Protein is essential for our overall health and well-being. Whether you are building muscle, lifting weights, or generally involved in fitness activities, protein is the building block of all your efforts.
As with calories, depending on our body weight, our bodies require certain amounts of protein to function properly. Protein is not only essential for fitness and muscle building, but it is also important for brain health.
Protein regulates gene expression and the immune system, provides structural support, and is crucial for hormones, enzymes, and other building blocks.
As a person striving to live a healthy life, you need to consume enough protein to stay productive, happy, and functioning throughout the day.
Note that protein deprivation can cause serious harm, including hormonal imbalances in your body. A low-protein diet can lead to health issues such as edema, muscle atrophy, hair loss, anemia, severe infections, and stunted growth.
Consuming 100g of protein a day is important, as this ensures you are fueling your body to thrive and stay nourished.
What Does 100g of Protein Look Like
Before we discuss the foods that are particularly rich in protein, which should be the main component of your meals, and showcase some easy-to-make recipes that contain enough protein to reach the 100g mark, let’s cover a few important points first.
In the fitness world, it is generally recommended to consume 1g of protein per pound of body weight. For example, if a person weighs 130 pounds, they should aim to eat 130g of protein per day.
Since we’re not focusing on that level and instead discussing what 100g of protein looks like and how to consume it daily, let’s dive into the list of foods that will help you easily reach the 100g protein goal.
Foods With 100g of Protein
Acquiring your daily protein from meat sources is one of the best ways to hit the 100g protein goal. The protein in meats, such as beef, chicken, and lamb, are complete proteins, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids.
There are other interesting food choices to fuel your body with protein, such as seafood, eggs, and dairy products like cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, and cheese.
The key is to structure your meals around these foods and make them the main components of your daily meals. For example, if you balance your plate with 60% or more protein and 30-40% healthy carbs like rice, potatoes, or bread (preferably sourdough), you will easily reach your target goal.
Here’s a list of foods that contain the most protein per 100g, along with their calorie content:
- Chicken Breast (skinless, cooked)
- Protein: 31g
- Calories: 165 kcal
- Beef (lean, cooked)
- Protein: 26g
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Lamb (lean, cooked)
- Protein: 25g
- Calories: 294 kcal
- Fish (e.g., Salmon, cooked)
- Protein: 25g
- Calories: 206 kcal
- Eggs (whole, cooked)
- Protein: 13g
- Calories: 155 kcal
- Milk (whole)
- Protein: 3.3g
- Calories: 60 kcal
- Greek Yogurt (plain, non-fat)
- Protein: 10g
- Calories: 59 kcal
- Cottage Cheese
- Potein: 11g
- Calories: 98 kcal
- Cheddar Cheese
- Protein: 25g
- Calories: 403 kcal
- Tuna (canned in water, drained)
- Protein: 24g
- Calories: 116 kcal
If you build your meals around these ingredients, you will easily reach the 100g protein mark in a day. Below, we will provide some simple meal plan ideas that can help you surpass the 100g protein goal.
If you’re looking for top-tier, easy-to-make, and tasty recipes, along with meal plans and a personalized experience, download the Workit app to access hundreds of healthy recipes with complete macros, and request personalized meal plans tailored to your daily calorie and protein needs.
A Meal Plan with 100g Protein
Here’s a simple meal plan idea that takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, tastes great and includes healthy ingredients. This plan provides slightly over 100g of protein.
Breakfast: Greek Yogurt Bowl: mix 200g plain non-fat Greek yogurt, with 1 tbsp peanut butter and add 50g berries. Total: 24.5g protein, 233 kcal.
Snack: Hard-Boiled Eggs: Hard boil 2 large eggs.Total: 12g protein, 156 kcal.
Lunch: Tuna Salad Wrap: Wrap 100g canned tuna in 1 whole wheat tortilla, add 1 tbsp mayonnaise and mixed greens. Total: 31g protein, 366 kcal.
Dinner: Chicken & Veggies: Cook 150g chicken breast, add 100g steamed broccoli in a bowl, season with salt, pepper and drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil. Total: 49g protein, 401 kcal.
This meal plan is very simple to make, takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, and delivers over 100g of protein. The meal plan contains 118.5g of protein and 1,214 kcal.
Can I Eat 100g Protein a Day?
A lot of people think that eating 100g of protein or more is dangerous and can seriously harm their health. This is not true; in fact, it is encouraged to eat a lot of protein as it is a fundamental building block of our health.
There are important considerations when following a high-protein diet. It is essential to focus on high-quality protein sources and avoid processed and fast food options, as they can do more harm than good.
If you’re wondering whether a high-protein diet is good for weight loss, here’s a little secret: it is actually key to weight loss.
A high-protein diet helps you feel full longer and increases plasma ketone body concentrations, which contributes to greater satiety.
With a high-protein diet, you can minimize calorie intake, which helps you stay in a calorie deficit and consequently shed those extra pounds.
In short, eating 100g of protein a day or even more is encouraged. If you’re wondering how much you should eat according to your body weight, use the simple formula: 1g x your current weight (in pounds) = your daily protein goal. For example, if a person weighs 150 pounds, they should aim for 150g of protein, provided they lead an active lifestyle and work out at least 2-3 times a week.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, you can eat less. If you don’t work out and aren’t active during the day, the following formula will suffice for your daily protein needs: 0.7g x your current weight (in pounds) = your daily protein goal.
