Hi SheFly!

Did your coach mention anything about WHEN / HOW to take in more protein?

Just curious, because two years ago I started focusing on spreading my protein intake out over the course of my waking hours (so, before, I was eating some protein at lunch and dinner but almost none at breakfast; the change involved eating slightly more protein (20-30% more) per day but spreading the total protein out over bkfst, mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack, dinner, after dinner snack portions). The noticable impact for me was that I seemed to build/maintain muscle/strength more readily & I got sick (colds) less often (that was a problem before). I really didn't change anything else (training regimen, exposure to sick people, diet, lifestyle), so I have to believe it made a difference for me.

As for how you define quality protein? Depends what your goals are. I look for a variety of food (meat and non) sources that are high in protein (complete if possible), low in fat/calories, and preferably low in saturated fats. If I'm really desperate (travelling on business, for example, without much control over where my meals come from), I'll add protein drinks blended from soy and whey proteins, but I'd really rather stick to real food.