There are a number of health benefits to increasing your protein intake in your diet. A protein-rich diet helps you feel fuller for longer. In addition, proteins are the body's building blocks, and it is therefore important to get enough to build and maintain your body's muscle mass. But although protein is important, it is not always easy to ensure that you get enough. How much protein you need is individual, and depends on, among other things, age, gender and how much you need. But in this post we give simple advice on how to increase your protein intake!
1. Calculate how much protein you need
This may be self-explanatory, but it can be difficult to know exactly how much protein you are getting in a day if you don't do the math. The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends that protein should contribute 10-20% of your daily energy intake. For people who exercise a lot, you should get 0.8 to 0.1 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The easiest way to calculate how much protein you need is to multiply your body weight by 0.8. This will give you the minimum intake of protein you need in a day.
2. Eat the protein first
Eating your protein source first ensures that you get your protein before you feel full. It also helps regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels from rising too high.
3. Add extra protein
Another trick to get more protein in your diet is to add more protein to your meal. Many people use good sources of protein such as meat in their meals, but there are countless other foods that contain a lot of protein. For example, you can add nuts and protein dressing to your salad.
4. Start the day with a protein-rich breakfast
It might be a good idea to start your day with a protein-rich breakfast! This will start your day off right and keep you full for longer. There are a number of protein-rich breakfasts, such as oatmeal with protein powder . For an extra boost of protein, you can top your oatmeal with cottage cheese!
5. Drink proteins
It can be difficult to get enough protein in meals, so drinking protein in addition can help. Therefore, a protein shake can be an easy and quick way to get more protein. You can vary it with a variety of different flavors, such as chocolate , salted caramel and raspberry !
Can you eat too much protein?
In general, it will not harm healthy people to consume too much protein. Once the body has had its fill and absorbed the essential amino acids, the excess protein will be used as energy. However, if you have kidney disease, a high protein intake can lead to increased excretion of calcium in the urine.