Girlwithnoname – Fitness at Home

As someone who wants to stay healthy and fit (and enjoy optimum performance and energy during my workouts) I always make sure I get adequate protein in my diet.

Today, just for a change of pace I thought I’d share some of my favourite protein-rich foods, and let you in on how I prepare them to make them the yummiest meals or snacks possible.

So, without further ado, here is my:

Top 10 Favourite Ways To Eat Protein

10) Nuts and seeds are a staple in my diet. I love a handful of raw almonds with my pre-workout apple (no prep needed, just chew ’em down), or a handful of sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds in my yogurt or tossed onto a salad.

9) A yummy baked salmon sprinkled with Mrs. Dash’s Lemon Pepper or baked teriyaki style in sauce is a great way to get my omega-3. Toss it on the side, or on top of a green salad for a healthy dinner.

8) This might be a throwback from my childhood cuz my family had this for dinner a lot when I was a kid so I was thrilled to discover organic pork at my local supermarket. I absolutely adore a dinner of broiled pork chops with apple sauce and sauerkraut (and btw, fermented foods like sauerkraut and asian kimchee contain probiotics and are super low-cal, so if you like that kind of stuff, feel free to eat lots of it).

7) One of my favourite ways to jazz up an otherwise ‘ho hum’ green salad is to toss some grilled organic skinless chicken breast on it. Grilled just right, it’s juicy and tender (even without the skin) and really kicks my salad up a notch. Try smearing goat cheese on top of the chicken breast for an even yummier treat with even more protein… add pine nuts to your salad if you want even more protein.

6) All natural nut butters like peanut butter and almond butter (with a tiny bit of all-fruit spread to sweeten things up) are regular resources when I’m looking for a yummy topping for rye crackers or my ‘special’ pancakes (see #3 for more about those). I also love adding nut butters to my oatmeal (with a little honey to sweeten it up) and on the rare occasion that I eat toast, you can bet some kind of nut butter is going to be on top. Try using them as a dip for celery too. Crunchy and nutty. Mm Mm.

5) I can’t say enough good things about eggs (free-range of course). Try them my very favourite way by scrambling them with hot chilis and mixing in hot sauce afterward. Top them with some grated raw milk sharp cheddar cheese for more of a protein hit (but watch your calories with the cheese)… I also love eating eggs almost every way imaginable but keeping some hard boiled eggs in the fridge and eating them cold when you’re on the run and don’t have time to cook beats eating protein bars and supplements hands down.

4) Any kind of ground meat (skinless turkey breast, skinless chicken breast, extra lean beef or bison) is fantastic in a healthy taco salad with romaine, tomatoes, onions, lots of salsa, mashed avocado and a few crumbles of baked tortilla chips. If you want to up the protein on this one even more, add some black beans to your meat in the last 2 minutes of cooking and then top with grated raw milk cheddar cheese. [pictured]

3) I have breakfast for dinner often. My very favourite “tastes like cheating but isn’t” protein-heavy meal is a batch of Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Pancakes, which also contains eggs (yum)… try stirring some walnut chunks into the batter before cooking for even more protein. [click link for recipe]

2) Try getting some frozen raw shrimp or prawns and saute them into a stir-fry with lots of whichever veggies you love (I really dig snow peas, asparagus and celery)… if you want to up the ante on the protein, toss in some toasted cashews as well. Or grill the prawns and toss them on the plate beside the stir-fry instead. That’s pretty darned delicious too. A great protein-filled snack for munching on while watching TV is a small bowl of pre-cooked shrimp dipped in organic all-natural seafood cocktail sauce. Healthier than chips. And probably lower in calories too (as long as you don’t eat the entire package, that is).

… and (drum roll please) here is my VERY favourite #1 way to eat protein:

1) I just cannot get enough of steak, glorious and yummy sirloin steak… I love to grill it or if the weather won’t cooperate, I just stick it under the broiler – medium rare for me please!! I’m just as happy with organic beef OR bison meat. I choose sirloin every time because the sirloin cut is lean but still grills or broils up very nice, tender and juicy. It’s great with a salad, or grilled veggies like red pepper and asparagus, and some steamed sweet potato. If it’s Summer you’ll probably find a corn on the cob on my plate, too. YUM!!

