PROTEIN FOR EVERY BODY
How much you need, bruh?
How do physical and biological factors affect protein needs?
Whether you’re looking to make gains, lose weight or if you just want to make sure you’re consuming an adequate amount of protein for your age, body type and activity level, it is important to know your protein needs. The information detailed below, along with the online calculators, will help you figure out how much protein you need daily.
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The lowest amount of protein required daily to prevent deficiency is .36 grams per pound of body weight ( .8 grams per kg)
-American Dietetic Association (ADA): recommends a minimum of 52-94 grams/day
-The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): recommends 49-171 grams/day (10-35% of daily caloric intake)
-World Health Organization (WHO): states the safe lower limit of 43 grams/day
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Active adults and individuals looking to lose weight should get between .54 - .77 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
Athletes and adults that train intensively (6-7 days a week) should aim for .78 - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
Some recent research shows that consuming more than 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight has negligible effects on muscle gain.
It is especially important, especially for weight loss and muscle gains, to track calories when adding more protein to your diet. An increase in calories from protein, without an other adjustments could have an adverse effect on your goals.
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As you age, your protein needs increase. Studies show that consuming more protein can have a positive impact on maintaining ‘functionality’ and recovering quickly from illness.
Light to moderate resistance training is also extremely beneficial to maintaining strength and lean muscle mass as one ages.
RECOMMENDATION:
.45 - .6 grams per pound of bodyweight
(.99 - 1.32 grams per kg)
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According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1 in 7 school age children (ages 6-13) do not get enough protein.
Protein is just as important, if not more important, for the mental and physical health of a growing child. Not enough protein can impact a child’s ability to concentrate, lower their immune system, delay growth and muscle development and impact their ability to recover quickly from illness or injury.
RECOMMENDATION: grams/per day
AGE 1-3: 13 grams
AGE 4-8: 19 grams
AGE 9-13: 34 grams
AGE 14-18 (girls): 46 grams
AGE 14-18 (boys): 52 grams
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Protein is essential to the growth of new cells and tissues so it makes sense that when growing a baby, the body is going to need an increased amount of the stuff.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Early Pregnancy (before 20 weeks): .55 grams per pound of body weight (1.22 g/kg)
Late Pregnancy (after 20 weeks): .66 grams per pound of body weight (1.45 g/kg)
Lactation: .77-.86 grams per pound of body weight (1.7 - 1.9 g/kg)
New information shows that past recommendations for protein consumption during pregnancy and while breastfeeding were insufficient for both the health of mom and baby. On average, women should aim for 100 grams of protein per day throughout the entire pregnancy.
How to calculate your protein needs based on % of calories consumed daily
Let’s Do Protein Math
COUNTING BEANS
STEP 1:
DETERMINE YOUR TOTAL CALORIC NEEDS PER DAY
STEP 2:
DETERMINE THE % OF CALORIES FROM PROTEIN YOU SHOULD CONSUME PER DAY
The percent of your daily caloric intake that should come from protein may be based on your diet, age, lifestyle, weight or strength goals or a combination of these factors. Below are some ranges to help guide your decision.
The CDC recommends 10-35% of caloric intake be from protein.
The current Western diet averages 16% of calories from protein.
If you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off, aim for around 30% of calories to be from protein.
Building strength, go for 25-30%.
STEP 3:
CALCULATE YOUR PROTEIN CALORIES
STEP 4:
CONVERT CALORIES TO GRAMS
AN EXAMPLE
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Height: 5’ 10”
Body Weight: 180 lbs
Activity Level: moderate; exercises 3-5 days a week
Goal: mild weight loss
Caloric Needs: 2518 per day
% of Calories from Protein: 30%
Amount of Calories from Protein: 755 calories
Grams of Protein Per Day: 189 grams
Using the more general method, a suggested range of protein requirements for individuals looking to lose weight (.54 - .77 grams of protein per pound of body weight), the recommended amount of protein would be 100 - 142 grams per day. These two methods of calculating protein needs vary from 100 - 189 grams. To find what is right for you, either aim for the higher amount and if you don’t quite reach it, you’ll still be in a good place to meet your goals or go for the median of about 145 grams.
In our example, it is also important to track total caloric intake per day to ensure more calories are being burned vs consumed. Consuming a greater amount of protein while under a caloric deficit will help to lose weight while maintaining or building muscle
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