety is key, like pairing eggs with yogurt): 

• 1 small chicken breast (4 ounces), 1 small salmon filet (4 ounces), or 6 ounces ground beef
• 5 large eggs
• 10 ounces tofu, 6 ounces seitan or tempeh, or 1 cup cooked edamame
• 1½ cups Greek yogurt or cottage cheese or 3¾ cups milk or cooked quinoa

Combining incomplete proteins (such as legumes and whole grains, or legumes and nuts/seeds) gives your body the essential amino acids it needs, though, as you learned in Lesson 1, it takes much bigger quantities than you’d need from complete proteins. Here’s what 30g of some complementary protein combos might look like:

• 1 cup cooked black beans (16g protein) mixed with 1 cup cooked brown rice (5g protein) and topped with 1 ounce shredded mozzarella (8g protein) and 1 cup avocado (5g protein). Vegan? Skip the mozzarella and swap in ¼ cup roasted almonds (6g protein).
• 1 slice sprouted whole grain bread (2.5g protein) spread with 2 tablespoons peanut butter (8g protein) and sprinkled with 3 tablespoons hemp seeds (9g protein), paired with 2 hard-boiled eggs (12g protein). Vegan? Instead of eggs, have a couple of handfuls of crispy baked chickpeas (like Biena) or roasted peanuts (both pack 12g protein in 2 ounces).

Aim for variety: Getting protein from different sources can help make sure that you have the mix of amino acids that your body needs. So don’t get hung up on having to have a complete protein with every single meal. Instead, start thinking about your meals as opportunities to pack in the protein in as many different ways as you like. For more tailored tips on vegan and vegetarian protein intake, click here. 

MAKE IT YOUR GOAL

Your goal, once again, is to work on bringing your protein intake to a level that feels satisfying and sustainable. While it’s not an official part of your goal, you might also want to try paying attention to when and how much protein you’re eating per meal, with the awareness that spreading it out so you’re consuming 20 to 30 grams more than once per day can be a home run as far as results.