* all protein sources that I eat are free range and/or organic (or in the case of seafood, wild and not farmed) in order to get more healthy omega-3s and into my diet, and to avoid grain-fed, steroid-injected, mass-produced meats and dairy which can actually be unhealthy and high in omega-6 and bad saturated fats

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, no I do NOT drink protein shakes or consume protein powder of any kind.

I know, I know. Many people swear by them. Truthfully, I think they’re kidding themselves. Or they’re listening to pretty bad advice and pretty GOOD (and misleading) marketing and they just haven’t educated themselves properly about the truth behind all that b.s. marketing.

The reasons I don’t let myself get sucked into the slick promises made by the supplement companies are a many:

a) Most protein powders and supplements are absolutely CHOCK FULL of fillers you don’t need, additives and chemicals your body doesn’t recognize, and preservatives that can’t possibly be good for you.

b) Protein powders and shakes are PROCESSED… and I don’t believe that consuming processed ‘pseudo-food’ is the healthiest choice. I believe in getting my nutrition from real food, the stuff that nature intended, not food ‘replacements’ that our bodies were never designed to process. Even if the protein powder is from ALL natural sources and contains NO preservatives, it’s STILL processed and I believe processed food is confusing for our bodies. The majority of the time we can do better for ourselves than that.

c) A lot of the whey protein comes from cows that are not grass-fed or organic. Why am I going out of my way to eat healthy, happy animals for my protein if I’m just going to chug down protein powder from the animals I’m trying to avoid consuming? Some protein powders are made with soy protein. No thanks. I’ve heard enough bad stuff about soy over the past few years that I no longer touch the stuff.

d) Sucking down a shake instead of real food doesn’t help me feel full for longer than a few minutes (it’s the same reason I no longer drink fruit juice). Liquid calories just don’t fill me up adequately for the allotment of calories I have in my day if I want to stay lean, so I prefer to chew and digest my calories, which makes me feel full and satisfied far longer, rather than absorbing massive quantities of liquid without getting that much needed feeling of satiety that successful lean-body nutrition plans rely on.

Now all that being said, I’ll admit sometimes I need the convenience of something I can take along with me when I’m on the run and chow down on quickly between meetings and clients during a crazy work day.

Yes, dear friend, I WILL occasionally eat a (GASP!) protein bar.

But trust that when I DO, it’s ALWAYS one made from 100% natural and organic ingredients that I recognize, without any chemically, hard to pronounce ingredients, or preservatives (ElevateMe and LaraBar or bars made with 100% whole nuts held together with honey are the only types I’ll eat).

Yes, the first two are processed and consuming processed stuff mostly goes against my personal credos but when you’re on the go, sometimes it’s just necessary. And it sure the heck beats stopping at some greasy fast food restaurant to fill the gap.

But for me, eating protein bars is the exception, not the rule. I only consume them when there are no other healthy options available. Not like drinking 3 protein shakes a day is a regular thing for some protein-crazy people (more on this harmful habit below).

Okay, so now you’ve got a clear picture of how I get protein into my diet regularly. I hope you enjoyed that little trip through my personal nutrition!

Protein is not hard to include in every meal and it’s a good habit to try to do so… but don’t over-do it, otherwise you could be doing more harm than good.

What? You thought consuming tons of protein is healthy? Not necessarily. So keep reading:

You already know that getting lots of protein is important for building muscle and getting that toned, fit and athletic look.

But did you ALSO know that TOO MUCH protein can cause a whole collection of PROBLEMS for you physically?

Consuming too much protein can cause constipation, diarrhea, excessive gas, bad breath, dehydration and even osteoporosis.

And, did you know that TOO MUCH protein can cause a build-up of toxins in your body and put unnecessary strain on your kidneys and heart?

In your quest to be healthy, fit and build that great looking muscle, be careful not to go overboard by eating more protein than you actually need.

But, how much is enough and how much is TOO much?

If you want to find out exactly how much protein you should actually be consuming for optimum health, fitness and muscle building (and WHY), go here and read this next: “How Much Protein Is Too Much?”

Have a fit, fun and fantastic day.
Girlwithnoname

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