Getting a lean, athletic and energized body is only possible when you follow a well-thought out diet plan that focuses on protein consumption. Initially, people often tend to struggle with their diets and ask me questions like:

-    “I don't know what to eat”

-    “I don't know what I have in the house”

-    “I don't know what to pair with my favorite carbohydrates”

-    “What are the protein sources that I could eat?”

Well, the first thing that I tell everybody to keep in mind is, protein really should be your anchor every single time you eat. There's something that I call the mealtime mantra, which is a step by step system to guide you at every meal and every snack. One of the very first things you want to identify is your meal’s protein anchor. Once you do so, you can then go ahead and add your favorite carbohydrates to that.

It is super important to bring your protein and your carbohydrates together to stabilize your blood sugar, feel better and burn fat. If you’re having trouble choosing the best protein anchor for your meals, continue reading as I will talk about certain high protein items that you can easily include in your meals.

Let’s Start with Dairy

Cottage Cheese

I'm a huge fan of low fat cottage cheese, not full fat, and not non fat. I’d suggest aiming for one to 2% and include it in your breakfast, pre or post workout meal.

Low Fat Greek Yogurt

Low fat Greek Yogurt is another item that I would strongly encourage you to try. Sure, you can enjoy the full fat if you want, which is usually about 4%, but I really encourage you to opt for the 2% fat category for pretty much all of your dairies, but specifically cottage cheese and Greek yogurt.

That way, you're going to get as much protein as much palatability, and you're going to be avoiding some of the stabilizers that they need to put in non fat.

Milk

I'm also a huge fan of 2% milk. So 2% milk proportionately has more protein than whole milk or skim milk. Whole milk has proportionately more fat while skim milk has proportionately more carbohydrates.

With so many fantastic options to choose as your protein anchor, you simply cannot go wrong. Remember to be consistent and persistent and I promise that you will be able to get an athletic, lean body in no time!

Don’t Forget the Eggs

Eggs and egg whites, in particular, should be your go-to source of protein. While a whole egg has some good protein in it, it's actually predominantly fat. So, if you do like to eat eggs, consider adding additional egg whites to it because that is really where the protein source is.

The Meat of the Matter

There are plenty of fantastic, high protein, low fat meat options you can incorporate as the protein anchor for your meals. Some of the best ones include:

Turkey

Turkey breast, ground Turkey, turkey bacon are fantastic protein options for your afternoon or evening meals. . There's some really nice uncured, low fat Turkey bacon that is amazing with rice or whole wheat bread.

Chicken

If you're someone who eats chicken, we've got chicken breast. That is not all though -  don’t forget about ground chicken and chicken sausage. There are amazing chicken sausage options available in the market.

Lean Beef

Lean beef is a big one. You do have to keep an eye on it though, because the different cuts of beef can vary greatly in terms of the fat in them. Some are very low fat while others have a high amount of fat. So, make sure that you're educating yourself on the different sources of beef to make sure you can get a low fat high protein option as your meal’s protein anchor.

Lean Bison

I'm a huge fan of lean bison as it’s a great source of protein. With so many fantastic dishes out there, you can’t go wrong with pairing lean bison with carb sources like mashed potatoes or rice.

Lamb

While lamb meat does have a good amount of protein its fat content is a little bit higher. So you have to keep an eye on that. I'm including lamb in the list though, because it's especially good for B blood types.

Pork Loin and Pork Chops

Next we've got pork loin and pork chops. Both are really great low fat sources of protein and taste great even without carbs.

Venison

Venison is the perfect meat if you're a meat eater, and are able to get your hands on it. This red meat option has a surprisingly low amount of fat.

Jerky Meats

While jerky meats are known to have preservatives, you can find some with fewer preservatives. I am a huge fan of jerky meats, whether it's beef or Turkey.

Fish

Fish are a fantastic protein source and contain omega 3 fatty acids that promote skin hair and eye health. I'm a huge fan of halibut and salmon. Salmon is similar to beef. Some salmon is lower in fat than others. So again, I’d suggest everyone to educate themselves a little bit to make sure they choose the right salmon source. We've also got tilapia and cod.

I'm especially a huge fan of Cod because it's very high in protein, very low in fat. If you can find it, haddock is also very popular and easy to find. Tuna is also a decent source of protein. Although, I do think it's wise to keep tuna to a minimum.

Best Protein Option According to Blood Type

If you know your blood type, I'm going to share with you what I feel is the number one go-to protein source suitable for your blood type. Now this doesn't mean the other protein sources aren't important.

Type O

Beef is a fantastic protein for O blood types. If you're an O and you don't want to eat beef, there’s nothing wrong with that. This is just my preference. If you don't have a lot of dietary restrictions, this is just my list to get you started.

AB Blood Type

It's so rare to see AB blood types. If you are one, guess what? Turkey is amazing for you! And, if you want a protein powder, I would suggest using an egg based protein powder.

Did you enjoy this article? Drop a comment below and let me know! 

And don’t forget…

If you’re interested in learning how I help my clients to reduce hunger, eliminate cravings, and burn fat 24/7 (yes, it’s really a thing), you can download my totally free 14 page nutrition guidebook here.