High protein chips are a delicious way to add protein to your diet.
Regular exercise is just one piece of the bodybuilding puzzle; dieting is equally vital. To achieve your fitness goals, careful attention to nutrition is a must. That’s why many professional bodybuilders adhere strictly to a well-crafted diet plan. Specifically, focusing on protein is a must to build muscle and improve your body composition. But pounding protein shakes back daily can be a nuisance. Alternatively, high protein chips, such as Quest Protein Chips, can help you add more protein to your diet while enjoying each bite.
Why Bodybuilders Need More Protein
Everyone needs three macronutrients for optimal health: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Amongst these, proteins contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscles. Over the past couple of years, the muscle-related benefits of high-protein diets have become even clearer (1).
Proteins lead to muscle growth in multiple ways. One is protein synthesis, a body process that fuels lean muscle mass growth. Protein also contains amino acids like creatine and glutamine, which boost human growth hormone (HGH) production, which plays a crucial role in muscle growth.
It’s even more important for bodybuilders to focus on protein. The average bodybuilder punishes their muscles more, which means they’ll need more repairs and, thus, more protein. According to this research, competitive bodybuilders need a higher protein intake than what guidelines advocate (2).
Ways to Add More Protein to Your Diet
Protein is excellent for muscle growth but helps improve weight loss and overall health. Now that we have established that bodybuilders — or any lifters looking to put on more muscle and improve their body composition — need more protein than the average person, it’s time to learn how to increase your intake. Below are five great ways to increase your protein intake as a gym-goer.
Start Your Day with Protein
Many fitness enthusiasts consume vitamin-rich smoothies for breakfast. However, while these contain many veggies and fruits, they could be low in proteins. Adding protein powders to your smoothie can make it a protein-rich breakfast shake. You can further increase the protein content of your shake by adding flax seeds, chia seeds, or unsweetened nut butter.
Eat Protein with Every Meal
With every meal, you can incorporate foods like meat, fish, eggs, poultry, legumes, and soy, which are rich in protein. When choosing meat, go for leaner cuts and increase your portion sizes to get even more protein. Eating this way can also help to reduce your meal’s calorie count.
Try Plant Proteins
Legumes and beans are a rich source of plant protein that can make your meals even more protein-rich. In addition, whole grains are also richer in protein content than processed foods. Adding grains like quinoa, wild rice, millet, or amaranth increases protein intake.
Use Supplements
Protein supplements like protein powder can increase your protein intake and help improve your daily performance. Research shows these supplements and training can enhance muscle mass and performance (3).
High Protein Snacks
Consuming snacks throughout the day can become healthy if you indulge in high-protein snacks. They’ll fill you up and stop you from feeling hungry while increasing your protein intake. A good example is high-protein chips. High protein chips are the perfect protein-increasing snack for bodybuilders. They allow you to enjoy a delicious treat while aligning with your diet goals. Below are more benefits of high protein chips.
Benefits of Consuming High Protein Chips
Healthy Snack Alternative
Cravings can be detrimental if you don’t have the right way to satisfy them. High protein chips help to fill that need while containing the right nutrients. This is great for your overall health and muscle growth as a bodybuilder.
Energy
High protein chips give you more energy to work with as you train. These chips contain protein, carbs, and fat. While low in calories, it’s still an addition to your daily energy stores.
Fat Loss
You can curb your craving effectively by adding high protein chips to your diet as a snack. Proteins also take longer to digest and keep you feeling fuller for longer. As a result, you’ll eat fewer calories, leading to weight loss. High protein chips are low in calories, too.
More Muscle Growth
Last but not least, high protein chips increase your protein intake. Since protein consists of amino acids, the building blocks of muscle tissues, increasing your protein intake with this snack will induce more muscle hypertrophy.
3 Protein Chips to Try
Does protein chips sound better than always reaching for protein bars and shakes? Then below are three protein chips you should try.
Quest Variety Packs
Quest Variety Packs protein chips come in three different mouthwatering flavors: Nacho Cheese, Chili Lime, and Loaded Taco. It contains a high protein level of 18-20 grams and low carbs at 3 to 4 grams net carbs.
Quest Protein Chips
Quest Protein Chips are also great with up to 19g of protein, only 5g of carbs, and 4.5g of fat in one bag. Quest protein chips come in tortilla style and have many great flavors to satisfy your cravings.
Atkins Ranch Protein Chips
Atkins Ranch Protein Chips have ample protein of 14 grams and can be quickly consumed with 4 grams of fiber before a workout, which helps with digestion. These keto-friendly protein bites contain high-quality ingredients that are baked, not fried.
For more protein chips, check out our list of the Best Protein Chips!
Wrapping Up
Protein plays a crucial role in the muscle growth of weightlifters, making it a vital macronutrient to increase. One effective method to achieve this is by ensuring each meal is protein-rich. Research has shown that individuals who boost their protein intake during breakfast and lunch also enhance their daily protein consumption (4).
Consider increasing your daily protein intake by incorporating delectable high-protein snacks such as protein-rich chips like Quest Protein Chips. These low-calorie treats satisfy your cravings with healthier alternatives that promote weight loss and facilitate muscle growth.
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References
- Carbone, J. W., & Pasiakos, S. M. (2019). Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients, 11(5), 1136. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051136
- Ribeiro, A. S., Nunes, J. P., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2019). Should Competitive Bodybuilders Ingest More Protein than Current Evidence-Based Recommendations?. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 49(10), 1481–1485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01111-y
- Pasiakos, S. M., McLellan, T. M., & Lieberman, H. R. (2015). The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(1), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0242-2
- Verreijen, A. M., van den Helder, J., Streppel, M. T., Rotteveel, I., Heman, D., van Dronkelaar, C., Memelink, R. G., Engberink, M. F., Visser, M., Tieland, M., & Weijs, P. J. M. (2021). A higher protein intake at breakfast and lunch is associated with a higher total daily protein intake in older adults: a post-hoc cross-sectional analysis of four randomised controlled trials. Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association, 34(2), 384–394. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12838
