This post is sponsored by Ka’Chava, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
"If you happen to be in your 20s, you’ve most likely sat and recently asked yourself the question, “Why is everyone my age either getting married or training for a half marathon?” While it’s been a lighthearted joke my friends and I like to throw around in our post-grad lives, I fear it is no longer a joke for me personally… and no, I am not getting married. Yes, I’m planning to run my first half marathon this year (quarter-ish life crisis, I’ll own it), so I’ve recently become that friend who won’t shut up about it. I got new Hokas? Of course, you’ll see them on my Instagram story. My friends want to hit the town until 1 a.m. on Friday? I’ll make sure everyone knows I’m leaving early because I have to do my long run on Saturday morning. And if I hear anyone even start to say the word “protein,” I will shamelessly start telling them about how I now live and die by the 30/30/30 method.
What is the 30/30/30 method?
The 30/30/30 method entails eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up, then completing 30 minutes of some type of exercise. The point of this? To keep you feeling full and energized throughout the day while consuming enough protein to help you grow and maintain lean muscle mass. Consuming enough protein is super important for runners, so I was immediately down to try it out. But I’d be lying if I said that the idea of consuming that much protein early in the day didn’t sound a bit jarring. What was I about to do, eat an entire rotisserie chicken at 6 a.m. on a Tuesday? Let’s be serious.
But, upon doing some research and experimenting with different foods and recipes, I’ve gathered my handful of go-to methods to accomplish the 30/30/30 every morning with ease. If you’ve been wanting to give the 30/30/30 a go or have just been looking for doable ways to get more protein into your diet, here are a handful of my tried and true tips for making it happen:
1. Using a do-it-all protein in my morning smoothies
At the end of the day, I am a smoothie-for-breakfast-girl through and through. While I like to switch things up throughout the week to avoid getting bored, I definitely find myself making a high-protein smoothie on most mornings. The best part? I can always hit my 30-gram goal in just my smoothie alone because of my go-to Ka’Chava Superfood Blend. A singular serving contains 25 grams of protein, and when combined with other protein sources like yogurt and peanut butter, I’m easily getting those 30 grams of protein I’m hoping for. I’m all about a quick and easy breakfast that requires little to no effort, so throwing in my Ka’Chava blend does all of the heavy lifting for me. Plus, the Chocolate flavor genuinely makes my smoothie taste like a sweet treat, which is the best way to start your day, obviously.
While I started using Ka’Chava to hit my protein goals, all of its other nutritional benefits have made it even more of a staple in my routine. With 85+ superfoods, nutrients, and plant-based ingredients, it delivers on so much more than just protein, including antioxidants, adaptogens, a greens and veggie blend, probiotics, prebiotic fiber, and more. On top of all of that, it’s vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free, making it a fit for everyone. All of Ka’Chava’s nutrients work together to support whole-body health, including your immune system, energy, mind, digestion, muscle, weight, heart, joints & bones, and hair, skin, and nails. So, it’s basically a God-send of a beverage.
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2. Going for Greek yogurt over regular yogurt
A little bowl of Greek yogurt with some granola and fruit is another one of my fave breakfast options. But, I make sure to always opt for Greek yogurt over any other kind as it’s a 10/10 source of protein. Greek yogurt undergoes a straining process that removes much of the liquid whey, resulting in a thicker, creamier texture and a higher concentration of protein per serving compared to regular yogurt. With about double the protein content, Greek yogurt provides a substantial protein boost, and when I pair it with a Ka’Chava smoothie (I do this on mornings when I’m particularly hungry or know I’m doing a harder workout that day) or another protein-dense recipe, I’m getting to those 30 grams with no sweat.
3. Having my set of go-to cottage cheese recipes
If cottage cheese freaks you out, don’t worry—I get it. I didn’t hop on the bandwagon until recently, and it was all thanks to finding some cottage cheese toast recipes that completely took away the ick factor for me. Plus, when I found out how a singular cup of cottage cheese has around 25 grams of protein, it gave me the final push I needed to look past its texture and generally off-putting vibe. I definitely am not at the point where I can just go at it by the spoonful (congratulations if you are), so I love to dress it up with avocado and hot honey on toast. Or, on days when I’m feeling particularly fancy, I’ll throw together a little cottage cheese, lox, and a fried egg on top of some really good sourdough. Once you find the recipes that work for you, you’ll never want to go back.
4. Meal prepping hard-boiled eggs
If I know I’m heading into a particularly jam-packed week where I really won’t have time to spend on making breakfast, hard-boiling a dozen eggs on Sunday night is a hack I’ll always swear by. They don’t have the most protein in the world standing on their own (about 7 grams each), but when I pair a couple of them with a quick bowl of yogurt, they’re a fool-proof way to help me get to my 30 grams. I’d be lying if I said there haven’t been mornings where I haven’t just eaten four of them out of a Tupperware container in my fridge and called it a day. Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do, you know?
5. Getting up early enough to have time for breakfast
While this isn’t a recipe or food hack, I’ve found it to be a crucial step in consistently achieving my protein goals. Even with meal-prepped breakfast items or recipes that take five minutes to throw together, there are still those days when I’m rolling out of bed way too late to think about eating breakfast within the first 30 minutes of being awake. If I don’t get up until five minutes before I have to be online and clocked in, I get so focused on work from the get-go that I don’t even think about food until at least an hour or two into the morning. So, I always make a point to get up maybe 10 to 20 minutes before I want to so I know I will actually have the time to throw my quick 30/30/30 method-approved breakfast together and enjoy it before jump-starting into my day.
This post is sponsored by Ka’Chava, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.