How to Eat More Protein Without Relying on Chicken, Eggs or Shakes
Discover how to eat more protein with beans, lentils, tofu, fish and dairy, plus practical tips for portions and adding variety to everyday meals.
NUTRITION & PROTEIN
Morgan S. Wallis
10/20/20265 min read
You decide to pay more attention to protein, and suddenly every meal seems to involve chicken breast, eggs or a shake. Those foods can be useful. They can also become tiresome if they are the only options that come to mind.
There is much more to choose from. Lentils, beans, tofu, fish and dairy foods can all contribute protein, giving you room to build meals around flavours you actually enjoy. [1]
First, though, it is worth knowing whether you need more. The British Nutrition Foundation reports that average UK adult intakes already meet protein requirements. [1] Our guide to protein after 40 explains the wider context. If you have decided to make a change, the ideas below can help you do it with greater variety.
Keep a familiar meal and change the protein food
Think about a meal you already cook comfortably. It might be a stir-fry, a salad or something baked in the oven. Keep that familiar starting point and consider another protein food that would work in it.
A stir-fry could use tofu. A salad could include beans and cottage cheese. An oven meal could centre on a fish fillet with vegetables alongside it.
This gives you something specific to try on your next shopping trip. You already know the kind of meal you want; the new decision is which ingredient to build it around.
Give beans and lentils a proper place on the plate
Beans, chickpeas and lentils provide protein and fibre. NHS guidance includes them among the alternatives to meat. [2]
They work in more than soups. Think of warm lentils with vegetables, white beans in a tomato salad, or chickpeas in a curry. Ready-cooked versions can be useful when cooking dried pulses would make the meal impractical. Follow the packet or tin instructions for preparation and storage.
The cookbook's Lentil, Spinach And Feta Protein Bowl is one example. Lentils form the base, with spinach and crumbled feta alongside them. White Bean, Tomato And Feta Protein Bowl offers a different combination using ingredients that can be assembled without cooking.
Try tofu in a meal you already like
Tofu is made from soya and provides a plant-based protein option. [1] If it is unfamiliar, start with a style of cooking you enjoy rather than making your first attempt an elaborate new dish.
Firm tofu can work in a savoury pan meal or alongside cooked vegetables. Pay attention to texture and seasoning: the version you enjoy may depend as much on how it is prepared as on the ingredient itself.
The book's Tofu And Broccoli Dinner Plate gives you a simple starting combination. You can use it to decide whether tofu belongs among your regular dinner choices before buying ingredients for several different tofu recipes.
Choosing a plant-based meal occasionally does not require you to replace everything else you eat. It can simply add another option to your week.
Look beyond tuna when choosing fish
Tinned tuna is convenient, but fish offers plenty of other flavours and textures. Cod and haddock are white fish; salmon, trout, sardines and mackerel are oily fish. Tuna does not count as oily fish, whether it is fresh or canned. [3]
Choose according to the meal and the preparation you are willing to do. A baked fillet may suit an evening at home. Tinned fish may be more practical for a lunch that needs little preparation. Frozen fish can also be worth considering if fresh portions regularly go unused.
The cookbook includes Baked Trout With Fennel And Orange, as well as Tuna With Warm Cannellini Beans And Rosemary. These show two quite different ways to put fish on the menu, including a combination of fish and pulses.
For recommended amounts and advice for different life stages, use the NHS fish guidance linked in Sources. [3]
Use dairy in savoury meals as well as breakfast
Milk, yoghurt and cheese contribute protein, and they can form part of a balanced diet. NHS guidance recommends considering fat, sugar and salt when choosing dairy foods. [4]
Cottage cheese can be the centre of a simple lunch rather than something you only eat at breakfast. In the book's Cottage Cheese And Tomato Lunch Plate, it is paired with chopped tomato and black pepper.
Yoghurt can also fit savoury flavours, such as herbs and cucumber. Think about how much you are using: a spoonful of dressing and a bowl of yoghurt are different portions.
Cheese brings flavour, but adding more cheese is not automatically the best way to increase protein. Compare the food's wider nutritional information and choose an amount that suits the meal. If you use dairy alternatives, check their protein content instead of assuming they match the dairy version. [1, 4]
Let nuts and seeds add variety
Nuts and seeds contribute protein too. They can add crunch to a bowl or become part of a snack, if they suit your diet. [1]
Keep the serving in view. A few seeds scattered over a salad are a topping; they are not the same amount of food as the main ingredient on your plate.
If you want to understand how much that topping contributes, check the label against the quantity you actually use. This is more useful than assuming that any meal containing a recognised protein food must contain a large amount of protein.
Compare the serving you will eat
The protein figure on a nutrition label helps you compare products, but the portion matters as well. [1]
For an illustrative example, imagine a product labelled 8g of protein per 100g. A 150g serving would provide 12g of protein. These are example figures, not the values for a particular food or cookbook recipe.
When comparing two products, check that you are comparing the same quantity. Then consider the serving you would actually eat. A larger pack does not necessarily mean a higher protein concentration, and a prominent “protein” label does not tell you everything about the food.
You do not have to turn every meal into a calculation. Checking a few foods you buy regularly can give you a clearer idea of what those meals contain.
Keep shakes as an option that serves a purpose
If you enjoy a protein shake and find it convenient, it can remain one of your choices. The useful question is what it does for your particular routine.
Does it help when you have little time, or has it become the default because you cannot think of anything else? Would you rather have an ordinary meal on the days when you can prepare one?
Shakes are not a requirement for everyone. The British Nutrition Foundation notes that average UK intakes are sufficient without extra protein from supplements. [1] There is room to decide what is useful to you without building the whole day around specialist products.
Choose one new option for the coming week
Start with the meal that feels most repetitive. If lunch always involves chicken, try one alternative you would be happy to eat again.
You might choose a lentil and feta bowl, cottage cheese with tomatoes, or tofu with vegetables. Buy for that meal, try it, and note what would make it easier next time. Perhaps you need a different seasoning, a more convenient ingredient or a portion that fits your appetite better.
Once you have a second dependable option, you have more flexibility. You can then try another when it suits you. Variety becomes useful when the meals are enjoyable enough to return to.
Explore more combinations in the cookbook
High-Protein Low-Carb Cookbook for Women Over 40 contains 265 recipes across breakfast, lunch, dinner, vegetarian lunch and vegetarian dinner. The examples above offer a glimpse of the range beyond chicken and eggs, with full ingredient quantities and methods in the book. Explore the cookbook, launching 26 October 2026
Explore the cookbook and its included 90-Day High-Protein Masterplan.
Sources
1. British Nutrition Foundation: Protein
4. NHS: Dairy and alternatives in your diet
Further reading
Protein after 40: understand the wider protein context before deciding what to change.
High-protein breakfast ideas for women over 40: practical combinations for your first meal of the day.
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