Are you consuming enough of quality protein required by your body? Though, there are vastly different opinions on how much protein you actually need. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a modest 0.8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. It is credibly important for optimal health and body composition.

The appropriate amount of protein requirement differs from individual to individual depending on many factors like age, sex, existing state of health, muscle build, activity levels and body goals.

Proteins are the main building blocks of the body including muscles, tendons, organs, skin, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters and various tiny molecules without which life wouldn’t be possible. Besides, a high protein intake can help in losing weight and gaining muscle. Protein is not just about the quantity. It’s also about quality.

Best possible ways to get enough of quality protein:

Eating disorders can be a crucial cause of protein deficiency. If you’re physically active, you need not stuff yourself only with carbohydrates. Though, many carbohydrate rich foods like whole grain breads have protein yet consider consuming high-density sources of protein as well. Caloric deficiency can also lead to protein deficiency. Raising up the volume of physical workout requires an increase in caloric intake exponentially.

Follow the vital timings when your body absorbs protein most efficiently. However, they can be consumed any time of the day but your body will absorb them most 30 minutes after you wake up in the morning, 30 minutes after finishing your workout and 30 minutes before going to bed. In the morning your stomach is completely empty. So, your body acts as a sponge to absorb this essential nutrient. After a vigorous workout, your torn-out muscles need protein badly. When you sleep at night, your body systems keep on repairing your body for the loss it suffered throughout the day. This process needs the help of protein.

Don’t try to suck down protein in one go. It reduces the chances of your body to absorb it optimally. Instead, consume high-protein foods in each of your meals and snacks from whole food sources.

Swap out rice or noodles for quinoa. Half a cup of quinoa will get you four grams of protein.

Keep a reserve of protein bar created with a blend of whey, casein and whole food ingredients like nuts always ready with you. Whenever you feel hungry and can’t reach for a protein rich food, consume it. Stay away from protein bars that are just candy bars in disguise. They’re loaded with sugar and empty calories.

Eat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and ice creams. You’ll barely notice the difference between sour cream and Greek yogurt. For a sweet tooth, add honey and ricotta cheese to Greek yogurt. Top it with your favourite fruits and nuts and enjoy the feel of an ice cream scoop.

Opt for pasta made from black beans and legumes. An average serving of black bean spaghetti will complement you with 25 grams of protein.

Substitute potato chips for chips made from beans.

Add a dash of shredded parmesan cheese onto salads, sandwiches, pasta and other dishes to bump you up with protein.

Cottage cheese is a rich-protein food that’s delicious too. Add nuts and seeds to it for a satisfying diet full of protein.

Eat two whole boiled eggs everyday preferably in breakfast to punch up the protein.

If having cereals in breakfast, add hempseeds to it to up your protein intake.

Top your snacks and meals with almonds. Your aim should be to have a handful of almonds daily to get high-quality protein.

Incorporate chia seeds and flax seeds in your daily diet. They’re rich source of protein.

One cup of edamame (green soybeans) adds a gigantic 18 grams of protein. Add them to any salad.

Consume slightly larger portions of leaner meat to increase protein intake.

One scoop of 28 grams of protein powder provides 20 grams of protein. Whey protein powder has been studied the most helpful protein among soy, egg and pea protein. Add it in shakes and smoothies. Substitute your morning glass of fruit juice with it.

It is not hard to get enough protein. All that you need an effort with precise knowledge!

South Africa were bowled out for 130 runs in their second innings, giving them a lead of 207 runs against India in the first Test of the three-match series being played at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday.

The Proteas had reached 65 for two after bowling India out for 209 in their first innings on the second day of the opening Test on Saturday. On the third day, the match was called off due to rain.

Resuming on the fourth day, Hashim Amla and night-watchman Kagiso Rabada started the Proteas their innings, were soon sent back to the pavilion by Mohammed Shammi. After the dismissal of Rabada, the Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis joined AB de Villiers on the ground. Du Plessis was not able to hold the ground for much time as Jasprit Bumrah got him for a duck and soon Quinton de Kock (8) joined him in the stands.

