Power of Protein: How Much we Really Need

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Protein is an essential macronutrient found all throughout our bodies. We need protein to build and repair muscle, as well as make new cells for our skin, hair, bones, and tissues. 

How much do I need?

Everyone's needs for protein are going to vary based on weight, sex, age, activity level, and health status. The average healthy, sedentary adult needs at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram (g/kg) of body weight per day (based on the recommended dietary allowance). Many people mistake this for 0.8g grams per pound of body weight, leading you to believe you need a lot more protein than you actually do. There are other factors to take into consideration that could require your protein needs to increase such as being physically active, pregnancy, injury, illness, and older age. To calculate your protein needs: 

Take your body weight in pounds and divide by 2.2 to get your body weight in kilograms. Multiply your weight (in kg) by 0.8 to give you your minimum daily protein needs. 


So now you know how to find out how much protein you need per day, but what about how much is in the foods you eat? Below is a quick reference that you can use to see how much protein is in the foods you eat. 

Each serving equals to ~7 grams of protein:

Meat

Seafood

1 oz cooked lean beef, goat, ham, or pork

1 slice deli meat (beef, ham, pork)

1 oz cooked game meats

1 oz cooked finfish 

1 oz cooked shellfish 

1 oz canned fish 

Poultry

Eggs

1 oz cooked chicken or turkey (no skin)

1 sandwich slice deli meat (turkey or chicken breast)

1 whole egg

1 ½ egg whites (3 tbsp liquid egg white)

Nuts, Seeds, Soy Products

Beans, Peas, Lentils

½ oz nuts (12 almonds, 24 pistachios, 7 walnut halves)

½ seeds (chia, flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)

1 tbsp nut butter

¼ cup tofu

1 oz cooked tempeh

¼ cup cooked beans, peas or lentils

¼ cup baked or refried beans

1 falafel patty 

6 tbsp hummus


K.F.

https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/protein-foods
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/290496/this-is-how-much-protein-you-need-to-eat-every-day/

Comments

  1. Kayla BrubakerMarch 26, 2024 at 3:42 PM

    This is such a great post! I feel like a lot of people get confused about how much protein they actually need. I think you broke this down very well so everyone can understand. You also gave a good variety of protein sources. This is so helpful!

    ReplyDelete

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