Human beings need protein. Every cell in your body contains it. You need it because it can help your body make new cells and repair damaged ones.

While everyone needs protein, there are some individuals, such as pregnant women, children, and growing teenagers, who need it more than others. Maybe you have someone in your family from one of these categories, or perhaps you have more than one such person.

If so, you might worry that your family is not getting enough protein. There are certain things you can do to alleviate this issue, so let us look at a few of them now.

You Can Serve a Legume-Based Meal Once Per Day

You may have someone in the family who is a vegan or a vegetarian. It’s not always easy to get enough protein on a vegan diet, or a vegetarian one, for that matter. You can deal with this by serving legumes for one meal per day.

Some legumes include:

• Black beans or kidney beans
• Green peas or lentils

If you’re a strict vegetarian or vegan, you might eat any of those. Other legumes include mung beans, soybeans, and chickpeas, and any of those are fine too.

The nice thing about legumes is they fill you up and satisfy you, but they are also remarkably versatile. You can make things like split-pea soup, three-bean salad, or stewed lentils with lots of yummy spices. That should make all your family members happy, and you can have leftovers if you make a big enough entrée.

You Can Serve a Meat-Based Meal Once Per Day

Meat is also one of the better protein sources. Some examples include:

• Pork
• Beef
• Chicken

All of those are protein-loaded options, and like legumes, you can prepare them in all kinds of different ways. You can marinate and grill up some steaks. You can prepare pork chops or a lean pork tenderloin. You can prepare chicken in hundreds of different ways, as cultures all over the world enjoy it.

You probably don’t want to eat beef too often since it’s high in total and saturated fats. You can eat lean pork or chicken more frequently, provided you prepare it in a healthy way. You want to stay away from fried chicken or fried pork chops except as a special treat.

You Can Give the Family Protein Shakes

If you’ve got some family members that have special dietary requirements, they might not be able or willing to eat meat. You can get protein shakes and have them on hand for meals or between-meal snacks.

There are ones like Boost or Ensure that come in several tasty flavors, like chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla. You can definitely buy them in bulk if you have a Costco or a Sam’s Club membership.

These are ideal because usually, even the pickiest of eaters are okay with them. You can always have some on ice, or you can store them in a convenient closet or pantry. They keep for many months, so stocking up and having them as standbys is a smart idea.

You Can Eat More Eggs

You can serve the family more eggs. Eggs are a great protein source, and you can prepare them in many different ways. You can scramble them, fry them, or poach them. You might serve them sunny side up, or you can make them into a frittata.

The one thing about eggs you should remember is that they are high in cholesterol. Because of this, like red meat, you should not eat them every day.

A couple of times a week is probably fine, assuming the family is leading an active lifestyle as well. Some vegan family members will not eat eggs, but most vegetarian ones should be fine with them.

You Can Buy the Family Some Protein Supplements

If you still feel like your family is not getting enough protein, despite all your efforts, you can also buy them some protein supplements. There are pills you can get, or there are also powders you can stir into water or milk.

These will give your family members a protein megadose. If you’re unsure which ones will work best, you can speak to either a doctor or a nutritionist.

If you have all of these rotating options available, your whole family should get the protein they need. You will have choices for vegetarians, vegans, and those with any other dietary preferences. Everyone should be healthy and happy.