Apart from AB de Villiers (35) and Keshav Maharaj (15) no other player was able to cross 10 runs on fourth day.

Fall of wicket: 52-1 (Aiden Markram, 14.6), 59-2 (Dean Elgar, 16.4), 66-3 (Hashim Amla, 21.3), 73-4 (Kagiso Rabada, 25.5), 82-5 (Faf du Plessis, 28.4), 92-6 (Quinton de Kock, 30.4), 95-7 (Vernon Philander, 33.4), 122-8 (Keshav Maharaj, 38.4), 130-9 (Morne Morkel, 40.2), 130-10 (AB de Villiers, 41.2)

Two persons were killed and two others injured when a car fell into a river in Hathras district in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, police said.

The incident took place when the car was passing over the Karwan river bridge. The car was from Muzaffarnagar and it was headed from Farrukhabad to Vrindavan.

The car was pulled out of the river with the help of a crane. The deceased were identified as Ramdas and driver Jairam Pandey.

Three youths have been arrested in Odisha’s Jajpur district for allegedly posting derogatory remarks against a BJP leader on social media.

The trio was held on the basis of a complaint lodged by BJP’s state unit secretary Simantini Jena, the officer in-charge of Barachana police station, Anita Sahoo, said.

“Jena lodged a complaint on Saturday night after she came across a social media post that had a photograph of her and local MLA and BJD leader Amar Prasad Satpathy with derogatory remarks insulting her status, dignity and character,” the OC said.

The accused have been identified as Pabitra Samal (29) of Bilikana, Biswajit Singh of Anaka (28), and Prasanna Baliarsingh (30) of Nuahat, Sahoo said.

Samal allegedly posted the picture while the other two accused wrote lewd comments below, she said, adding that copies of the post have been submitted to the police as evidence.

His mobile phone, which contains the photograph of the two leaders, has been seized, Sahoo said.

Jena had gone to Siha village under Barachana assembly segment to attend a programme. Satpathy along with other leaders of the two parties were also present there.

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Haryana government and civic bodies in Palwal district to submit a time-bound action plan with regard to collection, segregation and disposal of solid waste generated in the city.

A bench headed by acting Chairperson Justice U D Salvi directed the Palwal Municipal Council to submit details including quantum of solid waste generated in the area.

“Action plan submitted by authorities fails to give clear cut timelines for achieving the goal stepwise. We, therefore, direct Haryana and Palwal Municipal Council to place before us the time bound action plan regarding collection, segregation, processing and disposal of solid waste generated within limits of Palwal Municipal Council in accordance with Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016,” the bench said.

The tribunal also sought time-bound action plan with regard to scientific disposal of existing waste lying at the site.

The NGT was hearing a plea filed by Palwal-based SND Public School against illegal dumping of municipal waste by the municipal council on common land in village Meghpur in the district which is marked for grazing.

The plea has sought immediate stay on dumping of waste and removal of dumped garbage from the common land in order to prevent pollution to the adjacent pond and ground water.

“It is submitted that daily officials of the Respondent no 2 (Palwal Municipal Council) are digging the land upto 10- 15 feet and dumping unsegregated garbage on the said land. 10 -12 trolleys filled with garbage are brought to site and dumped on a daily basis. This digging poses a huge danger of destabilising high tension electric poles,” the plea said.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial Hindi film Padmavati, which stars Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, will release on January 25 as Padmavat.

“It will release as Padmavat on January 25. The film has got U/A certificate,” sources at Viacom18 Motion Pictures said.

Padmavati— now Padmavat — was earlier slated for release on December 1 but got stuck after the Karni Sena claimed it distorted historical facts related to the Rajput community.

A militant allegedly involved in the recent kidnapping of a policeman has been arrested in Dima Hasao district, police said.

