My 5 Top Secrets to Boost Protein in Meat Free Meals
Prefer to listen to podcasts?
I chat all about this topic (in even bit more depth) on Body Bites with Bec episode 67! Listen below or head to your favourite podcast app to listen!
So, the meat-free / plant-based movement is becoming super strong right?
This is for good reason!
Why? The main benefit to this diet if done correctly (and by diet I mean way of eating) is that is it FULL of vegetables and high in fibre.
But, that doesn't mean that a safe, lower carb diet (like the one I follow and teach in the 3 Week Body Reset) that contains small amounts of meat isn't healthy too. It still contains this same, high veg/high fibre principles. This is where the multitude of health benefits come from.
Nevertheless, I still think it's great to have a few meat-free, totally plant-based meals a week for sure! Not only for your health, but for the environment too.
But, what about meeting your protein needs?
Is it possible to still get in approx. 20 g protein / main meal like I suggest in this blog and podcast?
Yes!! But only if you're careful and savvy, which is why I’ve created this blog for you with my best tips.
Here are my top 5 secrets to ensure your meat-free meals are still high in protein and your protein needs are met for the day.
1. Use a protein powder!
I LOVE using a yummy protein powder to create high protein meals that taste sweet yet are super healthy - the “have your cake and eat it too” kind of meals!
My all time favourite one is the Plantiful Vanilla Fudge Protein powder by Morlife. (code healthwithbec for 15% off)
This contains a whopping 22.8g of plant based protein per serve! Their careful fusion of whole-food plant based protein sources of hemp, pumpkin seed and rice provide you with the full spectrum of plant-based amino acids to support muscle growth and recovery.
I love having it stirred in with berries, coconut yoghurt, chia seeds and almonds for a quick, high fibre & protein snack or breakfast.
Additionally, for us women, iron is so crucial! This protein has 78% of your daily iron needs which is just another reason why I advocate it so much!
You can find the product here! I also have a 15% discount if you decide to try it for yourself with ‘HEALTHWITHBEC’!
You’ll find it in lots of the recipes here on my website too and throughout the 3 Week Body Reset.
And - if you want to know more about protein powder, if it is for you and how to choose the right one if don’t want to buy the Morlife one, this blog is for you.
2. Have tofu with your meals instead of meat sometimes!
Tofu (ensure it’s non GMO and organic) is a great low carb, high protein plant based source of protein. It contains all nine essential amino acids and is too a valuable plant source of iron and calcium!
The recipe pictured is one of my favourites right now! It encapsulates my philosophy with it being;
High protein
High fibre
Moderately low in carbs
Under 450 calories.
I’ve been loving seeing so many of you rave about this recipe on Instagram too which makes me so happy! If you’re interested in trying it for yourself check it out here!
3. If excluding meat and tofu, focus on bulking your meal up with higher-protein vegetables, topped with high protein nuts and seeds…
Firstly, how much protein should you aim for each day? At least your body weight in kg to 1.5 x that amount. So, if you’re 70 kg, you would want to be eating 70-105 g of protein per day.
That’s roughly 20-30 g of protein per meal, which is totally achievable!
The vegetables that are the highest in protein that I like to eat that are also low carb are:
Bean sprouts (3 g protein per cup)
Spinach (5.3 g protein in 1 cup boiled/cooked)
Asparagus (2.9 g of protein per cup)
Brussels sprouts (3 g per cup)
Broccoli (2.6 g per cup)
Then, top these with these…
Hemp Seeds (6.7 g grams of protein in 2 tbsp)
Tahini (5.2 g of protein in 2 tbsp)
Chia seeds (4.6 g grams of protein in 2 tbsp)
I love to make big bowls with an array of different vegetables, mostly including those high protein ones, drizzled in tahini and topped with hemp seeds like pictured above! You’d be surprised to know that a simple meal like that actually contains over 20 g of protein! Easy right!
4. Cook with this Slendier bean pasta!
Okay this is by far one of my favourite low carb, high protein, meat free options! It’s delicious and is super high protein and fibre compared to regular pasta!
I have this once a week at least and enjoy half a box (yep, l it’s low calorie enough to do that).
I have it with a bunch of broccolini (cooked in with the pasta), then top it with pesto or my other favourite pasta sauce.
1/2 box will provide you with 15 g protein. Add the bunch of broccolini and that will add another 3.5 g. So, in total, this meal would have 18.5 g protein (just shy of the rough 20 g that I would aim for in main meals!). You could always add some hemp seeds for an extra punch of plant based protein if desired too (2 tbsp would add another 6.7 g!).
5. Add a tasteless collagen powder to your meals
This has got to be one of my favourite hacks.
1 serve of most collagen powders contains around 5 g of protein and is low calorie too. So, I love to add 2 serves to meals like soup!
I also add it to my coffee sometimes, a glass of hot almond milk with stevia and cinnamon, or just have it in water if I feel like my meal was mainly vegetables are worried I haven’t met my protein for the day!
You can literally put it in anything.
So, what’s the best collagen to buy? One that is made from hydrolysed collagen - this is the most readily absorbed and utilised by the body. Morlife do a great one - man I love this brand, you can see why!
Once again, remember to enter the code HEALTHWITHBEC at checkout to receive 15% off.
I hope you loved this blog!
PS - I think it’s extremely important to begin to learn and have an idea about how protein and calories add up in your meals. I recommend using the app My Diet Dairy if you are making changes a few times a week to learn and become conscious! Or, if you’re in my Tribe or do my 3 Week Body Reset, I do this all for you.
Bec