‘I Want To Eat More Protein Without Triggering My ED’

Q:

hey there AS!

I have been loving so much of the inclusive and accessible strength training content being published here and have been following along as I embark on my own lifting journey, which in many ways has been great for my mental health and has made me better understand the concept of food as fuel after many years of seeing food as something to fear. I’ve been in and out of various therapy and treatment programs for disordered eating habits and have been pretty stable in my recovery for a while now. I mostly practice an approach to eating best described as intuitive eating, but I don’t follow any nutritionists or anything because even some of the best ones can sometimes say things that end up triggering me.

I KNOW I’m not eating enough protein, especially considering the lifting I’m doing and how I want to lift heavier and heavier. But I do not want to track my protein intake explicitly because I don’t want to do any tracking of my food intake. It’s just too slippery of a slope. I’m doing protein bars from time to time but honestly haven’t found one I’m crazy about (yes, I’ve read the ranking y’all did!). Plus, they’re kind of expensive and also seem to really boast their macros front and center on all the packaging, which I realize might be helpful for some people but isn’t so much for me.

Any tips and tricks for how to incorporate more protein naturally into my meals without tracking and without pre-packaged snacks grately appreciated!

A:

Hi! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our strength training content! Stef Rubino is doing a great job and also is my personal strength coach, so I’ve learned so much from them.

A lot of what you’ve written resonates with me. While I do sometimes supplement my protein intake with bars and other pre-packaged foods, my preference is to just get a lot of protein in every meal I make, without having to think about it too hard because I’d also rather not track/think about macros for similar reasons. Here are some of the things I’ve been able to incorporate in a lot of the food I make that ups the protein:

• Greek Yogurt – This is by far my favorite way to protein boost any meal. You don’t mention any dietary restrictions, so I’m going to assume dairy, meat, etc. are all fair game here. I love making savory dips with greek yogurt or having it with berries and honey in the morning. For things like chicken salad, tuna salad, potato salad, egg salad, etc., I’ll usually use a combination of both greek yogurt and mayo. So it’s not a substitute for mayo (I love mayo!) but just a way to supplement with a bit more protein. People also like to use cottage cheese in this way, but I personally prefer greek yogurt. Cottage cheese sometimes reminds me too much of early aughts diet culture.
• Feta / Paneer / Ricotta – I like to add protein-rich cheeses to salads or sandwiches, including feta and ricotta. Paneer also has more protein than you’d expect! My homemade saag paneer (with, you guessed it, greek yogurt mixed in with the cream) packs a ton of protein without sacrificing flavor.
• Rotisserie Chicken – Chicken in general is such an easy way to get protein, but when you don’t have time to prep and cook it yourself, picking up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is efficient and cost-effective. I like to make a greek yogurt-based sauce for the chicken with grated garlic, lemon juice, and some herbs.
• Ultra-Filtered Milk – I don’t know why it took me so long to buy into the ultra-filtered milk thing, but damn this milk has literally double the protein and tastes just the same as any grocery store milk but is, I swear, creamier? So great for lattes, cold foam, etc. Fairlife is the main brand, but a cheaper alternative is the 2% ultra-filtered milk they sell at Aldi.
• Tinned Fish – Who knew my tinned fish obsession was compatible with my protein goals?! Smoked oysters, tuna, basically everything made by Fishwife?! It’s all pretty good on the protein front and easy to add to salads and sandwiches. As a side note, I recently learned how much protein is in a dozen raw oysters and WOW what an incredibly chic way to get your protein!!!!
• Frozen Soybeans – I always have these in the freezer because they’re super easy to add to quick soups.

Obviously, there are tons of other ways to get protein, including fish, meat, and legumes, but the above are some of the easy staples I keep around that can be added to so many things. Protein snacks have obviously become a big business, and that’s fine! But I promise you don’t have to be buying every protein fad to feed your growing muscles. Just adding a few things that’ll up the protein you’re eating can go a long way, and you’ll likely be able to feel the difference in the gym.

While I write this from the personal perspective of having dealt with disordered eating tendencies of my own, I of course encourage you to seek professional mental or physical health help if you do find yourself slipping backwards in your recovery journey. And I encourage anyone reading this who has their own tips to offer to throw them in the comments, because this is all just what personally works for me, but there are so many other ways to incorporate protein outside of buying pre-packaged products.