If you’re trying to lose weight, stay energized, or build muscle mass you need to keep your protein intake high. But eating chicken all day can seem like a chore. Instead of rocking just chicken and rice, use these tips on how to increase protein intake!

While most people know that protein helps repair and build muscle, it’s a little less known that it’s responsible for a lot of other things in the body also.
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, protein is actually a key factor in:
- Your immune system
- Weight loss
- Body composition (toning and muscle growth) in general
- How full you feel
- How much energy you have
Protein has a hand in almost every action in your body, so it would be silly not to acknowledge your protein consumption. Learn more about the benefits of a high protein diet.
How Much Protein Should I Eat Per Day?
Though the allotted official amount is 50 grams of protein per day, many of us in the sports world know that that amount is just far too low.
When this number came up, it was based on how much protein we need to survive.. not thrive.
My recommendation for clients is to have everyone eat one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.
This may seem like a lot when you’re not used to it. However, once you see what protein can DO, most clients make it a priority.
Quick science lesson: protein is unique in the fact that is contains essential and non-essential amino acids.
Non-essential amino acids are ones that our body can make. But the essential amino acids have to come in from food every day.
Likewise, our bodies can only store so much protein. This means that we need to take in amino acids daily to keep ourselves topped up. Think of a sink full of water.. without a plug. To keep it full you need to keep running the water lesson.
How To Increase Protein Intake
Now that you know you need it, how do you go about getting more into your diet? Well first off, you stock up on food staples for a high protein diet.
Though protein powder is a great and convenient choice, it’s not the only choice. Most people use protein powder simply because it’s easy way to amp up protein intake. Likewise, protein shakes are simple to run out the door with.
However, the tips below can help immensely.
Make Protein The FIRST Choice
Work your meals around the protein, not the other way around. This is what's used in the 100 Grams of Protein Playbook. Not only does this increase your protein intake, but it also helps you keep your calorie intake in check because protein keeps you so much more full!
For example: instead of rocking cereal for breakfast, try eggs or one of the high-protein foods from the list below (learn how to save money while you eat more protein too).
Start with the protein and then add on.
Choose Animal Proteins
Animal protein simply gives you the best bang for your buck. These foods are higher in protein per serving and so they make an easy way to increase.
Using things like spicy chicken bites or teriyaki steak bites for snacks or meal prep helps too- learn more about buying meat on a budget so you can save costs here.
Try to get in 20-40 grams of animal protein at each of your bigger meals.
Up Your Portion Sizes
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel or eat 7 times a day to boost your protein intake. Instead, just amp up the proteins you’re already consuming.
Go For Big Proteins
While almost every food will have some protein, it’s really hard to get to one gram per pound with low-quality proteins.
For example: cheese has protein in it (about 8 grams per serving). But it’s also high in fat (9 calories per gram). So, increasing your intake of cheese just to get the protein intake is going to result in a lot more calories.
On the other hand, a serving of fish has 22 grams of protein and is not as high in fats or carbs.
If you want to increase your protein intake without calories, you’ll need to put some thought into what you eat.
Swap For Higher Protein Options
Instead of regular yogurt, try Greek yogurt. Add some cottage cheese to your fruit smoothie (learn how to make raw milk cottage cheese for even more benefits!). Snack on hard-boiled eggs.
This comes back to making protein the first choice and not an add-on.
Befriend Collagen Powder
Collagen is one of the purest sources of protein and it’s an easy add-in to just about everything.
Learn about the difference between collagen and protein powder as well as the difference between collagen and bone broth.
Collagen is by far one of the easiest ways to sky-rocket your protein without experiencing some of the bloat or digestive troubles protein powders can cause. Learn more about natural foods high in collagen as well as the best collagen recipes.
Easy to mix, this collagen powder adds a protein punch to anything you pair it with. Made from pasture-raised (grass-fed) cows there are no pesticides, hormones, or filler agents. Just put collagen protein. Use code mamabear10 to save money on your next order.
Increase The Little Things
As I mentioned, almost every food contains protein. However, some just have a higher protein intake than others.
When you want to eat more protein, start by getting high-quality protein in at your big meals.
Then, aim to increase your protein intake with some plant-based protein throughout the day. Some great sources are:
- Nuts and seeds (chia seeds have 17 grams of protein per 100 grams!!)
- Quality pepperettes (check the back!)
- Quinoa
- Nutritional yeast (also the best way to give a cheesy flavor to anything dairy-free!)
- Edamame
- Swap traditional pasta with quinoa or lentil pasta
- Avocado
It’s difficult to hit over 100 grams per day with just vegetarian sources but using them to bump you up is a great way to amp up protein intake without protein powder.
The Best High Protein Foods
The best way to eat more protein is with foods that are really high in protein. Below is a list of high-protein foods that should make up the bulk of your meals if you’re trying to up your protein consumption.
Remember, adding a slice or two of deli meat to your salad isn’t going to do the trick. To increase your protein intake, you need to make protein the first part of the meal.
- Poultry (chicken, turkey breast, etc)
- Beef in all forms
- Fish (salmon, tuna)
- Greek yogurt: even some vegan Greek yogurts are great nowadays
- Collagen powder
- Eggs, eggs, eggs
- Cottage cheese (only if you tolerate dairy)
- Tempeh or tofu (if you’re not opposed to soy)
Use the high protein foods above frequently in your days. Though most people will use meat for dinner, these protein-packed foods work well in snacks too!
Get creative and focus on protein being a priority.
High Protein Recipes To Increase Your Protein Intake
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting More Protein into Your Diet
Beef, chicken, and salmon tend to be the highest in protein for their serving size.
Protein takes longer to digest so you actually burn calories when you eat it. On top of that, because it’s so filling, when you eat more protein you tend to not eat as much overall because you’re more full than normal. This helps reduce overall caloric intake which leads to weight loss.
Kris says
This is really such a helpful and informative post! Thanks so much for putting this together. 🙂
fitasamamabear says
Thanks so much for dropping by!
Traci says
Love all these tips. Usually my philosophy is add protein powder to any carb I am craving. Love these tips and ideas thank you!
fitasamamabear says
That's a really good hack to stay full!
Luci's Morsels says
This was so helpful! I didn't know collagen powder was a good source of protein!! Thank you!
fitasamamabear says
It's a wicked one!
Mandy Applegate says
I’ve always just used protein powder, so these tips are fantastic - thank you!
fitasamamabear says
So many other ways! Though protein powder is awesome... lol
Mocktail.net says
Thank you for great tips!
fitasamamabear says
Hope they help!
Brenda says
I really need to increase my protein so thanks for the simple tips!! I'm going to go get some collagen and cottage cheese ASAP!
fitasamamabear says
Collagen is the BEST
Violet says
Collagen is not the right type of protein to build muscle! It's beneficial in other ways but NOT used for muscle building!
fitasamamabear says
Not true. It's not a complete protein so you still need some from other sources to hit all essential amino acids but it can still help boost overall intake and build muscle.
Jelly says
As a working mom with kids, I always have a struggle on maintaining my diet. Started implementing your tips into my daily routine from the past 2 months, and I feel so much healthier and fitter than before!
fitasamamabear says
This makes my hearty happy, way to go getting a boost!
Sabrina says
I tried putting cottage cheese in my fruit smoothies as suggested here and it was so good. It adds such a creamy texture and boosts my protein intake.
fitasamamabear says
Way to amp up the protein!