How to Meet Your Protein Needs When Appetite Is Low

When your appetite takes a dip, so too can your enthusiasm to cook. And when both of these are lacking, one nutrient that often takes a hit is protein. This can partly be because protein is naturally quite filling, but also because many protein-rich foods require some preparation and effort. Ensuring adequate protein intake, however, is important for many reasons. We’ll go onto explore these, along with offering some manageable ways to meet your protein needs, even when eating feels like a challenge.

If you’ve been experiencing ongoing difficulties with eating, however, have a low body weight, or are unintentionally losing weight or strength, it’s really important you seek advice from your GP or ask to be referred to a Registered Dietitian.

Why Might my Appetite be Low & What Are the Risks?

There are many reasons appetite can decrease, often being a combination of factors rather than just one. Common causes include side effects of certain medications (1), recovery from illness or surgery, stress, pain, older age, digestive symptoms (2), and low mood (3).

If not addressed early, low appetite can lead to unintentional weight loss, muscle loss, and, in more serious cases, malnutrition (4).

Thinking specifically about protein, ensuring adequate intake is important because protein plays several key roles in the body, including supporting muscle maintenance, bone health, wound healing, immune function, and the production of enzymes and hormones (5, 6). This importance for adequate protein intake increases even further for people living with certain conditions where protein requirements may be higher than average, such as during recovery from injury, surgery (7), or when living with chronic liver failure (8).

This is why personalised advice from a healthcare professional should always be sought if concerns arise, as individual needs vary.

How can I increase my Protein Intake?

Ask most Dietitians where they start when supporting someone nutritionally, and you’ll often hear the phrase ‘food first’.

This simply means looking at practical ways to meet nutritional needs using everyday foods, before considering alternatives like oral nutritional supplements.

In the context of low appetite, one way to do this is through fortification, which typically means adding extra protein and energy to meals and drinks without increasing portion size.

As this article focuses on protein, let’s take a look at some protein-specific fortification ideas:

Tips for protein-fortifying food and drinks:

Including a protein source at each meal, such as tofu, beans, lentils, eggs, fish, poultry, lean meat, nuts, seeds, or dairy foods.
Adding nutritional yeast or cheese to soups, casseroles, sauces, mashed potato, or sprinkling over pasta or salads.
Blending silken, or firm, tofu into soups, sauces, smoothies, or desserts.
Stirring nut or seed butters (such as peanut butter, almond butter, or tahini) into porridge, sauces, curries, smoothies, or baked goods.
Using milk in mashed potatoes, porridge, breakfast cereals, or milky drinks. Fortified soya milk has a similar protein content to cow’s milk for those choosing plant-based options.
Adding nuts or seeds to meals, or using ground versions (such as ground almonds) in baking.
Blending black beans or chickpeas into home-baked brownies or blondies.
Snacking on yoghurt or soya yoghurt.
Choosing creamy desserts like rice pudding, custard, or ice cream.
Fortifying milk with milk powder and using it as you would regular milk.
Mixing protein powder into smoothies, milkshakes, baked oats, or home baking.

Note: Some medical conditions, such as chronic kidney disease, can affect how much protein is appropriate (9). Always seek advice from your GP or a Registered Dietitian before making significant changes to your protein intake.

Temporarily Reducing fibre

Another ‘food first’ approach that might be considered is temporarily reducing fibre intake.

Fibre is filling and slows digestion, which in some cases can be helpful (10,11), but when appetite is low, it can make meals feel too filling too quickly. For some people, reducing fibre intake in the short term may make it easier to eat enough.

However, fibre is important for gut and overall health (12,13), and many fibre-rich foods also provide essential vitamins and minerals. So, the aim isn’t to avoid fibre entirely, but rather consider gentle swaps to some foods, for a short period, while appetite is limited.

Examples to temporally reduce fibre intake (14,15):

Choose crackers, bakery items, bread, rice, and pasta made with white flour.
Fruit and vegetables are important to keep in the diet. Try choosing lower fibre options, and peeling and cooking them well before eating (e.g., apple, melon, ripe banana, plums, carrots, cucumber, cauliflower and broccoli).
Choose tofu over tempeh, as tempeh is higher in fibre.
Peel skins from potatoes and make sure they are well-cooked.

Once appetite improves, higher-fibre foods can gradually be reintroduced.

Eating little and often

The third and final ‘food first’ approach I’m going to mention is possibly some of the most common words spoken out my mouth when I was a nutrition support Dietitian: eat little and often.

Large plates of food can feel overwhelming when appetite is low. So, many people find it easier to eat smaller amounts more frequently (e.g., every 2–3 hours, aiming for 5–6 smaller meals across the day).

Small, but protein-rich, meal ideas:

Nut butter, hummus, or cheese on toast/crackers
Yoghurt or soya yoghurt with fruit and nuts/seeds
Nut and seed trail mix
Mini sausages or chicken/tofu bites
Roasted chickpeas, broad beans or fava beans
Fruit with cream, custard or rice pudding
Homemade silken tofu mousse
Smoothies or milkshakes made with milk, yoghurt, silken tofu, nut butter, and/or protein powder
Scrambled eggs/tofu on toast
Creamy lentil, chicken, or tofu-based soups
Pasta with a cheese, cashew nut, soya or meat-based sauce
Jacket potatoes with beans, cheese, chilli, or hummus
Creamy-based curries made with lentils, chickpeas, or meat/meat substitutes

Additional tips for eating little and often (16):

Eat whenever hunger appears, regardless of the time.
Avoid large drinks just before meals.
Limit fizzy drinks if they make you feel full.
Keep easy-to-eat foods and meals available, including ready-made or frozen options.
Get some fresh air by opening a window, or taking a short walk before eating, if able.
Get involved in cooking, if able, as smells may stimulate hunger.

Summary

When appetite is low, meeting protein needs can feel challenging. But small, strategic changes can make a big difference. Focusing on food-first approaches, fortifying meals and drinks, and eating little and often, can all help support intake while minimising the pressure.

If eating remains difficult or weight and strength begin to decline, professional support is important. A GP or Registered Dietitian can provide tailored advice to ensure nutritional needs are met safely and effectively.

Dietitian’s Disclaimer

This article is written by Amber Woodhouse, Registered Dietitian, and is based on current scientific evidence. It is intended for general educational and informational purposes for the general adult public and should not replace personalised medical or dietetic advice.

If you have been experiencing ongoing difficulties with eating, have a low body weight, or are unintentionally losing weight or strength, you should seek advice from your GP or a Registered Dietitian. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or making any significant changes to your diet or medication.

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How can I increase my Protein Intake?

Tips for protein-fortifying food and drinks:

Temporarily Reducing fibre

Examples to temporally reduce fibre intake (14,15):

Eating little and often

Small, but protein-rich, meal ideas:

Additional tips for eating little and often (16):

Summary

Dietitian’s Disclaimer

Whey Protein 360

Vegan Protein 360

References

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