100g Protein for Vegetarians and Vegans
If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you can still obtain protein by eating healthily. There are some good options for you to eat well and hit that 100g protein mark:
- Greek Yogurt (plain, non-fat)
- Protein: 10g
- Calories: 59 kcal
- Cottage Cheese
- Protein: 11g
- Calories: 98 kcal
- Eggs (whole, cooked)
- Protein: 13g
- Calories: 155 kcal
- Cheddar Cheese
- Protein: 25g
- Calories: 403 kcal
- Milk (whole)
- Protein: 3.3g
- Calories: 60 kcal
- Tempeh
- Protein: 19g
- Calories: 192 kcal
- Tofu (firm)
- Protein: 8g
- Calories: 76 kcal
- Lentils (cooked)
- Protein: 9g
- Calories: 116 kcal
- Chickpeas (cooked)
- Protein: 9g
- Calories: 164 kcal
- Edamame (cooked)
- Protein: 11g
- Calories: 121 kcal
You can build your meals around these ingredients, and there are many options for crafting simple, easy-to-make recipes that require less than 15 minutes to prepare. If you are looking for recipes, download the Workit app to access hundreds of recipes and meal plans.
Here’s a simple meal plan idea for vegetarians and vegans that you can create easily under 15 minutes:
Breakfast: Tofu Scramble: Sauté 150g crumbled firm tofu with 2 large eggs, 1 cup spinach and 1/2 cup diced tomatoes. Total: 30g protein, 345 kcal.
Snack: Cottage Cheese: Spoon out 200g of low-fat cottage cheese. Total: 22g protein, 196 kcal.
Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwich: Mix 2 hard-boiled eggs with 1 tbsp mayonnaise and spread on 2 slices of bread. Total: 21g protein, 325 kcal.
Dinner: Cheese & Veggie Stir-Fry: Stir-fry 100g sliced cheddar cheese with 150g bell peppers, onions, broccoli in 1 tbsp olive oil. Total: 27g protein, 438 kcal.
You can customize this meal plan according to your needs, adding or removing protein and calories as you prefer. In total, the meal plan contains exactly 100g of protein and 1,388 kcal.
How to Increase Protein Intake?
A lot of people struggle with protein intake. Even if they start eating healthy and prepare all kinds of meals, it can be hard for them to keep up. For some, preparing meals can be challenging due to a busy schedule, limited time, or feeling tired and overworked.
Some people also struggle with consuming large amounts of protein and may feel uneasy about eating so much. Fortunately, there is a simple solution: a protein smoothie.
You’ve probably heard of whey protein supplements and smoothies. One scoop of whey protein contains around 25g of protein. By mixing it with a simple smoothie, you can easily consume up to 40g of protein in a tasty drink.
Protein Smoothie Recipe: Mix 1 scoop of whey protein powder with 1 cup of Greek yogurt, 1 cup of milk (cow or almond), 1/2 cup of frozen berries, and 1 tbsp of chia seeds. Total: 40.5g protein, 292 kcal.
This is a very convenient and effective trick to easily ramp up your protein consumption. You can even take the drink to work and consume it throughout the day; it will significantly boost your performance by providing your body with essential vitamins, amino acids, and minerals.
The great thing is that whey protein has alternatives, such as vegan protein powders, if you don’t consume dairy. So, there’s a solution for everyone, which is excellent.
Another good tip is to not skip breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A lot of people say it is not, but it can be crucial to meet the 100g of protein daily goal.
The thing is, if you eat around 30-40g of protein in the morning, you’ll have almost half of the job done. However, if you skip breakfast, you might not eat until 2-3pm. The longer you delay your first meal, the harder it will be to reach your daily 100g protein goal.
So eat your eggs in the morning; they take 5 minutes to prepare, taste great with salt and pepper, and provide nourishment for your body.
Recommendations That Help with Eating 100g of Protein
An important tip that helps you eat 100g of protein daily is to start tracking your protein intake. For example, apps like Workit allow you to log your meals in a daily calendar so that you can see what you have eaten and how much protein and calories you have left to consume.
This is very effective as it helps you build healthy habits, see how you are doing, and sends you notifications if you have planned your weekly calendar for when it is time to eat and what you need to consume.
Furthermore, be smart about your eating habits and the foods you consume. Try a few different recipes, choose high-quality protein sources, and understand what you like.
Start incorporating the same meals at least a few times a week; this will really take a load off your mind as you’ll know what you’re eating, what you enjoy, and what your body likes. You can also plan your grocery shopping list according to your preferences. It’s pretty simple and effective.
If you decide to purchase whey protein, make sure that you are buying a high-quality product that is ethically sourced. Carefully check the label when browsing products to ensure there are no additional or hidden ingredients.
Conclusion
Eating 100g of protein daily is beneficial to your health. It keeps your mind happy, helps you stay functional, improves your mood, and, if you train consistently, eating a protein-rich diet will help you build an impressive physique.
If you consume 100g of protein consistently, limit processed and fast food intake, and pair it with 2-3 workouts a week—whether bodyweight, light, or heavy weights—you will become unrecognizable in 90 days, both mentally and physically.
Remember that health is wealth and food is like medicine. By nourishing your body properly and consuming 100g+ of protein every day, your body will thank you in the long term as you take good care of it.
Lastly, the Workit app is ideal for planning your diet and workouts. You can access hundreds of healthy recipes within the app, complete with macros, and you can also request personalized meal plans tailored to your specific protein and calorie needs.