Coffee at 7, a handful of almonds at 10, a salad at 1 that was mostly lettuce and good intentions. By 3, you're standing at the pantry wondering what happened to your willpower.
Your willpower is fine. Often, that afternoon is a protein problem, and it's one of the more fixable things in nutrition.
How much do you need?
The number you'll see quoted for adult women (about 46g a day) is the RDA, a baseline set to prevent deficiency in the general population. If you're strength training and want to build or keep muscle, you'll likely do better with more.
The simplest target I give: around 30g of protein at each meal, plus a protein-forward snack if you're hungry between them. No tracking app required. Spread it across 3 or 4 meals, include some after you train, and pair it with fiber and healthy fats so it keeps you full longer.
Pregnant, nursing, managing allergies or a medical condition? Your needs may be different, so check with your provider.
What 30g looks like
- A palm-and-a-half of chicken breast, about 4 oz cooked
- 3 eggs with half a cup of cottage cheese
- A cup of Greek yogurt with half a scoop of protein powder stirred in
- Half a block of extra-firm tofu with half a cup of edamame
Easy ways to get there
- Start with breakfast. It's usually the lightest meal of the day, so it's the easiest win.
- Build the plate around the protein. Pick it first, then add your carbs, fats and veggies.
- Keep a few grab-and-go options. String cheese, jerky, cottage cheese cups, roasted edamame, or a protein bar you like the taste of.
- Mix in plant protein if you want to. Tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils, chickpeas and quinoa all count.
- Cook once, eat twice. Make extra chicken, tofu or ground turkey on Sunday, and Monday's lunch is already half done.
A few meals to steal
- Greek yogurt bowl with berries and chia
- Egg scramble with turkey, veggies and avocado
- Chicken or tofu stir-fry with rice and edamame
- Protein oats with peanut butter
- Cottage cheese with fruit and almonds
Find the meal that's lightest on protein right now and fix that one first. The rest can wait.
For more ideas, my free High Protein Recipe Guide has the protein counted on every recipe, so dinner isn't a calculation.
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Written by Rachel Keller, a NASM and Lagree-certified coach training women in person in Los Angeles and online through RK Method.
