When you exercise, small muscle fibres tear ever so slightly - protein contains amino acids that maintain our muscle tissue. Proteins are the building blocks for our body tissue. Why is a high protein diet important when toning your body and building muscle?
It’s essential for our bodies and is absolutely indispensable for muscle repair and growth.įrom chicken and eggs to almonds and avocados, there are thankfully many incredible, delicious, protein-packed foods that we can incorporate into our diets to bolster our muscle toning and growth regimen. We’ve probably all heard, at some point, about the benefits of protein. I hope that with this information you’ll be able to reach your health goals faster than ever before.Along with fats and carbohydrates, protein is one of three macronutrients.
Taste, preference, cost and availability of food all play a role in what we choose to eat. This isn’t to say eating either way is better or worse. This is eye opening for a lot of vegetarian and vegan clients as they see how much of the “high protein” plant based sources they need to consume to get the same amount of protein in if they were consuming animal products. At the end of this post you’ll see how much of a certain protein you’d need to eat to get that amount, compared to a different protein source. You may have a set amount of protein you want to eat on any given day. The other way you can look at your diet is to set goals for certain macronutrients. For example, if you’re going to consume 150 calories of cooked brown rice versus 150 calories of salmon the difference in protein amounts is quite big. You can then see how much protein you’ll actually be getting from that source. When you’re building out a plan of what you want to eat for the day, you’ll be able to see how much of any given protein source you can eat and keep it within a reasonable calorie range. If you’re watching your weight, you’ll often have an overall target of how many calories you will be eating in any given day. I’ve broken down the various protein sources in two different ways. You can get them all from plant based sources, but just not in one food. So when you’re eating plant-based proteins you want to ensure you’re consuming a variety of different versions so that you are still eating all of the essential amino acids. Just some food for thought :)Īlso! What is very important to note, is that not all proteins contain all of the essential amino acids we need to keep up our muscle mass.Īll animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids (they’re called “complete proteins”), but the majority of plant-based proteins only contain some amino acids (they’re called “incomplete proteins”). But, I have found through my years of coaching, that foods higher in protein, even sacrificing fiber, are more filling for many people compared to plant-based proteins higher in fiber. I also list fiber amounts here, since fiber is also filling. You’ll soon see that not all proteins are created equal. However! It is fun to see which sources contain the most protein - these are all based on about 150 calories - so that, if you’re watching calories, you can get the most bang for your buck.
#The ultimate list of 40 high protein foods full#
Getting a variety of protein sources in your diet ensures that you will get a range of nutrition benefits! AND foods high in protein are very filling - they will often keep you full for hours! I know that a high protein meal can help curb my desire for snacks in between meals. First of all, all proteins are healthy and yummy.