How to Make Fruit Part of Your High-Protein Diet

You might assume that eating a high-protein diet means skipping fruit and snacking on nothing but chicken, beef, and beans all day long. But even if you’re prioritizing protein, it’s important to have plenty of produce, too!

“In my practice, I often see people over-consuming or exceeding their protein needs and unintentionally eliminating necessary food groups like fruits or vegetables,” Dr. Lea Steiner, DCN, MS, RD, LD, told The FruitGuys.

Fruit and a protein diet can go hand in hand. While fruit is relatively low in protein compared to protein snacks like meat and eggs, it can still pack in as much as 5.2 grams of protein per cup. Even better, fruit gives us micronutrients like potassium, Vitamin C, and fiber that are often missing from high-protein foods. If you find yourself gravitating towards one food group and missing out on the benefits of another, follow this easy on-the-go snack formula Steiner uses to get both fruit and protein in your diet:

‘Go PRO’: Your Fruit and Protein Diet Snack Hack

“I love to recommend ‘Go PRO’ for all snacks: Make snacks a PROtein plus a PROduce. For example, a banana and peanut butter or yogurt and berries,” Steiner said.

Here are a few more grab-and-go snacks she recommends for work. Pick one from each category next time you’re feeling peckish at the office:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables like carrots, celery, strawberries, bananas, and oranges
• Protein sources like hummus, peanut butter, nuts and seeds, a yogurt cup, or a hard-boiled egg to combine with your produce

For an even bigger fruit and protein diet boost, choosea high-protein fruit as the produce half of your snack.

“Fruit is not a primary protein source, but there are some fruits, like guava, that have a higher protein content than others,” Steiner said.

The Benefits of Protein In Your Diet

The term “protein” comes from a Greek word meaning “of utmost importance,” or “first rank,” which is fitting because these groups of amino acids carry out a variety of vital functions, including helping us build and repair muscle.

“You need these essential amino acids that our bodies can’t make,” Cynthia Feibert,* science professor emeritus at Treasure Valley Community College, told The FruitGuys.

High-protein foods often have other benefits, too. Plant-based proteins like legumes are great sources of fiber and correlate with health benefits like longevity and minimizing disease risk, according to Steiner.

“I often recommend fish like salmon as a high-quality protein because it’s also a source of essential omega-3 fatty acids that can be difficult to consume in other sources and has health benefits like lowering triglycerides and minimizing inflammation,” she said.

The Benefits of a Protein Diet With Fruit

Whole fruits provide important fiber and micronutrients not found in other food groups, and making them a regular part of your diet can help with weight management, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. To get these benefits, look to add fresh fruit to your protein diet whenever possible. You can also lean on frozen fruit with no added sugar when fresh isn’t available. Another reason to eat a protein diet with fruits? Fruit may actually help you better absorb protein, Steiner said:

“Protein absorption is influenced by things like the gut microbiome, and every person has their own microbiome. A gut populated with healthful bacteria could improve protein absorption. Fiber, fermented foods, vegetables, and fruit are important to eat regularly to improve our gut microbiome.”

Fruit also tends to have a high water content and can help us stay hydrated, Feibert told The FruitGuys. Cantaloupe, strawberries, and watermelon, for example, can be up to 99% water. That’s a big help in keeping up with the needs of your human body, which is more than 50% water!

Find Variety in Familiar High-Protein Foods and Colorful Fruits

To help incorporate a variety of nutrients into your fruit and protein diet, try combining proteins you already like with fruits that are new to you. Since we eat in part with our eyes, try colorful combinations, like:

• Yogurt with kiwi, passion fruit, and pomegranate
• Smoothies with almond milk, nut butter, cherries, raspberries, avocado, and spinach (bonus: dark red fruits and dark leafy greens contain healthy iron, folate, and antioxidants)
• Your favorite cheese with sliced guava or dragon fruit
• Orange slices with a hard-boiled egg (for a savory snack, marinate the egg in a sweet and savory blend of soy sauce, green onions, rice vinegar, and honey the day before)

For another delicious fruit and protein pairing, try the easy recipe below.

Banana ‘Sushi’

Recipe by Sonya Feibert Kuhn for The FruitGuys

This simple snack sandwiches protein with fruit and is easy to make in the office break room. Nuts are a great plant-based protein source, and both Steiner and Feibert called out the benefits of protein- and calcium-rich yogurt. Bananas bring nutrients, including fiber, potassium, and Vitamin B6, into the mix.

Ingredients

• 1 banana, sliced into rounds
• 2 tablespoons nut butter of your choice
• Optional: 2 tablespoons yogurt of your choice

Preparation

1. Coat Banana Slices: Spread nut butter generously on half of the banana slices. If you’re using yogurt, mix yogurt with nut butter before spreading.
2. Assemble “Sushi” Pieces: Sandwich a nut-buttered banana slice onto a slice without nut butter.

Serves 1–2. Prep time, 10 minutes.

Cook’s Note

This recipe is vegetarian-friendly, and can be vegan if you choose a plant-based yogurt. Pick riper bananas for a sweeter snack; under-ripe for lower sugar content. For meal prep, especially when it’s hot out, you can make this treat ahead of time and pop it in the freezer. Take it out 5 minutes before you’re ready to snack. For more sweetness and crunch, try adding strawberry slices, granola, sprinkles, or mini chocolate chips to the coated banana slices between steps one and two.

Happy fruit and protein snacking!

*Disclosure: Cynthia Feibert is the author’s mother.