How Much Protein Should We Eat Per Day

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Protein is king - Dr. Spencer Nadolski.

Few nutrients are needed as much as protein. If you do not take enough through your daily menu, your health and body condition will deteriorate.

Opinions on this how much protein we should eat per day, are contradictory. Most official nutrition organizations suggest that a modest protein intake is sufficient.

According to them, DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per lean mass or 0.36 grams per kilogram. This amounts to 56 grams per day for a man and 46 g per day for a woman.

Although this amount may be enough to prevent direct protein deficiency, studies show that it is not enough to ensure good health.

It turns out that the recommended amount of protein for each individual depends on many details, including level of physical activity, age, muscle mass, physical goals and well-being.

In this article, we will look at optimal protein intake for various life factors such as weight loss, muscle building and activity levels.

Protein - what it is and why you should be concerned about its intake

Proteins are the main structural parts of your body used to build muscles, tendons, organs and skin, as well as enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters and various small molecules that serve vital functions.

It is extremely important for our existence. Proteins are made up of smaller molecules called amino acids that are tightly bound together. These bound amino acids form long protein chains that then fold into complex structures and shapes.

Some of these amino acids can be produced by your body, but there are also some that you need to get through your diet. They are called essential amino acids.

Protein is important not only in quantity but also in quality. Animal protein provides all the essential amino acids that the body makes full use of.

This is quite understandable, since animal tissues are similar to human tissues. If you eat animal products such as meat, fish, dairy or eggs every day, you are probably already doing quite well.

However, if you do not eat animal foods, getting all the protein and essential amino acids your body needs would be a challenge. Some people need protein supplements, which are generally beneficial for athletes and bodybuilders.

Can protein help you lose weight and prevent weight gain?

Yes, protein is incredibly important when it comes to weight loss and diets. You need to eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight.

It has been scientifically proven that protein consumption can increase the number of calories burned by speeding up metabolism and suppressing appetite.

Protein makes you feel energetic, unlike fats and carbohydrates.

A study in obese men shows that the protein increases the feeling of satiety, reduces the desire for late midnight breakfast by half, as well as obsessive thoughts about food during the rest of the day by up to 60%.

In another study, women who increased their protein intake by up to 30% ended up consuming fewer calories a day and losing weight much faster.

Protein not only helps you lose weight, but can also prevent you from gaining weight.

Research shows that a modest increase in protein intake from 15% to 18% reduces the amount of dietary fats that people usually recover after weight loss.

High protein intake helps you build and maintain muscle mass by burning fewer calories per day. Eating more protein makes it much easier to follow a diet, be it a high carb diet, a low carb diet or something in between.

In short, the recommended protein intake is 150 grams per day for people who consume 2,000 calories per day. You can calculate it by multiplying your calorie intake by 0.075.

Can protein help build muscle and endurance?

Muscles are made up largely of protein. As with most tissues in your body, muscles are active and are constantly being broken down and rebuilt. To build muscle, your body needs to synthesize more muscle protein than it breaks down.

There must be a net positive protein balance in your body - often called a nitrogen balance because the protein is high in nitrogen.

For this reason, people who want a lot of muscle, you need to eat more protein (and lift weights, of course).

Numerous studies have tried to determine the optimal amount of protein for gaining muscle mass, but usually come to different conclusions.

As for muscle mass, research usually does not look at the percentage of calories, but rather the daily grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. A general recommendation for gaining muscle mass is 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

If you have a lot of body fat, using either your lean mass or your total weight instead of your total body weight is a good idea, as it is mostly your lean mass that determines the amount of protein you need.

What are the other circumstances that can increase protein needs?

Regardless of muscle mass and physical goals, people who are physically active need more protein than people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

If your work is physically demanding, you walk a lot, run, swim or exercise, you need to eat more protein.

Endurance athletes also need significant amounts of protein - about 1.2-1.4 grams per kilogram.

Adults also have increased protein needs - up to 50% higher than DRI or 1-1.3 grams per kilogram of body weight.

This can help prevent osteoporosis and sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass), as well as other serious health problems in the elderly. People recovering from injuries may also need more protein.

Does protein have a negative impact on health?

Protein has been unfairly blamed for a number of health problems. Some people believe that a high-protein diet can cause kidney damage and osteoporosis.

However, these views are not supported by science. Although the abstinence from proteins is good for people with pre-existing kidney problems, protein has not been shown to cause kidney damage in healthy people.

In fact, it was found that higher protein intake lowers blood pressure and helps fight diabetes, which are two of the main risk factors for kidney disease.

The protein has also been blamed for osteoporosis, which seems strange, given that studies show it can actually prevent the condition. In general, there is no evidence that high protein intake has adverse effects in healthy people.

How to get enough protein?

The best sources of protein are meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

Some plant products also contain a large amount of protein - quinoa, legumes and nuts.

What does a gram of protein really mean?

In nutrition science, a gram of protein refers to grams of macronutrient protein, not a gram of food containing protein such as meat or eggs.

A 226-gram serving of beef contains only 61 grams of actual protein. Similarly, a large egg weighs 46 grams, but contains 6 grams of protein.

What is the conclusion for the average person?

If you are a healthy weight, do not lift weights and do not exercise much, then your goal is 0.8-1.3 grams per kilogram. This means about 56-91 grams per day for a man and about 46-75 grams per day for a woman.

Given that there is no evidence of harm from protein, it is good to strive to eat more, not less of it.