How To Eat 100 Grams Of Protein A Day (Sample Meal Plan)

Eating 100 grams of protein a day may seem daunting if you’re not used to it, but as a dietitian, I’ve learned some tips and tricks that can help you meet this target consistently.

In a hurry? Download the 100g of protein meal plan right here.

Key Takeaways

• The best way to eat 100 grams of protein is by distributing it across your meals and snacks throughout the day. This can be achieved by having 3-4 meals containing 25-33 g per meal.

• While 100 grams of protein a day can easily be reached through whole foods alone, protein supplements might be a convenient option if you are on the go.

• Eating various protein sources, like meat, fish, dairy, eggs, legumes, and tofu, is important to diversify and balance your nutrient intake.

Who Should Be Eating 100 Grams of Protein Per Day

The amount of protein that you need will depend on your weight, body composition, and activity level.

Most active individuals should be eating at least 100 grams of protein per day, whereas most sedentary individuals likely require less than 100 grams per day.

Protein Recommendations For Sedentary Individuals

Those who are sedentary (less than 20-30 minutes of purposeful activity a day) may only need 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

This means that if you weigh 150 lbs, work a desk job, and do not exercise, then you only need around 60 grams of protein per day.

Sedentary individuals would have to weigh around 250 lbs to require 100 grams of protein per day.

Protein Recommendations For Active Individuals

Research suggests that active individuals who engage in endurance or strength sports require 0.6 – 0.9 grams per pound of body weight.

However, most individuals round this up to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight to ensure they’re getting enough to support muscle growth and recovery.

For example, those who would need 100 grams of protein per day would be active individuals who weigh 100 lbs.

These values (recommendations for sedentary and active people) fall in line with the recommended protein intake range published by the Institute of Medicine, which advises 10-35% of total calories to come from protein.

However, active individuals should be on the higher end of the range between 25-30% of total calories to allow for muscle retention and growth.

This means that active individuals with a calorie intake of 1334-1600 calories per day are more likely to need 100 grams of protein per day. 

Most active individuals will be eating much more than this, so it’s clear that most active individuals will require MORE than 100 grams of protein per day.

6 Tips For Reaching 100 Grams of Protein A Day

Now that you know you should be eating 100 grams of protein (if not more!), here are six tips to help you reach this goal.

1. Familiarize Yourself With Foods That Are Highest In Protein

Familiarizing yourself with the protein content of different foods will help you learn which foods you should be prioritizing to help you get to your 100-gram goal more easily.

For example, many people think that nuts are a great source of protein but they only have 6 grams of protein per ounce, so it would take a lot of nuts (and tons of calories) to help you get to 100 grams using nuts as a main protein source.

Some of the foods with the highest protein content are:

• Meat, like chicken, turkey, beef, and pork
• Fish, like salmon, cod, haddock, and tuna
• Pulses, like beans, lentils, and chickpeas
• Tofu and tempeh
• Eggs and dairy products, like Greek yogurt
• Soy-based products, like soy yogurt and soy milk

The best ways to discover which foods are highest in protein are to use our Single Macro Food guide and to start reading nutrition labels (which provide information on the protein content per 100g or per serving) when purchasing food.

You can also start logging your food intake using a macro tracking app, like MacroFactor, to discover which foods that you’re eating are high in protein, and which ones are not. 

2. Include Protein At Every Meal

Building your meals around a protein source like meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, tofu, and soya, will make it easy for you to meet your 100g target by the end of the day.  

For example, a serving of chicken contains around 25-30g of protein, whereas a serving of salmon filet contains around 30-35g of protein. If you include one of these options in two separate meals, this will result in 55-65g out of 100g of protein consumed.

Oftentimes people struggle to hit their protein intake because they’re building their meals around carbs (like pasta or pancakes) rather than proteins.

3. Be Mindful Of Portion Sizes

Now that you’re building your meals around a protein source, it’s important to ensure you’re choosing the right portion sizes to support your 100-gram goal.

