Of course, I already knew protein powder was an easy hack to boost my intake, and the one I use delivers about 28 grams of protein per scoop. Protein bars, which seem to come in endless varieties, also seemed like helpful boosts.<\/p>\n
However, I was personally wary of relying too heavily on\u00a0ultra-processed foods<\/a>\u00a0to achieve my gym gains. While protein products have more dietary benefits than a bag of chips, it didn’t make sense to prioritize my health in one way while depriving myself of more nutritious protein sources.<\/p>\n Through years of trial and error, I found a few whole (or at least minimally processed) high-protein foods that I could keep in my fridge or pantry to easily upgrade every meal.<\/p>\n Cottage cheese for a protein-packed omelet<\/p>\n An omelet with 2 eggs and half a cup of cottage cheese is about 26 grams of protein. The two pieces of whole-grain toast add another 10 grams.\u00a0<\/p>\n Julia Pugachevsky<\/p>\n I was really resistant to the idea of lumpy, wet cottage cheese<\/a> in anything, no matter how many TikTok influencers swore by “cottage cheese bread” or “cottage cheese cookie dough.”<\/p>\n But after I took 20 minutes to psych myself up to let a molecule of cottage cheese, blended with marinara, make contact with the tip of my tongue, I realized it basically tastes like ricotta when properly disguised. (A lower-fat version of it, anyway).<\/p>\n A cup of cottage cheese adds 28 grams of protein to the sauce. I also use protein pasta and protein sources like shrimp and seitan to further increase the protein content.\u00a0<\/p>\n Julia Pugachevsky<\/p>\n I’m still not on board with swapping cottage cheese or its tangy cousin, Greek yogurt<\/a>, in desserts \u2014 my taste buds are only capable of so much denial. However, cottage cheese has become my go-to source of protein-ifying a simple omelet or quick pasta dinner.<\/p>\n It’s called growth (emotional and, hopefully, muscular).<\/p>\n Tinned fish, the MVP of quick, filling lunches<\/p>\n Is it pretty? No. Does my breath smell great after? Also no. But the protein!\u00a0<\/p>\n Julia Pugachevsky<\/p>\n In my happiest form, I eat like an alpha street cat in Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n If I run out of my meal-prepped salmon-and-farro lunch<\/a>, I slather a whole-wheat English muffin or seven-grain toast with mayo and pile on a layer of sardines or tinned salmon.<\/p>\n All together, this gets me to about 25-30 grams of protein \u2014 at least a third of my daily goal \u2014 depending on the fish.<\/p>\n If you still can’t get behind the tinned fish trend<\/a>, fish like sardines are also chock-full of omega-3s \u2014 fantastic for heart and brain health. If fish isn’t your thing, there’s always canned chicken \u2014 just without those added fats.<\/p>\n Protein-filtered milk enhances every coffee or shake<\/p>\n Fairlife milk adds about 5 extra grams of protein per cup than regular whole milk.\u00a0<\/p>\n Julia Pugachevsky<\/p>\n Despite what every American dinner table looked like in ’90s TV shows, I was never successfully propagandized to chug a glass of milk<\/a> with my meatloaf, let alone at all. Like cottage cheese, it needed to be masked by cereal or chocolate syrup.<\/p>\n As I got older, I tragically could no longer consume intensely milky products, like milkshakes or mac n’ cheese, without dire gastrointestinal consequences.<\/p>\n The solution to all my problems? Ultra-filtered milk<\/a>, like Fairlife, removes most of the lactose and sugar from milk and concentrates the protein components (casein and whey), resulting in a higher overall protein content.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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