How I eat 120g of protein a day

Take a spin through a day's worth of high-protein meals and snacks (mostly whole foods, but I'm not afraid of "ultra-processed" either!)

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Disclaimer: One thing you should know about me is that I can f*** with food. I can track macros or calories, deliberately adjust my protein or carbs up or down, and take on different dietary self-experiments. I do this often in the name of health and performance without spinning out into an unhealthy relationship with food. Also, I am not saying you should eat this much protein, or more protein, or that you should do anything at all. I can’t tell you anything about your diet, health, context, or protein needs. But many of you have said, “I’m trying to eat more protein,” or “I’m struggling to eat enough protein,” or “how do I increase my protein without shakes?” so here we are.

Over the years, I’ve worked with two performance diet coaches (RDs and PhDs in nutrition) to dial in my diet specifically to improve my hiking. The first time (summer 2017) I discovered that I needed way more carbs than I was eating, and that I was incredibly tolerant to high amounts of carbohydrates. I hiked faster and longer than ever that summer, and never considered a low-carb approach again.

The last time (2020), I realized that what I thought was “enough protein” just… wasn’t. When I began tracking my intake at my coach’s request, it turns out I was only eating around 90 grams a day. That isn’t necessarily “low,” but wasn’t as much as he thought I needed. I made an effort to track everything I ate for a month, getting my protein up to 120-ish grams a day—and felt SO much better. Cravings disappeared, it was easier for me to hold onto strength gains, and (again) my hiking improved.

Bro math! I’m not aiming for 1 gram per pound of bodyweight, which is a common bro-protein recommendation. I discovered through trial and error that trying to eat much more than 120 grams a day makes me feel awful, so that’s my sweet spot.

It’s not easy to eat that much protein in a day without resorting to shakes, powders, or processed foods—and I have nothing against that. I use plant-based protein shakes, protein powders, and meat sticks often to supplement my intake. But I mostly prioritize whole foods to hit my protein goals. Here are my high protein secret weapons.

Tip 1: Build meals and snacks around protein

I make sure I have protein with every single meal and snack, starting with breakfast. More than that, I purposefully build my meals and snacks around protein. When evaluating a recipe, I ensure it’s got enough protein for my goals, or I figure out how to get more protein into the dish. (Ex: Adding ground meat to a bean-based chili recipe; adding shredded chicken to a butternut squash soup.)

When whipping up ingredient meals, I always start with the amount of protein I need for a meal (or four, if I’m batch-cooking), then add enough vegetables and healthy fat as a complement. Basically, protein comes first.

Ideally, snacks should contain at least two of the three basic macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbs) to ensure satiety. I also make sure all my snacks contains a dense protein source. (The protein found in my nuts and seeds won’t cut it. I’m looking for protein from meat, seafood, eggs, or a dense plant-based source like tofu.)

Fasting: If you intermittent fast, it’s real hard to eat enough in just two meals a day. Protein is incredibly satiating, and I cannot imagine eating 60 grams of protein from whole foods twice a day. Ugh. Needless to say, I do not intermittent fast, everyday fast, or otherwise fast.

Tip 2: Make protein-dense choices

I rarely eat eggs for breakfast, because I max out at three, and that’s still only 18 grams of protein. That’s going to make it much harder to meet my protein goals with the rest of my meals. If I do eat eggs, I combine them with another protein source (like shredded chicken or chicken sausage) to bump the meal total up to about 30 grams. Egg whites alone are more protein dense, but sadly, high doses mess with my stomach.

A detailed but not exhaustive list of protein-dense options:

• Chicken breast (whole or ground): 31 grams protein / 100 grams

• Turkey breast (whole or ground): 30 grams protein / 100 grams

• Kreatures of Habit Meal One: 30 grams protein / 1 packet

• Egg whites: 27 grams protein / 1 cup

• Ground turkey: 27 grams protein / 100 grams

• Tuna: 24 grams protein / 1-5 oz. can

• Pork chops: 24 grams protein / 100 grams

• Shrimp: 23 grams protein / 100 grams

• Whitefish (halibut, tilapia, cod): 20-25 grams protein / 100 grams

• Abbott’s ground “beef”: 21 grams protein / 100 grams

• Salmon: 20 grams protein / 100 grams

• Tempeh: 20 grams protein / 100 grams

• Lean ground beef (85% lean): 19 grams protein / 100 grams

• Firm tofu: 17 grams protein / 100 grams

• Greek yogurt: 17 grams / 170 grams (a typical serving size)

I share these figures so you’ll have an idea of what various sources provide in terms of protein. While I love eating plants, I don’t use plants as my primary protein source often. Eggs aren’t particularly protein dense either. Neither is bacon, an Applegate hot dog, or black beans. I still eat those things! I just pair them with other foods to bump up the total protein content. (Keep reading.)