A general rule is to aim for 20-40 grams of protein per meal.

If you’re logging your food in a macro tracking app, then it’s easier to determine how much of each food source you need to get 20-40 grams per meal. 

Here are a few examples of portion sizes that give you 20-40 grams of protein to get you started:

• Cooked meat (i.e. chicken breast): 90-100g serving
• Cooked oily fish (i.e. salmon filet): 140-150g serving
• Plant-based alternative (i.e. soya/tofu): 100g serving
• Legumes (i.e. kidney beans): 150g serving (4 tablespoons)

4. Swap Low Protein Foods With Higher Protein Alternatives

Another smart way to increase your protein intake to get to 100 grams is to trade in low-protein foods for higher-protein alternatives. These foods will add up over time to contribute to your daily protein intake.

Try swapping:

• regular white pasta for lentil or pea pasta (it has nearly double the amount of protein per 100 g). 

• white bread with brown/wholegrain bread or Ezekiel bread (it contains more than double the amount of protein per slice).

• Cottage cheese ice cream for store-bought ice cream (it tastes better than it sounds and offers 22g of protein per serving )

5. Choose Higher Protein Snacks

Consuming protein-rich snacks throughout the day is an easy way to meet your protein target beyond what you can fit into your meals.

Building snacks around a protein source will make your snacks more satisfying so that you’re not reaching for snack after snack and still feeling hungry.

Here are a few whole-food options:

• 100g Greek yogurt with 30g nuts or seeds (16g protein)
• 100g cottage cheese with a couple of crackers (13g protein)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs (14g protein)
• 150g soy yogurt (10g protein) 

For more convenient options, you could try:

• Whey or plant-based protein with 200ml milk (25-30g protein)
• 50-60g protein bar or cookie (15-20g protein)

6. Prepare A Meal Schedule

If you prepare a weekly schedule with the meals and snacks that you want to have and the ingredients they require, then you will have a better chance of reaching your 100-gram protein goal.

I also recommend having a day dedicated to preparing these protein sources so that they’re ready to go at meal times.

For example, you could make a shopping list with protein-rich foods and snacks on Saturday, and batch cook or portion out these foods on Sunday so that you can add them to your meals throughout the week.

By putting in a bit of effort in planning at the start of the week, you will be able to save time and estimate the amount of protein included in each meal, preventing you from being caught off guard if you don’t have time to cook.

How Much Protein Should Come From Supplements vs Whole Foods If Eating 100g A Day

You should be getting most of your protein from whole foods, as opposed to supplements, because protein-rich whole foods also provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which contribute to a balanced diet. 

In this case, it is easy to reach 100g of protein a day exclusively from whole foods, so my recommendation would be to aim for this as often as you can.

If it’s more realistic for you to meet this protein intake by incorporating protein supplements, aim for around 25% of your protein intake from supplements and around 75% from whole food sources.

If you’re eating 100g of protein per day, then this would be 75g from whole food sources and 25g from supplements. 

For example, one scoop of whey protein would offer approximately 25 grams of protein and meet the 25% recommendation.

• Related: Here’s a guide to getting 100g of protein in a single meal

Same Meal Plan: 100 Grams of Protein Per Day

To help give you a better idea of how to structure your meals and snacks to reach 100 grams of protein per day, I’ve created 3 separate meal plans based on different dietary preferences.

