How are all you beautiful souls doing? I've been slacking a little. I'm not going to lie, its been tough to stay consistent with my eating lately. What do you do when you have too many cheat meals?! Thankfully, we get a fresh start every single time we sit down to eat! We get to choose what we consume and put into our body!

So let me ask you a simple question? What's the first food you think of when you hear the word protein? After asking a bunch of people on social media the number one response was chicken. I won't share some of the answers! haha! I love people with a good sense of humor!

Most people associate protein with meat. Did you know there are a ton of other great sources of protein? Greek yogurt and cottage cheese have up to 15 grams of protein per serving. Quinoa is high in protein as well and we can also find protein in beans and fish and don't forget the trusty on the go protein shake. A great way to get a high dose of protein on the go!

So why is protein so valuable? Protein is important for cellular repair and hormone function, furthermore, our body only makes some proteins, the rest have to be consumed they are called essential amino acids. Protein foods contain all the essential amino acids that our body cannot create and together with our own amino acids we become a well oiled machine! Our bodies supply 12 of the amino acids while the other 8 must be eaten!

Since our bodies cannot store large quantities of amino acids we must ingest protein foods regularly. I recommend eating a serving of protein with each and every meal to help keep that amino acid pool full. Amino acids also help repair the torn tissues from exercise. Our tissues tear when we workout and then are rebuilt into stronger muscles! Woohoo! I love muscles!

To ensure you are consuming the right amount of protein a general rule of thumb suggests one gram of protein per pound body weight. So if you weigh 150 pounds you should eat approximately 150 grams of protein daily. Of course this can vary but this is a good start!

Protein is so good for helping to keep us satisfied between meals and helps provide energy for exercise. Don't skip out on your protein!

Here's a list of some good protein sources. Of course there are plenty more.....

Eggs or egg whites. (the protein is in the whites) 6g per egg

Chicken  6g per ounce

Tuna fish 20g per 3 ounces

Quinoa 9g per 1 cup cooked

Greek yogurt (watch for sugar, plain is best) 12g per 1/2 cup

Cottage cheese 15g per 1/2 cup

Flax seeds 8g per 1/4 cup

Black beans 15g per cup

It's also important to remember that not all protein sources are the same. To ensure your getting all the essential amino acids needed eat a wide variety of foods. Balance, variety and moderation.

Anyone else craving tuna salad for lunch??