How to Get More Protein in Your Diet

Did you know that proteins are the second most abundant molecule in your body after water? Well, considering they are the biological building blocks - right from the depths of the DNA to the hair on your head, it's all proteins, baybeh! So, being the most essential and abundant building material of the body of any organism, protein as a nutrient holds a significant amount of importance when we talk about health, fitness and the body's ability to repair damages to itself. Protein also plays an extremely important role in the development and health of muscles. Now those of you who follow fitness regimes, whether for weight loss or for gaining muscle mass, must be aware that besides making your body fitter and giving you a more youthful look and feel, better muscles mean lower fat.

Yes, fats and muscles in our bodies are inversely proportionate. More developed the muscles lesser the amount of fats and less developed the muscles, more the amount of fats. Therefore, besides rejuvenating your body by replenishing the basic building material, inclusion of essential proteins in your daily diet also means that it is possible for you to lose all that extra flab by consciously including protein rich food in your daily diet! So, ready to find out how to get more protein in your diet? I bet you are! Here is a list of foods that are good sources of protein if you intend to follow a protein diet plan.

Protein Rich Food Sources

Although dietary proteins are most abundant in non vegetarian food sources, there are a lot of options available for vegetarians and vegans in case you are wondering how to get more protein for vegetarians. The following list is categorically classified into vegetarian and non vegetarian food items. When you go through it, you'll realize that you can very conveniently fit most of these food items into your daily diet and can also substitute various unhealthy snacks with some of the following options. So, here's some of the best protein diet foods that will more than satisfy your daily protein needs.

Protein Rich Vegetarian / Vegan Food Sources

Vegetables
Asparagus Aubergine Broccoli Beetroot Cabbage Brussels Sprouts Carrot Celery	Cauliflower Chicory Cucumber Courgette Endive Dandelion greens Lettuce Garlic	Mushrooms Squash Okra Onion Spring Onion Parsnip Pumpkin Peppers	Rutabaga Spinach Sweet Corn Sweet Potato Turnip Tomato Yam Watercress

Legumes Lentils Mung Beans Garbanzo Beans Navy Beans Kidney Beans Pinto Beans Soy Beans Lima Beans

Nuts and Seeds Almonds Peanuts Cashews Pumpkin Seeds Sunflower Seeds Pecan Walnuts

Grains and Cereals White Rice Brown Rice Whole Wheat Flour Cornmeal Wheat Bran Oat Bran

Protein Rich Non Vegetarian Food Sources

Fish and Seafood Trout Salmon Shark Anchovies Mullets Halibut Lemon Sole Haddock

Meat and Poultry Lean Beef Pork Chicken Turkey Eggs

Dairy Milk Cheese Yogurt Whey

Food products made from the above list of protein rich edibles are also very good sources of dietary protein. Such products would include soy milk, tofu, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, etc. Also, you can come up with a lot of simple and interesting ideas and protein rich recipes which make optimum use of protein rich foods. For instance, instead of grabbing those fries, make yourself a tuna sandwich using whole wheat bread or fix yourself a quick brown bread and peanut butter sandwich! You see, there are so many ways in which you can introduce more protein in your diet! In case you're lactose intolerant and cannot take advantage of milk and other dairy products, you can always bank upon soy milk and tofu which are as rich in beneficial proteins as their dairy counterparts! Even vegetarians and vegans can turn their daily food intake into a protein rich affair by just making sure they are eating the right stuff. Mostly, all green leafy vegetables and almost all legumes (pulses, beans, lentils, etc.) have a rich protein content. None of the food items listed above are hard to procure and it would be best to consume them as fresh as possible. So, when do YOU get started?