Share about protein here:
One of the main questions we get as future dietitians is about protein.
What are the sources? How much do I need? How can I increase my protein intake?
Protein, one of the main macronutrients, plays a vital role in almost every part of the body. It is the building block for muscles, skin, enzymes, and hormones. Additionally, protein takes longer to digest in the GI tract, which means it can keep us fuller for longer. As a result, it can also support more balanced blood sugar, making it easier to maintain stable energy and avoid the afternoon crash.
We know that getting enough protein is essential, but many people aren’t getting enough.
Protein Needs
Forget the low RDA of 0.8g/kg per day. That only comes out to about 55 grams of protein for someone weighing 150 pounds — and that’s just to prevent deficiency.
Therefore, we recommend aiming for at least 30g of protein at each meal, totaling around 90g or more of protein per day.
When you get enough protein, you’re doing so much more than just supporting muscle. It plays a huge role in hormone production, keeping your blood sugar stable, supporting clear skin and hair health, maintaining lean body mass, and even helping with recovery after workouts.
Why Protein Matters (Especially For Women)
Protein is truly essential for whole-body health, especially when it comes to hormones, gut health, and metabolism. See below for how protein can support your overall health!
Hormone health:
Protein provides the amino acids your body needs to make hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones. It also helps balance insulin, which plays a huge role in PCOS, energy, and even fertility.
Gut health:
Protein helps maintain the lining of your digestive tract (a healthy gut barrier decreases the risk of “leaky gut”!), supports your immune system, and feeds cells in your gut that keep inflammation in check.
Blood sugar & cravings:
Eating enough protein slows down how quickly carbs are absorbed, which means steadier blood sugar levels and fewer energy crashes. This also helps keep cravings, especially for sugar, in check.
Healthy hair, skin & nails:
Collagen and keratin — the proteins that make up your hair, skin, and nails — rely on amino acids from dietary protein. Without enough, you might notice more shedding or brittle nails.
Muscle maintenance & metabolism:
Women naturally lose muscle as we age, which can slow metabolism and make it easier to gain fat. Prioritizing protein helps maintain lean muscle mass, supports a healthy metabolism, and even bone strength. Don’t forget that lifting weights can increase your insulin sensitivity, making it easier to control your blood sugar!
Tips To Improve Protein Intake
Get 30g+ of Protein at Breakfast:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and for a good reason! What you eat at breakfast sets the mood for the rest of the day. If you start your day with enough protein, you’ll likely experience less craving and have more energy. Try adding eggs, chicken sausages, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, adding protein powder, or eat leftovers from dinner!
Include Protein in Every Meal & Snack:
For meals, we like to choose our main protein source first, then build our plate around it! We like to focus on animal-based proteins to get all of the essential amino acids and nutrients. Think chicken, beef, lamb, veal, turkey, fish, eggs, or greek yogurt!
Snacks should be thought of as “mini-meals”. This means you include carbohydrates, fat, and protein just like you would in a meal! No naked carbs here!
Sprinkle On Extra Protein:
You can easily add nuts, seeds or nutritional yeast to salads, bowls, or avocado toast! Protein powder can easily be added to greek yogurt, smoothies, or baked goods.
Batch Prep Protein Options:
To make hitting your protein goals easier, batch cook proteins to have throughout the week! Cook up chicken, hard boil eggs, or breakfast sausage. Having it ready to go makes getting enough protein easier!
Sample Meal Plan to Get 90g+ of Protein
Breakfast (~32g)
- 2 cooked eggs, 2 chicken sausages (I like this brand at Aldi), and a greek yogurt parfait made with berries and flax seed
Lunch (~30g)
- Grilled chicken with a summery side salad of arugula, diced cucumber, peaches, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds. Then, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic for a simple but delicious dressing!
Dinner (~35g)
- Taco lettuce wraps with ground beef, sauteed onions and peppers, lettuce, shredded cheese, and a scoop of plain greek yogurt (tastes just like sour cream!)
Snack (~18g)
- Blended cottage cheese veggie dip with veggies or crackers. Simply blend cottage cheese dip in a blender with fresh herbs, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to make a high-protein dip. Pair with sliced cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, or crackers.
In Conclusion:
At the end of the day, protein does so much more than just build muscle — it truly supports your hormones, gut, metabolism, skin, hair, and even mood.
As women, getting enough protein is one of the most powerful (yet simple!) things we can do to keep our bodies balanced and thriving. By making small tweaks like adding protein to breakfast, choosing a protein source for meals, and keeping protein-rich snacks on hand, you’ll notice a huge difference in your energy, cravings, and how satisfied you feel throughout the day.
Your future self (and hormones) will thank you!
For more tips like this, check out our blog and social media!
Stay nourished!
Nourished Dietitians