The militant was apprehended during a joint operation conducted by the police and Assam Rifles on Sunday.

The militant was identified as S S Maj Naimeyning alias Aboy of Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), the police said.

A pistol with live ammunition was recovered from his possession.

A joint team of police and troopers of 43rd and 22nd battalions of Assam Rifles had on January 1 rescued Prafull Phukan, the abducted personal security officer (PSO) of the executive magistrate of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, from Hungrum village in Dima Hasao district.

Phukan had been abducted on December 31.

The BJP on Monday questioned the AAP government in Delhi over the deaths of 42 homeless people in the city this month, saying that if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would have taken interest, their lives could have been saved.

“At least 42 homeless people have died in the first one week of January 2018, and this information has been confirmed by the Ministry of Home Affairs,” Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party President Manoj Tiwari told reporters.

He also said that since December, over 250 homeless people have died.

Hitting out at the Chief Minister for preferring the Rajya Sabha elections and candidates over the homeless, the BJP MP said: “If Kejriwal would have taken more interest in the homeless instead of his Rajya Sabha candidates, then we would not have heard about the deaths.”

As per the reports of the Centre for Holistic Development, at least 40,633 homeless people have died in Delhi since January 1, 2004.

The report also claimed that in December 2017 alone, 250 people died on the streets.

According to the report, 44 people died in from January 1 to January 6, including a two-year-old child.

The BJP leader also said: “Let’s leave the blame game and do an all party meeting on how to save lives of homeless in the city.”

Tiwari also said that when he got the news, he went to see the conditions of the homeless in the city during nights.

“I was shocked to see that how people were sleeping with the animals in the Yamuna riverbed and on the streets in the open sky,” he said.

He also said that with the help of Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the BJP arranged a temporary night-shelter for over 650 people in the Kashmere Gate area of north Delhi.

As per the Delhi government, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) runs 251 shelters — 83 of them housed in permanent buildings and 113 operating out of porta-cabins. FIfty-five temporary shelters in tents have also been put up for the winter season.

On Saturday night, the International Court of Justice Judge Dalveer Bhandari inspected the Delhi government’s nightshelter in south Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan area. He stressed on the need to set up more such facilities.

Bhandari was accompanied by Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

International Scotch Day, a global celebration in honor of Scotland’s whiskey, will take place on February 8 with a series of events to mark the event.

Now in its second year, International Scotch Day invites people from all parts of the world to raise a glass of Scotch to celebrate the togetherness.

Celebrations will take place in homes, bars, clubs, and events across the world, as Scotch aficionados, enthusiasts and fans alike raise a glass to their favorite whiskey, said a statement.

Ronan Beirne, Global Brand Marketing Director at Diageo said: “Last year we launched International Scotch Day and its huge success proved what we at Diageo already knew – the world loves Scotch.

“This year is going to be even bigger, with celebrations taking place globally, from Scotch Whisky tastings to opening the doors to Diageo’s archive in Scotland, free passes to distillery visitor centers and celebrity events in cities from Manila to Johannesburg”.

Ewan Gunn, Global Scotch Whisky Master from Diageo, also feels that “Scotch is made all the way across Scotland – from the romantic west coast, through the whisky heartland of Speyside, to the vibrant urban central belt of Scotland, and though it is made here, it belongs to the world and is truly the world’s favourite whisky.”

“Hosting International Scotch Day for the second year shows how confident we are about the popularity of this truly international drink,” he said.

India’s liberalised foreign direct investment policy, especially regarding the participation of Non-Resident Indians in its economy as domestic investors, has made the country a hot destination among NRIs, according to a leading Indian businessman in the UAE.

“The liberalised FDI has opened many sectors in the country and given a boost to the inflow of investments,” Yusuff Ali MA, the chairman and managing director of the Abu Dhabi-based LuLu Group International, said here yesterday.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2018 held in Singapore on 6 and 7 January.

“The (Indian) government’s decision to treat all NRI investments as domestic investments has made India a favourite destination for businesses,” he remarked.

