The average person needs around 35% of their daily calories to come from protein. When you lead an active lifestyle and you’re training toward health and fitness goals you’ll probably need even more than this. That’s quite a bit of protein.
If you’re looking to introduce more protein into your diet while still eating healthy and maintaining a healthy weight you should look into the lean protein available to you. Lean proteins are packed with protein but low in fat and calories. In this way, they’re the best proteins to eat for the health-conscious person.
This guide will teach you how you can get more protein into your diet and how to cook lean protein. Read on for everything you need to know.
Chicken Breast
Chicken breast (specifically chicken breast with the skin removed) is one of the best lean meats you can eat. It has 17 grams of protein in 3 ounces.
It’s also super versatile so if you look around online or on plans like athleticsfitmeal.com you’ll find lots of great lean meat recipes using chicken. One really simple way to prepare it is to marinate it in lemon and herbs and bake it in the oven.
Legumes
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan then legumes are an amazing source of protein. Edamame, for example, has 31.3 grams of protein per cup. Legumes are another versatile type of food for which there are so many recipes available.
You can put together bean burgers, make your own hummus, cook delicious Indian daal, or have homemade falafel. Though legumes aren’t as high in protein as meat they have a host of other nutrients that meat lacks.
White-fleshed Fish
No list of lean proteins would be complete without a mention of fish. White-fleshed fish is by far one of the best proteins to eat. In a 3.5-ounce serving, you’ve got between 20 and 25 grams of protein and as little as 85 calories.
Fish isn’t to everyone’s taste, but there are some really tasty ways you can cook it. Try pan-frying it with a delicious glaze or throwing it into a curry.
Tofu
Another one for the veggies and vegans out there! Tofu is an excellent source of protein, essential amino acids, and vitamins. It’s got 17 grams of protein per 3.5-ounce serving but only 140 calories.
People are often intimidated by the prospect of cooking tofu but there’s so much you can do with this protein. Bake it, fry it, blend it into a salad dressing or cook up a breakfast tofu scramble.
Getting to Know Your Lean Proteins
It’s good to make an effort to learn about the foods you’re using to fuel your body. Knowledge is power. We hope this guide has inspired you to further educate yourself on lean proteins and all of the other nutrients you need to reach your fitness goals.
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