<<CLICK TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT THIS 100 GRAMS OF PROTEIN MEAL PLAN>>

Meal Plan #1: Vegan (106 g protein)

• Breakfast: 50g oats, chia seeds (2 tablespoons), soy milk (125ml), peanut butter (1 tablespoon) = 19 grams of protein
  
• Snack: 150g soy yogurt, 1 tablespoon of almond butter = 15 grams of protein
  
• Lunch: Lentil pasta (150 uncooked) with mushrooms and broccoli = 25 grams of protein
  
• Snack: 150g parmesan crusted edamame = 17 grams of protein
  
• Dinner: chickpea and vegetable stir-fry with tofu (250g) and 100g cooked quinoa = 30 grams of protein

Meal Plan #2: With Eggs, Meat, and Dairy (106 g protein)

• Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, 1 slice of brown bread = 19 grams of protein
  
• Snack: 150g of Greek yogurt, 1 small handful of almonds = 20 grams of protein
  
• Lunch: 150g of grilled chicken breast, 100g of cooked quinoa, mixed vegetables = 43 grams of protein
  
• Snack:  peanut butter (1 tablespoon) and banana bagel = 9 grams of protein
  
• Dinner: Heinz beans (150g), 1 medium-sized baked potato, grilled asparagus = 15 grams of protein

Meal Plan 3: With Eggs, Fish, and Dairy (103 g protein)

• Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 1 slice of brown bread, 1 small avocado = 18 grams of protein
  
• Snack: 30g almonds = 6 grams of protein
  
• Lunch: Grilled salmon filet (150g), grilled vegetables, 100g cooked quinoa = 39 grams of protein
  
• Snack: 150g Greek yogurt, chopped pineapple = 15 grams of protein
  
• Dinner: bean and lentil salad (200g cooked), 5 mozzarella balls =  25 grams of protein

Staying on Track: My Practical Recommendations

Maintaining a daily protein intake of 100 grams might seem like a challenge long-term but there are some key strategies you can use to motivate yourself and maintain consistency in reaching this target.

Keep Meals Interesting

Try to prevent monotony when planning and cooking meals or snacks. You could try exploring a variety of protein-rich foods to keep your meals interesting, flavorful, and enjoyable. 

Try experimenting with new recipes, herbs and spices, and cooking methods, or plan themed dinners (i.e. meatless Monday, taco Tuesday).

Look For Accountability & Support

Try sharing your goals with people, such as family or friends, or connecting with like-minded people by joining a sports or nutrition community. 

Sharing your experiences and nutrition journey with people that will support you can help to keep you stay motivated and hold you accountable.

Strive For Consistency Over Perfection

It can take time to incorporate a change into your daily routine, especially if you’re not used to eating anywhere close to 100 grams per day. 

It’s important to remember that this is a long-term change so one or two days of not hitting your 100-gram target doesn’t mean that you’ve failed, just get back on track and work on being as consistent as you can.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Eat 100g of Protein With Just 1 Source of Protein?

I advise against eating 100g of protein from a single protein source, because when you rely on just one type of protein food, you may restrict your intake of essential nutrients. Instead, try diversifying protein sources (i.e. chicken, salmon, beef, eggs, and tofu) to maintain a well-rounded diet.

Other Protein Meal Plans

• How To Eat 120 Grams of Protein A Day
• How To Eat 150 Grams of Protein A Day

References

Jäger, R., Kerksick, C. M., Campbell, B. I., Cribb, P. J., Wells, S. D., Skwiat, T. M., Purpura, M., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Ferrando, A. A., Arent, S. M., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Stout, J. R., Arciero, P. J., Ormsbee, M. J., Taylor, L. W., Wilborn, C. D., Kalman, D. S., Kreider, R. B., Willoughby, D. S., Hoffman, J. R., … Antonio, J. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8

Manore MM. Exercise and the Institute of Medicine recommendations for nutrition. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2005 Aug;4(4):193-8. doi: 10.1097/01.csmr.0000306206.72186.00. PMID: 16004827.

Lambert CP, Frank LL, Evans WJ. Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding. Sports Med. 2004;34(5):317-27. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200434050-00004. PMID: 15107010.

Burd, N. A., Beals, J. W., Martinez, I. G., Salvador, A. F., & Skinner, S. K. (2019). Food-First Approach to Enhance the Regulation of Post-exercise Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis and Remodeling. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 49(Suppl 1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-1009-y