Ali said this has encouraged his LuLu Group to further invest USD 2 billion in shopping malls, a food processing facility, a convention and a hotel in India, from 2017 till 2020.

He noted a strong demand from India’s younger generation for “good quality food and branded products with strong preference to shop in malls”.

As such, Yusuff is confident of business growth in retail sector.

The Lulu Group, already a leading importer of Indian foods, fruits and spices to the Middle East, will next month lay foundation of its shopping mall-convention-hotel hub construction at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, he said.

It is part of the ongoing investment, with one shopping mall under construction in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh state, another planned in Hyderabad and a food processing plant coming up in Telangana.

The group, which has a series of shopping malls and retail outlets in the United Arab Emirates, will inaugurate its Lulu Bolgary Shopping Centre in Cochin in about six months.

This will be second complex in the southern city, following on the success of LuLu Shopping Mall Cochin which has been operating for four years.

He underlined the importance of quality retail centres, saying LuLu Group is bringing branded products to the Indian consumers through the malls for the preference of the younger generation.

Filmmaker Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s “Jonaki” will have its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2018.

“Jonaki” is the second feature film of the National Award winning director, whose first feature “Labour of Love” won 13 international awards.

The film, an Indo-French-Singaporean co-production, stars Jim Sarbh and sees the 81-year-old actress Lolita Chatterjee making her comeback as Jonaki.

Produced by Magic Hour Films, For Films, and Catherine Dussart Productions, “Jonaki” is a tale of an 80-year-old woman who searches for love in a strange world of decaying memories, while her lover, now old and grey, returns to a world she is leaving behind.

It will be screened in the Bright Future Section of IFFR 2018 to be held between January 24 to February 4.

Sengupta said in a statement, ” ‘Jonaki’ is an esoteric journey of the unfulfilled life of an 80-year-old woman. It is a film that is very personal to me and to have its world premier at Rotterdam is a true honour.

“IFFR celebrates and upholds auteur cinema with the highest regard and I think this is the perfect platform for us to showcase our vision.”

Samir Sarkar of Magic Hour Films, the principal producer of “Jonaki”, describes the movie as a “powerfully poignant tale of love lost”.

Actress Bipasha Basu turned 39 on 7th January and her loving hubby Karan Singh Grover made sure that she enjoyed it to the fullest. Bipasha started her birthday by kicking off to the gym with her hubby.

Wish you a very very very happy birthday my sweet precious princess! Today is the most joyous day for all of us! Wish you all the happiness, joy, success and love! Thank you for being born and filling my life and all the lives you touch with happiness and abundance! You’re truly the best kinda girl there is! #monkeyprincessbirthday #monkeylove

A post shared by karan singh grover (@iamksgofficial) on Jan 6, 2018 at 11:42am PST

Later on her special day, she cut a special cake. Karan wished her with a sweet message and a pleasing note on Instagram. “Wish you a very very very happy birthday my sweet precious princess! Today is the most joyous day for all of us! Wish you all the happiness, joy, success and love! Thank you for being born and filling my life and all the lives you touch with happiness and abundance! You’re truly the best kinda girl there is! #monkeyprincessbirthday #monkeylove,” he wrote.

Birthday celebrations at @resetlifeindia . Courtesy my darling @paul_britto 💪🏼❤️ Balloons and Cakes 🎂🎉My kind of party . Leg day 💪🏼So blessed for all the love ❤️Thank you everyone for all the loving birthday wishes and gifts ❤️🙏 #monkeyprincessbirthday

A post shared by bipashabasusinghgrover (@bipashabasu) on Jan 7, 2018 at 12:45am PST

I feel good❤️❤️❤️❤️Love my birthday ❤️Thank you @sophiechoudry for this cutest #monkeyprincess balloon ! #monkeyprincessbirthday

A post shared by bipashabasusinghgrover (@bipashabasu) on Jan 7, 2018 at 3:16am PST

The Raaz 3 actress hosted her birthday party at her residence in Khar and was seen enjoying with her close friends and hubby Karan. The bash was attended by the couple’s friends, including Shamita Shetty, Raj Kundra, Karan Kundra, Anusha Dandekar, Dia Mirza, Sahil Singha and others.

