I have had a lot of people reach out to me about high protein/low carb meal ideas, so my meal prep for these next few weeks will be dedicated to that. I’ve been working out more than my normal, so I need to kick up my protein intake, and eliminate some wasteful calories that I have slowly let slip back into my diet.
When I was losing I didn’t really worry about protein and carbs, I mainly focused on calories and sugars. Now that I am trying to gain muscle, I need to add more protein to my diet. I did some research on types of food to eat if you’re working on high protein/low carb diet.
I found this article, https://greatist.com/health/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-abs and it was a great read – highly recommend!! I will hit on some key points I took away:
Whole foods - This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins (eggs, fish, lean meats, poultry), healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds)
Complex carbs - This includes fruit, vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains, sweet potatoes, quinoa, squash, oats
Fiber - Fruits (berries), vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains (steel cut oats, quinoa, sprouted grains)
Eliminate sugar - Obviously this includes cokes, and energy drinks – but also check the ingredients in bread and crackers – added sugars slip in everywhere
More protein - This includes fish, lean red meat and poultry, nuts, seeds, eggs, low fat dairy (Greek yogurt), beans, legumes, high quality grains - on the website, there is a simple way to calculate how many grams of protein your body needs daily
Processed food - NO – I can’t say it any simpler – if you want to lose weight this has got to go!! This includes cakes, cookies, brownies, crackers, chips, white bread, pasta, all fried food
I did not (and still don’t) eat grains or dairy - I always felt like it was too many calories and too easy to get carried away. I would love to eat oatmeal, but by the time I fix it the way I like it, it's not healthy anymore! I am careful about how much and how often I eat beans – but when I do I usually stick to black beans or kidney beans.
There are so many ways to cook vegetables, and pairing it up with meat. Try using different seasonings (check the sugars!!). You'll be surprised at how different the food can taste when paired with different sides, and using different seasonings!
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