Surprising Sources of Protein
When you think of protein, you typically think of a few standard items - such as meat, eggs and nuts. If you rely exclusively on these standards for all your protein needs, your diet will eventually get pretty boring - which is why we have rounded up some of our favourite foods, which are packed with protein!
As we list through these "surprising" sources of protein you might want to consider them in comparison to more common sources of protein. For example: a piece of chicken breast contains 54 grams of protein, one half cup of tofu contains 10 grams of protein, and a piece of steak contains about 62 grams of protein.
The amount of protein you need per day is between 46 and 56 grams, which is actually pretty modest. You can meet the daily suggestion with one piece of chicken, or you can diversify your diet and pick up some protein with a mix-and-match approach. Meaning, you could meet one day’s protein quota with the following daily menu: quinoa with hemp seeds for breakfast, tofu stir fry with broccoli and wild rice for lunch, and whole grain pasta tossed with peas and spinach for dinner.
Let’s take a look at some surprising sources of protein.
Broccoli ~ One cup of chopped broccoli contains nearly three grams of protein, and while that doesn’t seem like a lot of protein, add one cup of broccoli to a stir fry with quinoa, peas, spinach, and meat, and you’re halfway to your daily allowance of protein!
Wholegrain Pasta ~ We know that fresh pasta tastes like heaven-on-earth, but a one cup serving of whole grain pasta has eight grams of protein, a feat white-flour pasta can’t even touch. You can find whole grain pasta next to the traditional pasta in any grocery store.
Greek yoghurt ~ A little more than half a cup of Greek yoghurt contains 18 grams of protein. Opt for greek yogurt over regular yogurt and avoid greek varieties with added flavours. Because of its high protein content, greek yogurt is a common go-to as a post-workout snack.
Spinach ~ A cup of spinach,, and any leafy green (kale, collard greens, etc), provides five grams of protein per cup. That’s part of why spinach is a popular smoothie addition because you don’t have to resort to processed supplements like protein powder!
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