Proteins are essential nutrients that provide amino acids that are needed to build muscle and other tissues in your body. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that you get 10 to 35 percent of your daily calories from protein. Protein is very abundant in beef, pork, poultry and seafood. However, you can also get protein from milk and eggs, as well as many plant-based foods. Add these meatless protein sources to your meals to ensure adequate protein intake, even if you are a vegetarian.
Step 1
Use high-protein legumes -- such as beans, lentils and peas -- in your soups, casseroles, salads and sauces to increase the protein content. For example, soybeans have 29 grams of protein, canned white beans 19 grams, lentils 18 grams and peas 16 grams in a 1-cup serving. Black, pinto and kidney beans have 15 grams of protein, and chickpeas have 14 grams in a 1-cup serving.
Step 2
Increase the amount of other high-protein vegetables in your meals. Frozen spinach has 8 grams of protein in a 1-cup serving. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts have 6 grams in 1 cup. Asparagus, artichokes and collard greens have 5 grams, and canned yellow corn has 4 grams of protein in a 1-cup serving.
Step 3
Add hard cheese to your sauces, salads and tacos, and add cottage cheese to your desserts. For example, ricotta and cottage cheese have 28 grams of protein in 1 cup, while Swiss cheese has 8 grams. Mozzarella, provolone and cheddar cheese have 7 grams of protein in 1-ounce serving.
Step 4
Drink milk with your meals or use milk in your sauces to add protein. One cup of milk has 8 grams of protein.
Step 5
Add nuts and seeds to your sauces or salads. They are high in protein and healthy unsaturated fatty acids. A 1-ounce serving of peanuts has 8 grams of protein, while 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds has 6 grams. A 1-ounce serving of pistachios and almonds have 6 grams of protein.
Step 6
Use high-protein grains in your meals. For example, cooked bulgur has 6 grams of protein in a 1-cup serving, and cooked white or brown long-grain rice have 5 grams of protein per cup.
Step 7
Add tomato paste to your sauces and casseroles. One cup of tomato paste has 11 grams of protein.
Step 8
Use tofu and other soy-based “meats” to substitute for real meat. Tofu has 10 grams of protein in a 1/2-cup serving.
Step 9
Add eggs to your meals. Eggs are high in protein, and egg whites are also nearly fat-free. One whole egg has 7 grams of protein, while one egg white has 4 grams.
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