Here’s what I do to stay sane while ensuring that I’m getting the protein and fiber that helps me feel my best and keep my strength up in the gym!
I aim for at least 20-30g of protein per meal. This is truly not hard to hit if you are eating animal proteins or keep a focus on it while eating plant-based options.
Aside from reading packages to ensure you’re getting enough of what you want, it’s helpful to know these general guidelines for whole-foods:
Meat tends to have roughly 7-9g of protein per ounce (give or take, it has less per ounce if it’s a higher fat meat as a portion of that same ounce will be fat). So, eating around 3.5-6 ounces of meat at a meal will yield a solid amount of dietary protein. I almost always tend to eat at least 5-6 ounces of meat in a meal.
An egg has around 6g of protein each, so if you want more protein from eggs, using a whole egg or two plus some pure egg whites can be a good way to get there for a meal - or adding something like a slice or two of ham to your breakfast can go a long way. If I don’t eat 2 eggs in a meal, I always add cheese to one.
An ounce of cheese has about 7g of protein.
3/4 cup (170g) of 2% Greek yogurt has about 16g of protein (depending on the brand, Fage tends to have more, I find).
I almost always weigh my yogurt or cottage cheese portion on a food scale to be sure I am getting enough / as much as I want to hit my protein goal for that meal - which is usually 1.5-2 “servings” worth. I don’t tend to under eat as a habit, and it’s never been an issue of mine on an overall basis, but if you’re eyeballing, you really may not be getting the nutrition in that you think! I can more easily eyeball ounces of protein than I can a spooned-out bowl of yogurt or cottage cheese, so that’s why the food scale can help in this case.
If I have a meal or two that’s a bit shy, it’s okay, I don’t stress. I also add in Barebells or Costco protein bars here and there as snacks for another 10-20g/bar.
I try not to complicate things - I tend to buy 2-3 proteins for dinners in a week, knowing that they’ll be cooked once and eaten twice and we tend to have one dinner out or delivered in per week, and go freezer-diving for one as well (Buffalo chicken wraps made with chicken nuggets, cabbage slaw, feta, and some cilantro sauce from TJs - that sort of thing).
I buy items I plan for lunches that are protein-centered that I may cook or heat up, and then also grab extra frozen items for those moments when I don’t want to cook anything for lunch, just press microwave buttons. Today I had the TJs Spaghetti with Meat Sauce frozen meal for lunch, for example. I also have salmon on-hand to make two lunches in a row with that for tomorrow and Friday.
Getting enough fiber in, and the kind my body feels best with in particular, is still a journey for me. I try to be mindful of including a fiber-rich element in each meal, though I’d say I’m definitely not “there” yet with completely achieving this aim.
Fiber-rich foods I focus on: beans, bean-based pastas, berries (especially raspberries / black berries* - frozen is great for affordability), avocado/prepared guacamole, wild rice, whole grain bread / frozen waffles, high-fiber tortillas, veggies (though veggies have less fiber than you think, they can add up).
I aim for 7-10g/meal, but I don’t count in too much detail or stress about it. I just aim for that and sometimes I go over and sometimes I don’t make it.
If I add raspberries and nuts to my yogurt bowl, I consider that a win.
If I add avocado to my tacos with a high-fiber shell - win.
If I add beans to my meal instead of plain rice - win.
If I eat a whole grain source of carb - win.
See what I’m getting at?
Neither of these aims need to become a job.
If there’s one thing I would say to encourage you on your overall health and wellness quest, let it be this:
Doing something towards your aim is better than doing nothing, but trying to do it all, all the time, will usually lead you to giving up out of sheer overwhelm.
We simply cannot do it all all the time.
Anyone telling you that you’re not “wellness-ing hard enough” because you’re not eating an exact amount of protein or fiber per day has too much time on their hands and is thinking about this too much.
Let’s let other things in life consume more of our energy and focus once we’ve made some gentle strides in right direction here, then focus ourselves elsewhere.
I’d rather more brain space be spent on creative endeavors, connecting with community, or anything else than worrying if you got 20 or 30 grams of protein in that last meal, or 5 or 10 grams of fiber. Whew!
Following her plans, your protein and fiber needs will be met easily just by making her recipes - that’s a win-win if you ask me! Get done-for-you meal plans, great, flavorful recipes you can trust, and don’t think about it beyond that - hooray! Let Cassy do the thinking and planning for you here and just follow along and execute - easy peasy!
For more on each of these two topics separately, check out these posts:
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