We’re officially in bulking season, which means keeping track of your protein intake is more important than ever.
Sourcing high quality white and red meat, such as the produce delivered to your door by Muscle Meat UK, is obviously a key priority when it comes to meal prep. However, there are many other means of protein that you can call on between Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner to encourage muscle growth.
Start with Sweet:
Meat may be strongest source of protein you’ll get, but that doesn’t mean you can’t include sources to satiate your sweet tooth too! Greek Yogurt has 10g of protein per 100g making it a great way to introduce protein in the morning or as a dessert. Top it with some high nutrient fruits like bananas or blueberries and you’re onto a winner. For even more protein add in some peanut butter, but just make sure you watch the fat content.
- 100g of Greek Yogurt
- Handful of Blueberries
- One Banana
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
Total: 20g of protein
A secondary source of sweet protein can be found in a trail mix. 100g of this fruit and nut combination can have as much as 14g of protein. The amount of protein packed into each serving means you can add protein to your day with little and often servings. Trail mix is a simple snack and can be made at home to cut costs so feel free to add it into your weekly meal prep!
Best trail mix ingredients:
Nuts:
- Walnuts
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Pecans
- Cashews
Seeds:
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Sesame Seeds
Fruit:
- Banana Chips
- Raisins
- Golden Raisins
- Dried Cranberries
- Cranberries
Using both the snacks mentioned, add trail mix to your serving of Greek yogurt to really increase your protein intake. However, be aware of your other macro nutrients that need to be hit so don’t go overboard!
Savoury:
On the flip side, there’s still plenty of extra protein to be found in the right savoury snacks!
First up, we have Edamame beans. These small green beans within pods contain a lot of protein for their size. Weighing in with 11g of protein per 100g they’re a great option to have on the go or to add to your lunch. Add some salt or chilli flakes for some flavour and they become a great go-to snack. Edamame beans can be bought pre-packaged in most supermarkets.
The easiest way to buy them is in the food-to-go sections but it’ll be much cheaper to buy bigger frozen portions.
Another great choice is beef jerky! It’s a classic for a reason as it has a whopping 33g of protein per 100g. The dried meat snack has become hugely popular in the fitness community over recent years for this very reason. Beef jerky is great lunchtime side, afternoon snack and even goes well mixed into salads. It’s not the most affordable of options but if you’re looking for a surefire way to increase your intake that’s easy to consume, beef jerky is essential.
Beef jerky is now available in most supermarkets and even smaller local stores due to its surge in popularity in recent years.
Meal time extras:
Finally, here’s a few options to add to already healthy meals to give them that protein boost and take them to the next level.
Chia seeds (can go on bread, in vegetarian dishes or on top of salads): 17g of protein per 100g
Chopped almonds (to top cereal, salads, pastas and meats): 20g of protein per 100g
Add peanut butter to servings of fruit: 25g of protein per 100g
Add beans and pulses to servings of rice:
- Kidney beans: 25g of protein per 100g
- Lentils: 9g of protein per 100g
- Pinto beans: 21g of protein per 100g
As always, good quality lean meat is going to be the best option for a strong hit of protein but adding these extras will increase your intake and allow for better recovery and muscle building. Always keep an eye on your macro nutrients as you adjust your diet and be sure to get the best quality meat from us at musclemeatuk.com.
