Mocktail Minutes

How to Eat 100g of Protein in a Day

• Mocktail Minutes • Episode 110

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Clearly protein is here to stay, and personally we love that! Protein is so important to help manage blood sugar, build and maintain lean mass, and to help reduce cravings and keep you feeling satiated. However, some are still a little unsure of how to hit protein goals. This week we will tell you how!

If you have questions, or topics that you want to hear about, head over to our Instagrams https://www.instagram.com/bayleethedietitian/ or https://www.instagram.com/brianna.dietitian/ and send us a DM! You can also follow the podcast https://www.instagram.com/mocktailminutes/

Featured Mocktails:

Good Pop - https://www.instagram.com/goodpop/

Juni - https://www.instagram.com/drinkjuni/

Click play, sip back, and be empowered.

Brianna:

Hello everyone. Welcome back to this week's episode of Mocktail Minutes. This is Bailey.

Baylee:

And this is Brianna.

Brianna:

This week I am drinking a lemon lime. Good pop. I like them. They're pretty good. They are a little higher in, I mean sugar, but just'cause it's just juice. But I tried the orange one too. I did not love the orange. The lemon lime one is much better.

Baylee:

What is it? Like a, like a.

Brianna:

It's like a sparkling. It's just like a bubbly water with juice.

Baylee:

Okay. Yeah,

Brianna:

Just carbonated water and juice. That's

Baylee:

I'm doing a joie, one of those like sparkling tea. It's like a sparkling green tea. It's not super carbonated, but I guess it's still sparkling. But it's pretty good. It's the raspberry. I actually like this one. Adapted and cheese Adapto ginche. Adapto adaptogen tea. That's very hard to say.

Brianna:

not roll off the tongue.

Baylee:

Yeah. But yeah, I like it. I've had a couple others now.

Brianna:

Nice. Well, today we are talking about how to get a hundred grams of protein in. This seems to be a common struggle where yes, protein has gotten a lot of hype lately, but we're still struggling with like, we know to get it, how do we get it thing? So I think is a good starting spot for. All adults. I mean, there's people that do need more. I personally try to get closer to like 20 grams of protein, but doing this a hundred grams of protein will help with muscle maintenance and growth. It helps you stay more satisfied with your meals, so less snacking. It helps support your metabolism and boost it, and it's gonna aid in recovery, especially if you are someone who is working out.

Baylee:

Yes, and every time I say like, aim for a hundred. The majority of people panic'cause they're like, oh my gosh, that's so, that's so much. So I feel like if you think about your meals across the day, it's not really too crazy. You know, if you're thinking like around 30 at a meal, or maybe 25 to 30 at a meal, and then a snack of, you know, like 10 to 20.'Cause that's normal. Like people need three meals a day and at least one snack. And so I feel like if you think about, okay, let me spread it out, it's much easier. I see the majority of people have no issue with protein at dinner. Like I feel like people could easily get in like 40 plus grams of dinner without even realizing it. And it's, but they're like none at breakfast. So it's just, you could, you're already maybe close just shifting it.

Brianna:

That's what, so I break it down. It's about 30 at breakfast, 40 at lunch and dinner, and then a snack. It's around. 10 grams of protein. That's what works for me. I think it is almost easier to have a lower amount of breakfast just because your typical breakfast foods, they don't have a lot of protein to it, so just make it more realistic there. And when you're thinking about this meal by meal breakdown also, and you might look at this differently, but I honestly don't like if I only get 20 grams of breakfast, I don't worry about kind of like baking up for it at

Baylee:

Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah. No. No.'cause I find like naturally I'll kind of do that. Like if I have a lower, a little bit of a pro, like lower protein breakfast, I feel like comes snack time, I'm probably gonna have a little bit higher protein snack.

Brianna:

mm-hmm.

Baylee:

I'm also not gonna panic if I'm a slightly under a hundred.

Brianna:

Hmm. Yeah. And if you're full at like. Lunch. Lunch and you get 40 grams, then you're full, but you're like, oh my gosh, I still need 10 grams. So I didn't get it at breakfast. I don't think you need to necessarily overstuff yourself if you're not hungry for it. It's okay for your things to fluctuate throughout the day. Well even just on a day-to-day basis. So I honestly, I just take a meal by meal because it, it becomes stressful too with being like, okay, breakfast I missed 10, lunch, I missed five. Okay, now dinner I. It's too much.

Baylee:

it's too much and I'm not tracking to really be like, oh gosh. And I think that's the whole like hit your macros, like yeah, aim for it, but yeah, you don't need to be wild about it or like stuffing your face. Like sometimes I'll have people do this, like I'm force feeding themselves at the end of the day to like hit the a hundred. I'm like, okay, that's probably not necessary.

