How Much Protein Should I Eat Daily?

How much protein should I eat daily? The dietary reference intake recommends 0.36 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. It is important to know that most nutritional organizations recommend a modest daily protein amount.  And this amounts to 65 grams of protein per day for a 180-pound sedentary person.

If your goal is to gain muscle, then you may need to increase that to 1 gram of protein per bodyweight.  The amount of protein that you need daily will always be predicated on activity level, age, muscle mass, fitness goals and your present overall health.

How much protein should I eat daily? Photo credit: iStock-ProNamy

Why would you need protein?

Protein is the essential building block to your body as it is used to create muscle, tendons, organs, skin, etc. Animal protein like fish, eggs, meat, dairy provides all the essential amino acids your body needs daily.

Research shows that consuming protein will increase the number of calories burned by boosting your metabolic rate and reducing your appetite. Consuming 25 to 30% of your calories from protein has been shown to boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories compared to low protein diets.

There was a 12-week study where women increased their protein intake to 30% and the result was eating 441 fewer calories. And they lost 11 pounds just by adding more protein to their diet.

Because protein is essential to building muscle, the more muscle you have the faster your metabolism will be. And the result is weight loss and more calories burned efficiently. Research studies tend to examine the daily grams of protein per bodyweight, as opposed to how many calories they are consuming when it comes to muscle gain.

Protein In Pregnancy

Pregnant women need more protein because both the woman and baby benefit from the extra protein intake. Research and experts have stated that pregnant women should consume 0.55 to 0.69 grams per pound of protein daily during pregnancy.

The recommended daily allowance for protein during breastfeeding is 0.59 grams per pound daily plus 25 additional grams.

The Average Person

If you are an average person who doesn’t lift weights or doesn’t exercise and lives a sedentary lifestyle, then the amount of protein you should consume if you are male should be around 56 to 91 grams of protein. If you are a woman, the daily number of grams of protein is 46 to 75 grams per day.

Some Good Lean sources of Protein Foods:

• Fish- A 3.5 ounce contains 20 to 25 grams of protein.
• Yogurt- 6 ounces contain 15 to 20 grams of protein.
• Beans- ½ cup contains 8 grams of protein.
• Tofu- 3 ounces contain 9 grams of protein.
• Lean Beef- a 4-ounce hamburger patty contains 24 grams of protein.
• Egg Whites- One Egg White contains 3.5 grams of protein.
• Low Fat Milk- one cup contains 8 grams of protein.
• Shrimp- A 3 ounce contain 22 grams of protein.

If you are not able to get enough daily protein from food, then a dietary protein powder supplement would be something to take as extra assistance.

The Bottom Line is the amount of protein you should consume daily will always be based on several factors and that is your physical activity level, fitness goals, age, muscle mass and overall health.

If you have any interest in trying any of our Ethical Supplement products to help you heighten your immune system or assist you with your fitness, weight loss or health goals.

You can get a discount below at this link.

https://offer.ethicalinc.com/suppressant-offer/ ?utm_source=blog

References

1. Pesta DH, Samuel VT. A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2014 Nov 19;11(1):53. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-11-53. PMID: 25489333; PMCID: PMC4258944.
2. Veldhorst MA, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Westerterp KR. Gluconeogenesis and energy expenditure after a high-protein, carbohydrate-free diet. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Sep;90(3):519-26. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27834. Epub 2009 Jul 29. PMID: 19640952.
3. Veldhorst MA, Westerterp KR, van Vught AJ, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Presence or absence of carbohydrates and the proportion of fat in a high-protein diet affect appetite suppression but not energy expenditure in normal-weight human subjects fed in energy balance. Br J Nutr. 2010 Nov;104(9):1395-405. doi: 10.1017/S0007114510002060. Epub 2010 Jun 22. PMID: 20565999.
4. Johnstone AM, Stubbs RJ, Harbron CG. Effect of overfeeding macronutrients on day-to-day food intake in man. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1996 Jul;50(7):418-30. PMID: 8862477.
5. Halton TL, Hu FB. The effects of high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss: a critical review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Oct;23(5):373-85. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2004.10719381. PMID: 15466943.
6. Weigle DS, Breen PA, Matthys CC, Callahan HS, Meeuws KE, Burden VR, Purnell JQ. A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jul;82(1):41-8. doi: 10.1093/ajcn.82.1.41. PMID: 16002798.
7. Elango R, Ball RO. Protein and Amino Acid Requirements during Pregnancy. Adv Nutr. 2016 Jul 15;7(4):839S-44S. doi: 10.3945/an.115.011817. PMID: 27422521; PMCID: PMC4942872.
8. Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ. Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci. 2011;29 Suppl 1:S29-38. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2011.619204. PMID: 22150425.
9. Mettler S, Mitchell N, Tipton KD. Increased protein intake reduces lean body mass loss during weight loss in athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 Feb;42(2):326-37. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181b2ef8e. PMID: 19927027.