Choosing The Right Protein
When selecting your protein sources, you should be choosing those that contain the minimal amount of saturated fats or carbohydrates. You also want to avoid processed protein sources as they will be full of nitrates and other unhealthy ingredients that you simply do not want to be putting into your body.
Here is a good reference list to choose from containing the healthiest varieties of protein to be consuming:
- chicken
- lean red meat (beef, bison, venison)
- turkey
- egg whites and whole eggs (focus on egg whites more often)
- fish and seafood
- low fat dairy products (skim milk, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt)
- whey protein powder
If you can focus primarily on these sources, you will be giving your body what it needs. You should be aiming to consume a good source of protein with each and every meal you eat as that will help to ensure that your overall needs get met.
While this can be slightly harder with your snack meals, if you serve up a home made protein smoothie with protein powder, dried oats, frozen fruit, Greek yogurt, and so on, you’ll still be taking in plenty of whole foods and getting those protein needs met.
Now let’s look at the second nutrient to consider, carbohydrates.