Brianna:

yeah, it's completely normal. for your needs to fluctuate, for you to feel hungrier or less hungry from a day-to-day basis. So we give guidelines to people that we work with, but I'm also not like, if you don't meet these guidelines, you suck. Like

Baylee:

Yeah.

Brianna:

you do your best to get there. If you're like not, not hungry, don't overstep yourself. If you're like, okay, I'm too full. It's okay to dial it back and listen to your body at the same time. It's really just finding a balance of all that.

Baylee:

Yeah. Well, and I think it comes to trusting yourself, and I think that's what people are scared of. So this will get easier over time. Like when you start to trust yourself and you're like, oh, okay. Everything's gonna be okay. But we have a lot of rule followers that are like, I wanna do it right. You're gonna be okay. I feel like for breakfast, you're right, there is. A lot of your traditional breakfast sos aren't super high in protein, like eggs are like six grams per egg. And I feel like people are like, oh, I got like two eggs at breakfast. Like it was great protein, it's like 12 grams. So it's not, so you can, you have to get kind of like creative with it. This is where a protein shaker, like a good quality protein powder can come in to easily fill in the gaps if you don't like eating in the morning. But I do like to try to point out ways that people can get in a hundred grams of protein without a protein powder.'cause it is. You are able to do it. You could do like Greek yogurt or, I think Siggi's has a good, like dairy-free, high protein yogurt.

Brianna:

don't think I've seen it with the protein in it. I'll have to look again because I know it's a coconut based one. They, you know what, they might have a protein

Baylee:

I think they do have a pea protein one, and that one's actually pretty high. Other than that, I don't, I mean,'cause a lot of the proteins coming from. Dairy. So you have dairy

Brianna:

silk has like a Greek yogurt style dairy free one, but I think, I think the added sugars might be behind that one. There's something in that I didn't love,

Baylee:

Yeah, think that's how the Siggy one is too. It's a little bit higher,

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

the protein is so high, so it's. But like, yeah, cottage cheese, egg whites. So like if you don't five eggs, you could do like two eggs and maybe some egg whites.

Brianna:

Just by the carton of liquid egg whites. I, for a little bit did three whole eggs and then the chicken sausage link like the big ones. So the three eggs, you're getting about 20 grams of protein there. And then the chicken sausage links, they were 14 grams of protein. So then I was at 34 and then I just put some veggies sauteed in it, and then I did some fruit that was breakfast for a

Baylee:

I like chicken sausage. I like the, is it Amy Lou? Amy Lou brand? Those are like a really good clean sausage and it

Brianna:

that one. And yes, and the never any brand.

Baylee:

So it's like those are easy. Also like adding collagen to your coffee. Like if you're a coffee drinker, adding collagen or making like a protein coffee is a really easy way to get in, like 10 to 20 grams. Yes. That can count towards your protein. Everyone's always like, I can't,'cause it doesn't have all the amino acids, it's just. It's missing tryptophan and it's a little bit lower and loose seeing, so don't only have collagen in your coffee and be like, I got my 20 grams at breakfast. Like, no, but you can definitely add it. Count towards your, towards your protein for the day.

Brianna:

Yeah, because that's always, collagen is always something we get questions about. Yeah. You're not gonna, like, I always say, kind of use that as your bonus. I think it's a good spot to at least get like 20, I mean ideally like 30 grams of protein from your animal protein. And then when you're aiming for closer to like 30 plus, then use that collagen as a bonus or use it as your snack, whatever it is. I think that's a great way to use it because it's not really supporting muscle building. It's because it, the animal protein is gonna support more muscle building and has that in it to trigger muscle protein synthesis. Collagen is gonna be more for like skin, hair, nails, joint gut health well, yeah, gut health with your gut lining. So it's still a good one to include. It's just not that full protein source because it's missing some of those amino acids. So

Baylee:

Yeah.

Brianna:

you get a variety in and you'd be good to go.

Baylee:

Yeah, so I just think about like, okay, breakfast. What am I already doing? What can I add to it? If you want to add some milk to your coffee, you can. I think people are a little bit scared of milk, but I you can have milk, I mean milk has great protein in it. You can add like nut butters to things. Again, we're not relying on nut butter for our protein source, but it has some in there, so just know. Yeah, just knowing like, okay, I am getting a little bit from here, so, you know but just thinking what can I add to what I'm already doing?

