Protein: It Doesn't Have to be Boring!
Does the photo on the left look familiar? When I first moved into my own apartment and began cooking for myself, I made A LOT of chicken. It was really the only meat I knew how to cook, and it made me less nervous than cooking fish or red meat. However, I started getting sick of chicken very quickly, which I attributed to my career as an all-star competitive cheerleader. My coaches were very supportive and wanted us to fuel our bodies properly but encouraged us to eat lots of protein and the suggestion was always chicken. When I tell you I was so sick of chicken by the end of the season, I didn’t even want to think about it during the off season. The same thing happened to my brother while bulking for football season. Ask him his thoughts about chicken, broccoli, and rice these days and he’ll tell you he still can’t stand the combination.
So, why don’t we eat other forms of protein? Chicken is a relatively cheap protein to buy in large quantities and it’s easy to put in the oven or cook on the stovetop. It doesn’t require much skill to throw it onto a plate with some quick rice and veggies, so we save time on prepping our meals. No need to learn new skills or experiment with different recipes when a grilled chicken breast with your favorite dipping sauce is your go-to for lunch or dinner. Bonus—chicken is a great source of lean protein, B vitamins and necessary minerals and it can help fuel our bodies for competition and performance (1).
While chicken is a reliable “go-to”, it’s important to expand our horizons and mix up our protein sources. Diversifying your options and your cooking repertoire is valuable not only for your time as an athlete, but for your health in the future. You’ll gain more skills that will be applicable to other dishes or proteins. Plus, switching up your protein sources helps you meet the recommended dietary allowances of other groups. For example, red meat is a good source of iron, salmon has lots of omega-3 fatty acids, and nuts like almonds contain fiber and magnesium (1). All these items can contribute to a well-rounded diet!
Chocolate milk is a great option for after a hard workout or practice!
What are some ways you can mix up your meals? For starters, aim to try one new protein source each week! Try replacing your typical chicken breast with a salmon filet or pork chop as your dinner protein. Now, I can already hear many athletes saying “but chicken at dinner is where I load up on most of my protein, how can I replace that”? My answer is to include more protein throughout the day, so you aren’t trying to get so much in at night. Chocolate milk after a workout, nuts for a snack or eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch will help you get more protein in during the day. This helps give muscles what they need with timing of nutrition too, so you aren’t loading up on all your protein at once.
If you’re still nervous about cooking other forms of protein, find a recipe or a Youtube video to follow along with while cooking. I’ll be honest that I’m still nervous about undercooking my fish or burgers, so I purchased a meat thermometer. It gave me peace of mind and helped me feel more comfortable experimenting in the kitchen. Finally, if you just can’t find it in you to get rid of the chicken for every meal, at least change up how you eat it! Try shredding it for tacos, grilled and diced in a salad or marinated with barbecue sauce. Incorporating it into your diet in various ways will help keep you from getting bored of it so quickly.
To be clear, I’m not saying cut out chicken and never eat it again, it’s a great lean protein source. But keeping food fun, interesting and new will help you be excited to fuel your body and changing it up every once in a while isn’t always a bad thing! Check out the list below for more protein sources to help you get excited about fueling your body, improving your performance, and learning to love food again.
List of protein sources:
Turkey
Beef
Pork
Lamb
Tuna
Salmon
Jerky
Eggs
Lentils
Beans
Hummus
Peanut butter/ Almond Butter/ Sunflower Butter
Nuts/Seeds
Cow’s milk
Milk alternatives (Soy or pea milk has best protein profiles)
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
High protein cereal
Protein Bars/Powders (check with a dietitian before you use)
If you need help managing your protein intake, let us know, we’re here to help in anyway that we can!
-Hannah
Sources:
1. Picking healthy proteins. www.heart.org. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/meat-poultry-and-fish-picking-healthy-proteins. Published November 2, 2021. Accessed April 13, 2022.