Packing in the Protein

I've talked before on Miss Wheezy about the importance of getting enough protein in your diet, particularly if you're training hard! It's something I'm definitely going to be carefully considering as I try to train for the Ride London 100 mile bike ride, and the Great North Run over the next few months...

WHY DO WE NEED PROTEIN?

"Protein is an essential nutrient found in animal products, nuts, and beans. Your body uses proteins in your diet to build new cells, maintain tissues, and synthesise new proteins that make it possible for you to perform basic bodily functions.

All cells in the body contain protein, but it also appears in your hair, nails, bones, muscle tissue and red blood cells. Getting enough protein in your diet is essential for making sure you recover quickly and efficiently from tough workouts, and your body continues functioning well."

More and more food brands these days are adding extra protein into their products - perhaps to appeal to a healthier, more fitness-conscious market, or to target those people who are worried about getting enough in their meals - whether that's because they're a vegetarian, a body-builder trying to bulk up, or simply struggle to eat a balanced diet.

Protein Weetabix

Weetabix have developed their new Protein cereal to help people get a healthy portion of protein at breakfast that will leave them feeling fuller for longer. It's made of wheat protein with wheat crispies in each biscuit, although I didn't really notice that this affected the texture or the flavour - in fact I couldn't tell much difference! Looking at the nutritional info the original Weetabix has 4.5g protein per 40g (2 biscuit) serving, and the Protein Weetabix has 7.6g - worth it for the longer ingredients list (and higher sugar)?

As with the original Weetabix, the new Protein Weetabix is a breakfast cereal choice that is high in fibre, low in sugar, salt and fat and fortified with Iron and vitamins - partnered with some Greek yoghurt, fruit and honey it makes a pretty quick and tasty way to start the day, but for a real protein fix I think I'll stick with my eggs 🙂

The Protein Works Peanut Butter

My kitchen cupboards feel incomplete without at least two jars of nut butter, so the Protein Works Peanut Butter was a welcome addition, even if they did send me the smooth version (I know it says super crunchy, but it's not)! I really like The Protein Works products though - they use good high quality ingredients, that don't taste artificial- check out their Protein Mug Cakes here.

Produced in the UK, the Peanut Butter is literally just 100% peanuts which we all know are one of nature's best sources of protein, carbs and healthy fats. Of course, you have to be careful not to eat too much - one portion is two tablespoons, or a serving about the size of a golf ball - something I must admit I rarely stick to!

Try making my 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies with it for an indulgent treat.

Dr Zak's Flavoured Nut Butters

I was also sent some Dr Zak's nut butters recently, which I have to say I'm not such a fan of. I love the idea of flavoured nut butters - the Hognuts Chocolate Salted Caramel peanut butter in the previously mentioned recipe was amazing! These are just a little more artificial tasting- perhaps due to the added whey protein isolate and dessert-like flavours. They are naturally sweetened with fruit extracts and fructose, and contain 35g protein per 100g, compared to 25g per 100g in the Protein Works peanut butter.

I quite liked the Cherry Bakewell flavour, but the Apple and Cinnamon is a bit too much for me! I wanted to try the Salted Caramel (I'm a sucker for anything Salted Caramel flavoured!) but they had apparently sold out, which does suggest it's a more popular taste.

I think I'll be giving these a whirl in some baking - perhaps Apple and Cinnamon protein flapjacks might work?!

CLIF Bars

I have another post coming up soon about fuelling for bike rides with CLIF but I wanted to mention their Builder's Bars in this protein-packed feature! I'm a huge fan of the original CLIF bars - which in themselves have between 9-11g protein per bar - so was excited to try the rest of the products in their range.

The Builder's Bars though, honestly not so great taste-wise but then I'm not really a fan of dedicated Protein bars which tend to have a chalky taste and texture. These are definitely better than others I've tried and since they contain 20g of soy protein are fantastic for grabbing post workout or cycle session if you need to refuel fast, and won't be getting any real food for a while. I will probably throw one in my bag for after Ride London!

What do you think about brands adding protein to their products- protein bread anyone?!

Beki x