Proteinmaxxing is everywhere. Here's how to build a high-protein meal from normal food

Proteinmaxxing makes it look as if we get the best results from having protein at every meal, every snack, every drink, and thinking about it at every waking hour.

It can feel like a full-time tracking job.

Feels easier to just supplement most of it with fortified bars, shakes, cereals, to fill the gaps.

Until you realize you rely on processed stuff far more than you intended.

The good news is, ordinary supermarket food, and your normal meals, can carry far more of the work than fortified protein marketing suggests (and it's better for you, whole-food, plant-rich).

In this study, spreading people's protein evenly across breakfast, lunch and dinner increased 24-hour muscle protein synthesis by 25%.

So, which normal foods do you get your protein from? (I've been plant based for 10 years, and I still get asked.)

It's not actually that hard.

Start with finding the one meal where protein is almost missing. Strenghten that weakest meal first.

What proteinmaxxing gets right

Protein gives your body the amino acids to maintain and build muscle. This becomes especially important when you train regularly.

This meta-analysis of 49 trials found that increasing protein improved gains in strength and lean mass during resistance training.

The benefit curve eventually flattened at around 1.6 grams per kg of body weight per day on average.

Protein also helps your meals feel more complete. As per this analysis, higher protein meals increase fullness and reduce hunger in the hours after eating.

Your useful target depends on your body size, age, activity and training levels, and total food intake.

The exact number becomes more important as your training demands rise.

For everyday meals, start with the structure: