Erica Hoke discusses how to get enough protein without eating lots of meat, especially for women trying to conceive. Aim for 25-30g per meal using eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, nuts, beans, and protein powder. Build your plate with protein first, then add vegetables, carbs, and healthy fats.
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How, how do you go about adding good, clean proteins to your diet? Especially, let's just say, for the woman who doesn't love meat, what do you— how do you help them through that?
Yeah, that's a great question too. And I really, uh, try to kind of, you know, almost like eliminate that overwhelm where you think of it. Let's aim for at least like 25 to 30 grams of protein with every meal, you know, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Then if we add one or two protein-rich snacks or smoothies or protein, then you really easily hit that goal, you know, uh, with that in mind. And I really teach my clients, if you look at your plate, let's kind of start with protein first and then build lots of veggies, some complex carbs, healthy fats around it. So that way we're getting optimal protein, we're starting with that, but we're adding a ton of antioxidants, fibers, all of the good things like complex carbs, like sweet potatoes, something like that. That's also going to help us boost fertility too. You know, it's great to— it doesn't always necessarily have to be, like you said, the big piece of chicken or steak, right? Yeah. You know, it could be like for breakfast, some eggs and cottage cheese, you know, or Greek yogurt for a snack that gives you the serving, 15 grams of protein. Yeah, if you add like walnuts or pumpkin seeds on it, some berries, you kind of hit your fiber. And with that snack, you easily hit 20 grams of protein. For us as women, I do like to add sometimes 2 collagen or protein powder to coffee or tea just because it's easier again to boost it like another 15, 20 grams where you don't feel like you're eating the chicken. Or a little bit of tuna could be like a tuna snack with some crackers and avocados. Sprinkle a little bit of pumpkin seeds or nutritional yeast that has 5 grams of protein, beans, you know, quinoa has some too, edamame for a snack, you know. So, and again, dairy, if you can tolerate it, that's a great source with even something like mozzarella sticks on the go. Or, and I do like high-quality protein powder too.
