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Journey to a Healthier Heart Week 5: Protein Powerhouses

Discover the benefits of including a balanced variety of protein foods in your daily menu.

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Updated:

August 13, 2026

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Welcome to Week 5 of the Journey to a Healthier Heart provided by Penn State Extension. This program is based on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan and is designed to help improve heart health. This week will focus on different types of protein-rich foods (both animal- and plant-based), including recommended amounts, tips, and a delicious protein powerhouse recipe!

DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Recommended Daily Amount

6 or fewer servings of meats, poultry, and fish each day
4 to 5 servings of nuts, seeds, dry beans, and peas every week

Serving Size Examples

1 ounce cooked lean meat, skinless poultry, or fish
1 egg
⅓ cup or 1½ ounces nuts, 2 Tbsp nut butter, or 2 Tbsp or ½ oz seeds
½ cup cooked legumes (dried beans and peas)

What are Protein Foods?

Many foods, not just animal products, are excellent sources of protein and provide the essential building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, blood, hormones, and enzymes. Meat, poultry, fish and shellfish, dry beans and peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are protein-rich foods that provide many nutrients.

However, when consumed too frequently or in large amounts, some proteins can have negative side effects.

Animal-Based Protein Foods

Animal proteins such as red meat and poultry with skin may contain excess saturated fat and cholesterol. An essential part of a heart-healthy lifestyle is limiting saturated fat intake. Choosing lean meats and appropriate portion sizes is an easy way to control the amount of saturated fat you consume through animal products.

Tips for choosing and preparing lean protein to reduce saturated fat intake:

Choose lean cuts of meat or ground meat (95% lean)
Drain fat off while browning in the pan
Prepare meats without adding extra fat
Trim off all visible fat
Grill, broil, bake, or roast to allow excess fat to drip away
Remove the skin from poultry (or buy skinless)

Plant-Based Protein Foods

Remember, there are also many plant-based sources of protein, including nuts, seeds, lentils, beans, and peas, which are rich in nutrients and much lower in saturated fats.

Legumes are a class of plants that include beans, peas, and lentils and have many nutritional benefits. They are high in protein, dietary fiber, and folate (a B vitamin). You should try to eat 1½ cups of legumes each week.

Eating more is easy. Adding more legumes to your diet is simple if you keep them on hand! Beans come in many shapes, colors, sizes, and textures, all at a very low cost and with a long shelf life. Most of these beans are available canned, making them very easy to add to dishes like chili or salsa. Cooked dried beans can also be frozen. Try serving beans for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or as a snack for a low-fat, high-fiber, protein-rich option.

Did You Know?

Seafood also provides protein and a variety of nutrients, most notably omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Eating a variety of seafood twice per week, totaling 8 ounces, helps prevent heart disease. Compared to meat and poultry, fish is low in saturated fat.

Protein Goal

What changes will you make to your protein intake this week? Write down your weekly goal. Here are some examples to reduce saturated fat or increase the amount of legumes in your diet.

Example Goals:

This week, instead of buying 80/20 percent ground beef, I will buy 90/10 percent ground beef and drain off the excess fat.

Instead of following recipes as written, I will add a can of beans to a recipe that does not already call for it, such as a soup or a casserole.