Tip 3: Incorporate snacks or mini-meals

In the morning, I’ll sip on a protein shake as I work, and every day around 3 PM, I eat a pretty hefty mini-meal to tide me over until dinner. Without this, it would be hard to eat enough protein in just three meals. I can often get another 20-ish grams of protein in each of these snacks. My favorite sources include:

• OWYN Pro Elite plant-based protein shake: 30 grams / carton

• Kreatures of Habit Meal One: 30 grams / packet

• Daily Harvest Whole30 smoothie + pea protein: 23 grams / smoothie

• Ayoba Droewors beef meat sticks: 32 grams protein / 2 sticks

• Chomps Turkey Pepperoni Sticks: 20 grams protein / 2 sticks

• The New Primal Buffalo Chicken Stick: 18 grams protein / 2 sticks

• Greek yogurt: 17 grams / container

Not all protein shakes, meat sticks, or yogurt contain this much protein, so read your labels. Also, lots of packaged jerky contains just as much sugar as protein, which is a no-thank-you from me.

You can also do hard-boiled eggs as a snack (eat two or three), deli turkey, canned tuna, or a cup of edamame if you tolerate soy. If you can handle dairy, you can also include cottage cheese as good sources of protein. (I wish I tolerated that as well as Greek yogurt.)

Tip 4: Sneak in extra protein

The protein in your peanut butter, hummus, black beans, and other sources definitely count! They may be small amounts comparatively, but it does add up. I add protein to my meals and snacks with the following “accessories” regularly:

• Beans: Primarily black beans and cannellini beans

• Hummus: This is an extra few grams, used as a side or dip

• Nuts and seeds (and butters): I’ll add these to my snack, on my salad, or in my smoothie

• Eggs: Sometimes I’ll put an egg on it, and high-five myself for the extra 6 grams

• Quinoa: I love a scoop in a salad or as a side

• Edamame: Perfect for snacking or on salads

• Egglife wraps: These egg white wraps (which don’t bother my stomach) are 5 grams each

You also easily sneak in an extra 10+ grams with these two powerhouses:

• Bone broth: Sipping on a mug of this in the afternoon gives me an extra 10-15 grams of protein.

• Collagen powder. Collagen comes from the bones, joints, and connective tissue of animals, and contains complementary amino acids and lots of minerals. A scoop of this in your morning coffee or smoothie is an extra 10 grams of protein.

Does it count? You may have heard that the protein in broth or collagen aren’t complete proteins, and therefore don’t “count” towards your protein goal. The first part is true, the second not so much. As long as you’re eating a variety of protein sources (which contain a variety of amino acids), you don’t need every protein to be “complete.” The verdict: It counts.

The protein round-up

I see three big issues when it comes to getting enough protein. Here are the problems, and my proposed solutions.

1. Assuming you’re eating more protein than you really are. If tracking your intake for a few days won’t send you spiraling into unhealthy territory, it could be helpful for you to log your meals and snacks and add your total at the end of the day. Keep it simple, like “3 eggs for breakfast, 4 oz. chicken breast for lunch, 4 oz. ground beef for dinner.” (And if that sounds like a lot, I’ve made my point, as that’s only 68 grams.)

2. Not choosing dense sources of protein. Yes, eggs have protein, but if your breakfast is just 12 or 18 grams, you’ll struggle to get enough in your day. Familiarize yourself with protein density, and use supplemental protein to boost your content. Also, don’t trust Google, which may try to convince you that chia seeds or broccoli are “good sources of protein.” (They can be! If you eat a truckload! Do you want to eat a truckload? I didn’t think so.) Read the label if it’s a packaged good, or search for a specific ingredient in a specific quantity on a reputable database (like the USDA).

3. Not meal planning. You have to specifically plan to eat protein with each meal. And buy that protein. And cook that protein! Otherwise, you’ll end up throwing together scrambled eggs, pasta, or a takeout pizza (all of which leave you woefully short). A few of my strategies include browning a few pounds of ground turkey or chicken and air-frying some salmon cubes for easy meals; stocking up on easy-to-fix protein like pre-cooked shrimp, rotisserie chicken, and Kreatures of Habit Meal One; and always having some grab-and-go options, like Greek yogurt or deli turkey.

Remember, you will pick up a few grams here and there with the rest of your food— the aforementioned cup of broccoli does have 2.5 grams. But if your main protein sources or portions total way less than the amount you’re hoping to eat, it would be helpful to purposefully adjust your intake using the tips above.

As a last word, I’m not precious about this. I don’t track anything now, I don’t worry about “hitting my target” every day, and I order eggs when I go out for brunch with my family. The small window when I really paid attention helped me dial in my diet such that most days, I’m generally eating the amount of protein that helps me feel my best—and that’s good enough for me.

XO, MU