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I like to consider myself well-versed in the dietary sciences, and by far the most common question that I am asked when speaking at various events is "What protien-rich foods do you recommend for my healthy diet?" While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, I often believe the biggest reason this is asked so frequently is due to the fact that there is a lot of misinformation out there about why protein is an important part of your diet and how it is best consumed.
Take for instance the now socially trendy protien powders and shakes. These have become very popular among athletes, fitness professionals, and health "junkies" as a means of maximizing protein intake. Don't get me wrong, dietary protein supplements are useful in many situations, such as for those who need to push their bodies to the limit and go above and beyond the norm, but as a general rule one's primary source of protien should come from natural health foods rich in protien and not from processed supplements.
It's important not to lose sight of this distinction: they are dietary supplements. By definition these methods for improving protien intake should primarily be used when it is in addition to the ingestion of foods that are naturally rich in protien. It's a gross oversimplification, but simply eating protien powder all day will get you nowhere in the long run, for the same reason that taking multi-vitamin pills alone will not a healthy person make.
This is why I am a strong advocate of taking the extra time to research and find naturally prepared, local foods that are both rich in protien and other necessary vitamins and minerals. If you'd like a starting point, here are some of my favorite naturally protien-rich foods: egg whites, fish (steelhead, salmon, whitefish, cod, tuna), soybeans, beef, pork, and chicken.
I have written a number of other articles on why protein is so important in your healthy diet, but don't forget that it is only one piece of the health puzzle and should not be taken as a magic solution. The important thing is to get a healthy balance of foods in your life.
For more information on foods rich in protien, I'll direct your attention to my previous article that details a common list of protien foods, or simply browse the links on this page.
Happy Dieting!