Thank you all for making my birthday so special😘🙏Family , friends , well wishers, colleagues, media ,all our fan clubs … each and every person who sent me a message . I feel soooo blessed to be loved by so many ppl. Thank you all for the constant support and love❤️I am a very lucky girl 🙏 #monkeyprincessbirthday

A post shared by bipashabasusinghgrover (@bipashabasu) on Jan 7, 2018 at 10:36pm PST

The lovey-dovey Bipasha and Karan did not shy away from hugging, hand-holding and kissing. All went well for the couple as they partied hard and danced the night away.

Karan Singh Grover kissing Bipasha Basu is the best thing we’ve seen today #aww . . #karansinghgrover #karan #bipashabasu #bipasha #misskyra #birthdaygirl #happybirthday #kiss #kissing #bollywood #bollywoodcouple #socute #awww #lovethem #picoftheday

A post shared by MissKyra (@misskyra12) on Jan 7, 2018 at 10:35pm PST

The actress felt good by the loving gesture of her hubby and wrote a pleasing note on Instagram. “Each time @iamksgofficial makes my birthday better and better. Thank you love for making it so special for your mad wife,” wrote Bipasha, while posting a picture. Bipasha and Karan, color-coordinated in black, posed for a cute picture with red balloons hanging on top. Their dance on Kaala Chashma must have been one of the main highlights of the party.

Each time @iamksgofficial makes my birthday better and better ❤️ Thank you love for making it so special for your mad wife 🙈❤️😘 #monkeyprincessbirthday

A post shared by bipashabasusinghgrover (@bipashabasu) on Jan 7, 2018 at 10:09pm PST

Bangladesh will set up special courts at its cricket stadiums to try and convict any punters caught gambling during an upcoming international series, an official said today.

Gamblers caught during the tri-nation series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe — starting January 15 — would be hauled from the stands and tried on the spot by judges in temporary courtrooms, a cricket board official said.

“Betting will be treated as a public nuisance. Anyone found involved will be convicted and punished instantly in the stadium,” Bangladesh Cricket Board chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP.

The special courts will continue to target gamblers during Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh, which starts at the end of January after the tri-nation series.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will play two Test matches and two Twenty20 internationals.

Gambling is illegal but rampant during cricket matches in Bangladesh, where punters exploit a brief delay between live play and the official broadcast of results to place frantic bets.

Authorities threw nearly 80 spectators out of matches for placing bets using their mobile phones during the latest edition of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament, which concluded last month.

At least a dozen of them were foreigners.

Police in November deported at least five Indians caught gambling during these short format matches.

So-called “mobile courts” are popular in Bangladesh. In October, more than 200 people accused of abuses against Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s southeast were jailed by special courts there.

Scores of journalists held demonstrations in Punjab and Chandigarh on Monday to protest against the UIDAI’s move to register a case against The Tribune newspaper and one of its reporters for exposing illegal data leak of Aadhaar details.

The protests were organised on behalf of the Chandigarh Press Club, the Punjab Press Club in Jalandhar, the Patiala Media Club and the Sangrur Press Club.

Journalists in Chandigarh started their protest march from the Press Club and headed towards the Punjab Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to the state government and Union Territory Administrator V.P. Singh Badnore.

Chandigarh Press Club Secretary General Barinder Singh Rawat condemned the FIR against the Tribune journalist.

“Instead of taking action against people involved in data breach, the government agency preferred to lodge a FIR against a reporter who exposed the loopholes in the system,” Rawat said in a statement.

Also read: Aadhaar expose: Press corps condemn FIR against Tribune reporter

Similar protests also took place in other places in Punjab and Haryana to show solidarity with the reporter and the newspaper.

