Regularly Eating More Protein Can Change How You Feel. These 16 Delicious Meals Make It Easy.

I FIRST LEARNED the true power of protein more than a decade ago. On assignment for Men’s Health magazine, I worked with a trainer and dietitian in the hopes of adding muscle to my frail frame. For three months, I bench-pressed, deadlifted, and squatted. And I consumed protein: beef-laden burritos, whey-heavy protein shakes, and pork tenderloin as a “snack.” All the effort worked: I put on 15 pounds of lean muscle.

My exercise and diet plan are, gratefully, far less intense these days. But I’ve maintained some of that muscle (can’t say the same about the tenderloin snacking practice), as well as a healthy respect for protein. During my stint as food and nutrition editor of Men’s Health, I’ve read enough studies about health benefits of protein to fill a meat locker. (Or soybean silo, if you’re vegan.)

Yet when people recently started dropping premade high-protein shakes into pop and tagging #proteinsoda on their socials, I’ll admit I was surprised. Wait, NOW you want to talk about protein?

Between fit-fluencers eating dog food for low-cost protein gains, memes of a hauntingly jacked Pillsbury Dough Boy advertising protein powder, and General Mills releasing a high-protein version of Cheerios—it seemed like the world had suddenly gone mad for the nutrient.

These 15 seconds of fame are fun and all, but my hope is that people’s focus on protein sticks around long after the memes are over. Because in working with some of the smartest minds in nutrition over the years, I’ve heard some pretty amazing things about the nutrient. Here are just three:

• Protein is so much more than a muscle-builder. Men’s Health Nutrition Advisor Brian St. Pierre, RD, CSCS, explained to me years ago that the nutrient not only helps you fill up during a meal (what dietitians call satiation), but also keeps you fuller, longer after a meal is over (satiety). Both factors curb calories.
• Plant protein is strong too. Protein research titan Eric Helms, PhD, CSCS, keyed me into this factor. When compared head-to-head, whey and plant-based protein powders can deliver the same muscle-building results. Yes, that includes soy.
• Food beats supplements. Not just because when you consume your protein within a meal you’re also including a whole host of other nutrients, from the heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids in salmon to the disease-fighting phytochemicals in tofu. But also because of one huge thing supplements lack: flavor.

So if you’re hungry for protein, choose food—and a variety of it. And make sure you’re aiming for the right amount of protein per meal, too.

What Exactly Is a High-Protein Meal?

OUR ADVISORY BOARD dietitians recommend at least 30 grams of protein at each meal. But make sure protein isn’t your only consideration. Fiber, too, is super important, as are the antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables, and the good fats found in avocados, oils, nuts, and seeds.

These 18 high-protein meals all do the trick.