Brianna:

Now if you are doing like two eggs and toast type of thing and you're not sure how to increase it,'cause you're already really full, this is where I do think it could be helpful to start with like a protein shake in addition to it. Even like a half of one, most of'em are gonna be 20 grams of protein per serving. So if you did two eggs. About 12 grams of protein there and you did half of a shake. That's 10 grams of protein then, okay, we're looking better. We're around 22, that could be a way to slowly build it up because that liquid is gonna be easier to digest. It's gonna, it's not gonna be, I mean, when you chew food, it's, what am I trying to say here? It's a lot easier to get in some extra liquid, and you're trying to boost that protein and you don't have a huge appetite than it is to like eat three more eggs.

Baylee:

Yeah. Yeah. Or,

Brianna:

start there.

Baylee:

I like that. Or thinking again, like what can you add in, right? Like if you're like, okay, I could do kind of a small protein shake, but can I add in like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, or he like little things that like, okay, I'm really amping up the protein, but again, my volume is low. I

Brianna:

Mm-hmm.

Baylee:

like that.

Brianna:

And it can also go the other way too, where if you're focusing on too much liquid calories, that's where it can lead to weight gain. Because if you're always just like focusing on, I gotta get my macros, gotta get my macros, and you're just downing three protein shakes a day, you probably don't need that. Like focus on the foods first and then just kind of supplement as needed, make it make sense type of thing.

Baylee:

Yeah, for lunch, I feel like this is easier, but I like to just think, okay, and. Not everybody like agrees, but I do like to think like, what's my protein like? And then build around it like, I need protein, but what compliments that protein? You know, like, can I have a salad or a wrap or a bowl or like, you know, protein, where's all my veggies? Let me do a fiber rich carb. I know that sounds easier than it is, I guess.'cause when I say it I'm like, duh. But I understand people have a hard time with that. So I'm thinking like tuna. Ch rotisserie chicken or chicken salad, you know, regular chicken, Turkey, like, I mean, tofu is another one. What's, what's like other chick? I just, I'm very, I do like tuna or chicken, so

Brianna:

hard boiled eggs,

Baylee:

oh, yeah.

Brianna:

That's what I do. I do a lot of ground Turkey for lunch because no one else in my family will eat it. So it's like that's when I'm gonna get it in deli meat. That can also work. I've done that. Those are kind of the main things, but that is a good point to kind of make it a protein centered lunch. I think a lot of times we start with the carb, the star two carbs, so start with the protein, then your veggie, then your carb, and that's honestly how we meal plan. Josh kind of goes through and puts down what type of protein we're gonna have that night I go through and make it a meal type of thing.

Baylee:

Yeah. Men are good at that. Like, I got dinner and it's like meat. I'm like, cool.

Brianna:

a steak.

Baylee:

What are we having with it? They're like, I don't know. I'm like, okay, cool.

Brianna:

We used to make fun of my dad all the time because like if he was in charge of dinner, it'd be like, here I made pork chops. And we're like, okay. Like what do we have with, and goldfish.

Baylee:

Go fish, like just eat the pork chop. Like what's the. Yeah, thinking like, I think brought up hard boiled eggs.'cause I think that's an easy one you can add to snacks or meals and it bumps it up. So maybe that's like a good point to make is like, what things can we sprinkle into meals. Like if you're having a salad, you can totally add some egg on it, you can add some seeds on it. You know, you can make a, like a veggie dip that has like, you know, like a yogurt based dip or something like that. Again, I'm boring and I also eat dairy, but like adding a scoop of cottage cheese totally is just an easy way to bump up protein. I a lot of meals do that. But, you know, I'm just like, okay, what, knowing what has protein in it is gonna help you really be able to figure out, okay, how can I just bump this up? Because really once you know your sources of protein, it's pretty simple to be like, oh, I can easily get 20 to 30 grams in a meal. I just need to know what, what had protein in it.

Brianna:

So, I mean, we went over a lot of sources. I hardest being dairy free is those Meatballs, like frozen meatballs all on hand. I like to buy the Turkey ones. It's just a little bit lower in fat. It is hard to get enough protein, though, I will say from those and also not overdo it on the fat. So just something to kind of keep in mind there. But it's also great to have when you need something quick, you haven't made it to the grocery store, but thinking about your animal sources, chicken, beef, Turkey, eggs. All different forms too. Like you can do ground chicken, you can do chicken breasts, you can do chicken wings, you can do chicken thighs. I was like, there's another type of chicken. I do not like chicken thighs, but

Baylee:

It depends on what it's with. I don't know. I'm weird about it too. That's just me. It's like a texture thing, I think. I don't know. And then thinking like, okay, what are plant sources of protein? Because when you're thinking of like, for example, like what carbohydrate am I gonna add to this meal? I'm looking for a fiber rich refine, like adding things like beans are high in fiber, but they're also high in protein, so you can bump up your Okay. Edamame is another really good one. You can, you know. Like the little edamame beans. You can those

Brianna:

like to buy those frozen.

