How to Eat More Protein Without Making Everything About Protein

If you're a woman over 40, you've probably gotten the message by now:

You need to eat more protein.

Protein is everywhere right now. High-protein breakfasts. High-protein snacks. Protein coffee. Protein oatmeal. And apparently we're all supposed to eat 47 million eggs before 9 a.m. 😂

But knowing protein is important and actually figuring out how to get enough protein during the day are two very different things.

Especially when you don't want every meal to feel like chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt, repeat.

The good news? You probably don't need to completely change what you're eating.

Instead, you may just need to find a few simple ways to bump up the protein in the foods and meals you're already eating.

Why Protein Can Feel So Hard to Get

Most women I talk to already know they should probably be eating more protein, especially during perimenopause and menopause when maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important.

The problem comes when you get to the end of the day and realize you're nowhere close to the amount you were hoping to eat.

Then dinner rolls around and suddenly you're staring at your plate thinking:

Am I supposed to eat half a cow to catch up?

No, thank you.

Instead of trying to cram it all into one meal, look for little opportunities throughout your day.

Five grams here.

Ten grams there.

A little extra at breakfast. A little more at lunch. A higher-protein snack.

Those small additions can add up without making you feel like protein is all you're eating.

Start With the Meals You're Already Eating

Before you create a brand-new meal plan, ask yourself one question:

How could I bump the protein up a little in what I'm already eating?

If you're already making chicken for dinner, could you put another couple of ounces on your plate?

You're not cooking something different. You're not adding another recipe to your week. You're simply eating a little more of the protein you're already making.

You can do the same thing throughout your day.

Easy Ways to Add More Protein at Breakfast

If you normally eat yogurt, try choosing Greek yogurt, which typically gives you more protein than regular yogurt.

If you love oatmeal like I do, try adding chia seeds or flaxseed. They aren't going to magically turn your oatmeal into a massive high-protein breakfast, but remember—we're looking for those little additions.

You could also have Greek yogurt alongside your oatmeal or add eggs to something you're already eating.

Another easy option is adding egg whites to your regular eggs for some additional protein.

You don't have to turn breakfast into a giant plate of eggs, egg whites, turkey sausage and cottage cheese just because social media told you that you need a huge amount of protein before 8 a.m.

We're simply looking for ways to add a little more.

Make Lunch Work a Little Harder for You

The same idea applies at lunch.

If you eat wraps, compare the ones you're buying. I often look for wraps that are higher in fiber, and many of those also have a little more protein.

Maybe you add a little more turkey or chicken than you normally would.

Use leftover meat from dinner.

Add beans to a salad or bowl. Beans give you protein along with fiber.

Another favorite of mine is edamame.

My family lived in Japan for eight years, and we really grew to enjoy edamame. You can add it to salads or bowls, eat it as a side, or even use it as your vegetable at dinner.

Now your vegetable is also contributing some protein to your meal.

That's what I mean when I say:

Make your food work a little harder for you.

Don't Forget About Snacks

Snacks are another easy opportunity.

One of my current favorites is a jalapeño beef stick—which is funny because I used to think beef sticks were disgusting.

My husband used to open them in the car, and I couldn't stand the smell. I basically banned him from eating them in the car.

And now?

I eat them. 😂

I've even started putting them in my kids' lunches because it is SO easy to fill a lunchbox with carbs.

Fruit snacks. Chips. Fresh fruit. Granola bars. Applesauce.

There's nothing wrong with those foods. But sometimes I'll look at their lunches and think, You need something with some protein in here that's going to help keep you full.

A beef stick is easy and portable.

For your own snacks, you could also try Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese with fruit, or another protein you enjoy.

That doesn't mean every snack has to contain protein.

We're simply looking for opportunities.

My Easy Greek Yogurt Trick

Sometimes I'll make dinner, look at my plate and realize the meal is a little low in protein.

Pizza night is a great example.

I'm not going to cook an entirely different dinner just because I realized I could use more protein.

Instead, sometimes I'll grab a single-serving Greek yogurt and eat it with my meal or afterward.

The ones I buy have around 20 grams of protein, and they also hit that little sweet spot I sometimes want after dinner.

Now I've added protein without forcing myself to eat another piece of chicken when I don't want any more chicken.

Protein doesn't always have to come from the main food sitting in the middle of your plate.

Look around.

Could you add Greek yogurt? Beans? Edamame? A higher-protein pasta? Chia or flaxseed? A higher-protein wrap? A couple more ounces of meat?

None of those changes alone are revolutionary.

But together, they add up.

Don't Save All Your Protein for Dinner

This was something I used to do.

I'd realize later in the day that I hadn't gotten enough protein, and then my dinner plate would be PACKED with meat.

It's not enjoyable.

If getting enough protein feels difficult, take a look at breakfast and lunch first.

Could you add a little more protein to breakfast?

Could lunch have a little more?

Could one of your snacks include protein?

Spreading it throughout your day makes it much easier than trying to catch up at dinner.

Protein Is Important—But Not at the Expense of Everything Else

This might be the most important part.

We have a tendency to learn that something is good for us and immediately think:

MORE MUST BE BETTER.

Then suddenly we're so focused on protein that we're forgetting about fruits, vegetables, whole grains, carbohydrates, healthy fats and fiber.

I don't want you walking away thinking everything you eat needs to contain protein.

Because then we've taken another helpful nutrition recommendation and turned it into another diet rule.

And we don't need another rule.

I don't want you picking up a banana and thinking:

"Well, this doesn't have enough protein, so I shouldn't eat it."

Eat the banana.

The banana didn't suddenly become a bad food because you're trying to eat more protein.

For years we've heard fat is bad. Then carbs were bad. Now protein is having its moment.

But protein being important doesn't mean everything else matters less.

I Would Like Some Potatoes, Please

Listen, I love protein.

I love a good steak. I eat plenty of chicken.

But I don't want to sit down to a plate containing a steak, chicken breast, three eggs and a side of Greek yogurt because I'm trying to hit a protein goal.

I would like some potatoes, please. 😂

I want vegetables.

I want carbohydrates.

I want healthy fats.

And I want meals that taste good and that I actually enjoy eating.

We're not trying to win the Protein Olympics.

We're trying to nourish our bodies, maintain and build muscle, stay satisfied, have energy and create a way of eating that we can actually continue doing.

And enjoyment matters.

Build Meals, Not More Food Rules

This is why I keep coming back to balanced meals.

Protein. Carbohydrates. Healthy fats. Fiber.

We want all of them.

So instead of asking:

What can I remove so I can eat more protein?

Try asking:

How can I add a little more protein to what I'm already eating?

That's a completely different mindset.

We're adding.

We're building.

We're not creating another list of foods you're allowed and not allowed to eat.

Try This This Week

Pick one meal or snack you already eat regularly.

Then ask yourself:

How could I bump the protein up a little?

Maybe it's another couple ounces of meat at dinner. Maybe it's Greek yogurt. Maybe it's beans or edamame. Maybe it's choosing a different wrap or pasta. Maybe it's tossing a beef stick in your purse for a busy afternoon.

That's it.

You don't need a completely different meal plan.

And you definitely don't need protein to become one more thing you're trying to do perfectly.

Start looking for those little opportunities throughout your day.

Because protein is important—but not at the expense of everything else.

The goal isn't to build the highest-protein diet possible.

It's to build a balanced way of eating that supports your muscles, your energy, your health and your actual life.

And yes, that includes eating food you enjoy.