Every serving of bread, pasta and cereal provides 3 grams of protein. Take a look at this Protein Counter to see how easy it is to get your goal amount. Increasing the portion size quickly improves the protein count. The trend to supplement the diet with protein powders and liquids is prevalent in athletes, particularly in bodybuilders. Athletes should know their protein goals, how much they derive from their diets, and turn them to complete protein supplements if necessary.
Many products containing casein and whey protein or soy protein are available.
Shakes and energy bars can be convenient for athletes who spend many hours training. A protein shake with milk and fruit is an easy way to add a nutritious high-protein snack to the diet. Some energy bars offer 14 to 25 grams of protein in a single serving. Although studies evaluating effectiveness and safety are lacking, athletes should be careful of expensive isolated amino acid supplementation because of potential toxicity. A word about fat Most athletes need about 25 to 30 percent of their calories from fat.