After a January 3 report by The Tribune over breach in Aadhaar data with a headline “Rs 500, 10 minutes, and you have access to billion Aadhaar details”, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) registered an FIR against the newspaper and reporter Rachna Khaira.

The FIR, lodged with the Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch, invokes serious charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), IT Act and Aadhaar Act.

The UIDAI on January 4 said its search facility for grievance redressal may have been “misused” but denied any breach or leak of Aadhaar data.

The UIDAI move has attracted widespread criticism from press bodies, Editors Guild and journalists across the country who have demanded the withdrawal of cases against the newspaper and its reporter.

The Tribune has stood by its story and rebutted claims made by the UIDAI. “We at The Tribune believe that our stories were in the nature of a legitimate journalistic exercise.

“Our story was in response to a very genuine concern among the citizens on a matter of great public interest,” Tribune’s Editor-in-Chief Harish Khare said in a note on the newspaper’s website on Sunday.

“We regret very much that the authorities have misconceived an honest journalistic enterprise and have proceeded to institute criminal proceedings against the whistleblower.

“We shall explore all legal options open to us to defend our freedom to undertake serious investigative journalism,” he added.

Cricket is like a religion in India where people not just follow the game, but treat the cricketing heroes as demi gods.

After thrashing Sri Lanka, the Indian team were high on confidence when they landed in South Africa on 28 December for three-match Test series. People were expecting Virat Kohli’s side to be the first to win a Test series in South Africa. But with the way first Test match is going on, it seems winning a series in the longest format of game in Africa is just a distant dream.

Meanwhile, if media reports are to be believed, one of the fans of Captain Kohli tried to kill himself after his hero failed to perform with the bat in the first innings of the first Test, getting out on 5 runs to a Morne Morkel’s delivery.

The fan from Delhi lad was so upset with Kohli’s performance that he tried to commit suicide by burning himself. As per reports in News18, the fan was has been identified as Babubal Bairva and he is a retired railway employee. He was alone in his home watching the match when his favourite cricketer got out and he allegedly poured kerosene on himself and attempted to kill himself.

Meanwhile talking to DNA, Do Batti Police Station Assistant Sub Inspector PS Alawa said, “The man in his statement accepted that he was too upset with the dismissal of Virat Kohli and set himself ablaze. During the probe, we found no other reason which could have driven Bairva to take this extreme step.”

The Shiv Sena on Monday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ claim that the law and order situation was under control rings hollow as most culprits of the Kamala Mills compound fire here were still at large.

The BJP ally, a partner in the Fadnavis government, also raised the issue of alleged political pressure on BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta to not act against 10-15 illegal pubs and restaurants in the compound after the December 29 blaze in its premises.

Fadnavis, who also holds the home department, has said the law and order situation is “absolutely good” in the state, rocked by caste conflict at Bhima-Koregaon near Pune and subsequent violent protests by Dalit agitators.

“If the chief minister claims to have control over the law and order situation despite the riots after the Bhima- Koregaon incident, then people would like to know why the culprits behind the Kamala Mills fire are still at large,” an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said.

Only if they are arrested can the Shiv Sena accept the the claim that things are under control, the Marathi daily said.

The main accused in the fire at 1 Above pub in the Kamala Mills compound that claimed 14 lives are yet to be arrested though several FIRs have been filed.

According to the Sena, the state did take action against some illegal structures at pubs and restaurants across Mumbai after the blaze, but “… insulted the victims by announcing a Rs 1 lakh reward for providing information about the absconding accused”.

“This means the state has asked people (instead of police) to find the accused,” the Sena publication said.

The editorial said names of those who reportedly put pressure on the civic commissioner to spare illegal constructions in the compound should be made public.

“It was political pressure. One must know that the commissioner is appointed by the state government and he/she generally listens to the government,” it said.

The real question, it added, is whether the Kamala Mills owners were among those who put pressure on the commissioner.