Need help increasing your protein intake but aren't a fan of chowing down on slabs of meat morning noon and night? Or are you worried about your cholesterol levels and want another source of protein to choose from?
Protein tends to be the most difficult of the 3 macros for people to get right. Protein is really important when training towards a fitness goal, be it weight loss, muscle gain or training for an event. It is an essential part of our diet to help with tissue repair and muscle growth which helps maintain your metabolism. In other words, the more lean muscle mass you have, the more effective your body is at burning fat. It also helps keep you feeling fuller for longer, which in turn helps reduce cravings for those "naughty" foods.
The amount of protein you need to eat will depend on your body type, goal and the amount of training you are doing.
Whilst lean meat will provide the highest grams of protein per 100g, there are many other sources of protein if you want to mix things up. Here is a quick run-down of other sources of protein that you can easily incorporate into your diet:
| Protein Rich Vegetarian Foods | |||
| (av. all brands) | Carbs | Protein | Fat |
| Mushrooms per 100g | 0.3 | 3.3 | 0.3 |
| Spinach per 100g | 1.6 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
| Broccoli per 100g | 0.4 | 4.4 | 0.3 |
| Edamame Beans per 100g | 11 | 13 | 6.8 |
| Chickpeas per 100g | 15 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Peas per 100g | 9.5 | 5.5 | 1 |
| Cottage Cheese per 100g | 6 | 11 | 2 |
| Egg (whole) | 0.2 | 7.3 | 6.7 |
| Soy Milk 100ml | 5 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Tofu soft per 100g | 2.5 | 8 | 2 |
| Quinoa cooked per 100g | 20 | 5 | 2 |
| Pumpkin Seeds per 20g serve | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| Vision Whey Vanilla Protein Powder 30g serve | 2.1 | 23.4 | 2.1 |
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
