Protein is necessary for our overall diet to keep us healthy. But with growing age, our body tends to lose the natural strength you had in your 20s. Due to which it is essential to add more protein to your diet to maintain your overall health like muscle strength, strong bones, resilience, and more.
However, many people struggle with what to add to the diet to increase protein in a senior’s diet. But no worries because, in this article, I’m going through all the ways through which you can increase the level of protein in a senior’s diet.
4 High Protein Vegan Foods Add More Protein To Seniors Diet
Now that we have talked about foods that are related to fish, egg, and meat. Let’s talk about the way a vegan person can increase the level of protein in their diet as many seniors don’t want to consume any meat, fish, or dairy products.
However, it can be a bit difficult for a person to generate a good amount of protein through a vegetarian diet compared to a non-vegan diet. But with the proper foods, you can get the right amount of protein you require.
Here are some vegan foods that can help in adding protein to your diet:
1. Tofu
Tofu is a great source of protein. By having tofu about a half cup, you get about 10 grams of protein. This tofu is made through the curds of soybean. Apart from generating protein, tofu also provides calcium and iron.
Tofu is a must in a vegan athlete or fitness enthusiast’s diet to increase the level of protein.
2. Edamame
Edamame usually tastes sweet while being a bit grassy. Edamame is made through immature soybean. This edamame can be eaten with the addition of a salad or with a soup. They can either be eaten boiled or steamed.
You get healthy protein of 17 grams through a serving of one cup. Other nutrients which can be provided by edamame are vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and more.
3. Lentils
Lentils are an excellent vegan food for increasing protein in your diet. By having lentils in about one cup of, you can get about 18 grams of. These lentils are also high in iron, vitamins, potassium and fibre.
Making it one of the best choices of food to improve protein in your diet.
4. Chickpeas
Chickpeas are considered great for weight management. By serving around half a cup of chickpeas, you get about 7.5 grams of protein. While serving an entire cup of chickpeas, you can get about 15 grams.
Even though they are great protein sources, chickpeas are also high in fiber, vitamins, potassium, and other nutrients. In order to boost their protein, people have chickpeas with either soup or with salad.
All the above are great vegan foods that work great in providing a good amount of protein to your diet.
10 Foods That Can Increase Protein In Your Diet
By consuming a few extra foods in your diet, you can easily increase protein levels in your body. This protein will not only just keep your energy level good but also help in strengthening your muscles, bones and keep you overall healthy.
Here are some foods that can be a great source of protein if added to a senior diet:
1. Eggs
Eggs are a healthy and high-protein food that can be perfect for your diet. About 6 grams of protein can be easily consumed by having one hard-boiled egg. Eggs are great and inexpensive ways to get protein.
These eggs provide vitamin D, iron, selenium, and more healthy nutrients, which can be great for your health. Eggs are a must-have in almost all athletes’ diet plans. Eggs are also easy to make and are considered number one in terms of providing protein.
2. Fish
Fish is high in protein, and it helps to boost the protein level. Making it one of the best foods available for the senior diet. Fish are also low in calories, making them a healthy choice for you.
Some of the best fish to boost your protein intake are Cod, Tuna, and Arctic Char.
3. Cod Fish
Cod is a fish that contains white meat. It is a great fish to improve the efficiency of protein in your diet. You can get a good amount of protein by consuming this codfish through three servings.
Cod works to keep your health level safe as it is low in fats and calories. Also, the nutrients provided by this fish helps in keeping the heart safe as it gives Vitamin B. Therefore, cod can be a great choice in improving protein in your diet.
4. Tuna
Tuna is a popular fish type that is rich in delivering proteins. You can get 20 grams of protein by eating tuna packs in three settings. Tuna also provides nutrition like vitamin B, potassium, magnesium, and more.
At the same time, it is delivering low calories in the diet. Due to this, it is a great option to increase protein in the diet while taking care of the health and lowering the consumption of calories.
5. Arctic Char
Arctic Char is a type of fish that contains high proteins and low calories. It is an excellent choice for increasing protein levels in the diet while being inexpensive as well.
Even though arctic char provides various nutrients through their consumption, they are still high in fat, due to which it is better to consume arctic char in moderation as it is still an excellent source for providing protein in your diet.
6. Low-Fat Dairy Products
Low-fat dairy works great in increasing the levels of protein in your diet that you need. It is great for those people who don’t want to consume any meat or fish to increase protein in their diet.
Some of the best low-fat dairy products for improving protein in your senior diet are as follows:
a. Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese contains several nutritional benefits. About 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese can provide you with 28 grams of protein. Fitness enthusiasts and professional athletes highly consume these cottage cheese.
People who are working on weight loss also tend to use this cottage cheese in their diet. Apart from protein these cottage cheese also contains Vitamin A, iron, calcium, Vitamin B and more nutrients.
b. Low-Fat Yogurt
Another great provider of protein in low-fat dairy products is low-fat yoghurt. By just serving 1 cup of low-fat yoghurt, you can gain up to 12.8 grams of protein. Low-fat yoghurt works great in seniors as people easily consume it due to taste.
Low-yogurt also works great in providing a variety of other nutrients like Probiotics, Vitamin B, Calcium and more.
c. Skim Milk
Skim is another dairy product that provides a high level of protein in your diet. Skim can provide about 8.3 grams of protein through a single glass of skim milk. One of the best qualities of this milk is that it is low in terms of calories that helps in keeping the body healthy.
Also, another advantage of consuming skim is its potential to supply nutrients like calcium, potassium, and various other vitamins.
Pro Tip: There was a time when a glass of milk was an excellent way to get some protein into your diet. But times have changed. A new trend in nutrition sees people looking for new ways to have a good source of protein throughout the day. Especially those that have trouble digesting the complete proteins from sources such as Cottage Cheese, Yogurt and Skim Milk. To replace those, whey proteins are an excellent substitute as they are easier for your body to digest.
7. Lean Meat
Lean meat works great in the senior diet as it provides high protein while ensuring calorie and fat levels are down. Some of the lean meats that offer high protein are skinless chicken, pork loin, round cuts, and more.
These lean meat are also low in fat and calories. Therefore, they are healthy for the senior diet. The nutrients that are provided through the consumption of lean meat are vitamins, iron, zinc and more—all these help in improving your energy level, strengthening your muscles and bones.
Lean meat is better in terms of health than red meat, which can be extremely harmful to health.
FAQs:
How many grams of protein should a senior person consume daily?
Usually, a senior person should consume about 100 grams of protein. About 100 grams are considered to be safe for a senior person. Even for adults, it is considered as the right amount.
Can I consume eggs every day to increase my protein level?
Yes, you can eat an egg every day. Eggs are great in nutrients and are considered healthy and safe for everyone unless some have a medical condition and are told not to consume daily. In fact, eggs are considered one of the most nutritional foods in the diet.
Should I drink milk every day for protein?
Yes, you can drink milk every day to gain protein. Even though skim milk is considered more beneficial for gaining protein, they are also low in fat and calories, which are good for health.
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Conclusion
Protein is required for everyone, regardless of their age. By consuming the right amount of proteins, you can make yourself more healthy and your body more strong.
As mentioned above, those foods can be significant in serving you the right amount of protein. I hope by adding these foods to your diet, you can get an overall healthy body.
Tell us whether you prefer having vegan foods or non-vegan foods to increase your protein level in the comment section.