Baylee:

me too, and then I can steam them and then I'll sprinkle them onto things. But that's a

Brianna:

Chickpea pasta. Fantastic. And same thing with like these plant-based sources use'em as like a bonus. Don't, like, I wouldn't get 30 grams of protein from chickpea pasta. It's also a lot of fiber if you to do that.

Baylee:

It would be a lot of fiber. It's also a lot of carbs, which, which is where I am when people wanna be only plant-based. If they're like, oh, I, I am only plant-based, but they have maybe an issue with tolerating carbs, I'm like, okay, we gotta get creative about this.'cause it is a lot of carbs. Like if you try to get 30 grams of carb or protein from beans, it, that's a lot of carbs. It's also not a complete protein. So, but you know. Yeah, so just being careful with that too, and that's why it could be good to know, okay, what all has protein so that you're not, I think that's the, the ticket is not relying on one source.

Brianna:

Hmm. Having the variety and combination, so, what is something hanging kea sausage. So like the Turkey sausage. I will buy that. Again, it's hard to get enough protein without overdoing it on fat because usually with that too, like we're doing roasted vegetables or like some type of sauteed something with oil. So when we do that, I like to add like frozen shrimp to it. That's super easy to keep on hand and you just kind of salt it up with everything. So combinations I think are really. As well. Same thing with like yogurts. When you're adding the hemp seeds or the nuts or whatever it is, that's gonna make it easier. If you don't wanna do like a and half of Greek yogurt,

Baylee:

Yeah. Like

Brianna:

you can if you

Baylee:

not a lot. Yeah. Just like that. Like for me, I'd rather have variety. Make it fun. So.

Brianna:

Mm-hmm.

Baylee:

that's what I do. But definitely like your nuts and eats. You do bring up a good point about the fat. I think that's something to be mindful of when you're trying to increase your protein.'cause there is a lot of times where people will only look at protein and maybe you're just starting out and that's the only thing you can focus on. Fine. But just knowing like, okay, let me also double check the fat.'cause it is very easy to go over. Fat, especially when you're doing some more of those animal based ones, like meatballs is such a good example. I don't know what it is about meatballs.

Brianna:

I don't know.

Baylee:

I don't

Brianna:

And I even buy like the ones with Turkey in it.

Baylee:

because I'm thinking like ground Turkey, it's so easy to get your protein from it and it's not a lot of fat. But then you do like meatballs, like oh

Brianna:

Totally different. And I wonder if like a homemade meatball like would be different. I.

Baylee:

Maybe I need to play around with it. I need to get

Brianna:

Well, maybe because like a lot of them have egg in it too, so the yolk

Baylee:

Mm-hmm.

Brianna:

contributing to fat too.

Baylee:

Yeah. Whatever they're using to

Brianna:

Meatballs are

Baylee:

it together. Yeah. Whatever they're using to keep it together. It's probably like a fat source.

Brianna:

Yeah. But usually like even the frozen ones, like once you de thaw'em and heat'em up, they do kind of get greasy. So.

Baylee:

It's interesting. But yeah, just checking like, okay, let me double check the fat, make it simple. But

Brianna:

Well, speaking of meatballs, that is a good point too. I use those for snack sometimes because it's hard to get that 40 grams in there. So I will use them for a snack to get like 10

Baylee:

I like snacks like that. I don't know. That's fun,

Brianna:

Yeah, because a lot of times we think about snacks as like chips or like granola bar type thing where you can eat normal foods like a meatball and that can be your snack. So using your snacks will help increase your protein as well without needing to get more and more and more at your meals. So that's where it helps me just to kind of split that up.

Baylee:

Yeah.

Brianna:

lower, add a little 10 to 20 gram protein snack.

Baylee:

Yeah. And I'm always recommending people have protein up their snacks, like. Like always, no matter what your goal is, I think it's just a good idea because if you're thinking about it, your snack is holding you over. You wanna feel full. Well, protein is the one that's gonna make you feel satiated. So like why wouldn't you have protein? But most of our traditional snack foods are not protein, which maybe that's where people have a hard time.

Brianna:

Yeah. So yeah, overall I would say start with planning out your meals. Decide a protein that you're gonna include at your meals and your snack. Meal prep as needed. I mean, hard days are super easy to meal prep. Throwing chicken in a crockpot, super easy to meal prep pork tenderloin in a crock pott like it does not have to be anything crazy. Plan it out. Prep it as you need. Spread it out throughout the day and just slowly increase it. Like just start with one meal and add like five to 10 grams of protein. That could be an extra ounce of chicken. Super simple.

Baylee:

Yeah, just get used to it.

Brianna:

All right everyone. Thank you for listening to this week's episode, and we'll be back next week with a

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Baylee

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Brianna

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