How much protein should I be eating?

You'll be surprised to hear that the majority of the general population is not consuming enough protein! So how do I get more into my diet?

Here you'll find a super simple banana bread recipe (don't worry you don't need to be Mary Berry) where some of the flour has been replaced with whey protein powder. The recipe also gives alternatives for a vegan diet.

Ideally we should be aiming to consume 1g of protein per Kg of body weight per day, this amount will increase dependent on activity levels. As a rule of thumb the daily amount should be distributed throughout your meal times, so around 15-25g per sitting. Protein is essential in the repair and growth of muscles, particularly after a long night's rest or a taxing workout. 

This recipe is the perfect solution. Easy to make and the cake keeps for five days. It can be a quick breakfast toasted with a serving of good quality yoghurt and your favorite berries. Or simply as a snack slathered in peanut butter!

Some other fantastic benefits to protein are it keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Even better, we expend more energy when digesting protein. Every little helps if you're trying to reduce calories. 

So you can literally have your cake and eat it! Enjoy National Baking Week! 

#healthybakes #nationalbakingweek #bananabread #proteinrecipes

Protein Banana bread

Prep time - 10 mins

50 - 55mins to bake

Serves 10

Ingredients

150g self raising flour

50g whey protein powder (I used vanilla)

2 bananas mashed

75ml Olive or rapeseed oil (source of good fats)

100ml runny honey

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

60ml milk or milk alternative

2 eggs (See vegan note*)

* 1tbsp of chia seeds to 3tbsp of water per egg. Allow the chia seeds to soak until a egg-like consistency.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140c, 160c fan, gas mark 3 and grease and line a standard loaf tin

2. Place the flour, protein powder, salt, oil, honey and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl

3. Into a separate bowl mash the bananas. Add the eggs and milk and mix the ingredients together

4. Next add the banana and egg mixture to your flour bowl. Stir everything together until you have a fairly runny batter

5. Carefully spoon the mixture into your loaf tin and bake for 50-55mins

6. Check the cake with a skewer to make sure it's baked

7. Place on a wire rack to cool

Per serving 187cals, 24.1gcarbs, 7.5g fat, 6g protein