How Much Protein Do You Need?

group of proteins: tofu, chicken, salmon

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Eating enough protein daily is essential to cover your body's needs, and between 10% and 35% of your total calories should come from protein sources. This number varies depending on your body composition, health, activity level and type, and your goals.

Protein helps your body maintain a proper fluid balance, builds and repairs tissues, transports nutrients, and provides other vital functions. Everyone needs a different amount, but determining what's right for you is easier when you know more about the factors involved. Read on to learn how to calculate your ideal protein intake.

How to Tell How Much Protein You Need

It's recommended that you get 10% to 35% of your daily calories from protein. Alternatively, when determining your protein needs, you can target a specific number of grams of protein to consume per day. You can also use your weight, activity level, and lean body mass.

Percent of Daily Calories

Current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) dietary guidelines suggest that adults should consume between 10% and 35% of their total calories from protein. To get your number and track your intake, you'll need to know how many calories you consume daily.

Once you know how many calories you consume, multiply that number by 10% and 35% to get your range. For example, a person who consumes 2,000 calories per day would need to consume 200 to 700 calories daily from protein.

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6 Tips for Getting More Protein in Your Diet

Protein Grams Per Day

You can target a specific number of protein grams per day as an alternative to the percentage approach. A straightforward way to get a range of protein grams per day is to translate the percent range into a specific protein gram range.

How to Calculate Grams of Protein Per Day

Each gram of protein contains four calories. Divide the two calorie range numbers by four. For example, someone who eats 2,000 calories per day should consume 200 to 700 calories from protein, or 50 to 175 grams of protein.

Based on Weight and Activity

Other ways to get a more specific protein goal may consider lean muscle mass and/or physical activity level.

The average adult needs a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. One kilogram equals 2.2 pounds, so a person who weighs 165 pounds, or 75 kg, would need about 60 grams of protein per day.

However, your protein needs may increase if you are very active. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the Dietitians of Canada suggest that athletes need more protein.

These organizations suggest that athletes consume between 1.2 grams and 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, with endurance athletes at the lower end of this range and strength and power athletes at the higher end.

Health Benefits of Protein

Protein helps to maintain body tissues, including muscles, organs, the nervous system, blood, skin, and hair. It also serves as a transport mechanism for oxygen, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

In addition, eating protein can help you manage your weight because it takes longer to digest a protein-rich meal. After consuming a meal with protein, you're likely to feel full and satisfied longer.

Some protein foods have additional health benefits. Legumes are high in protein and fiber and contain phytochemicals that may have health benefits. Fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring, and trout, are high in protein and also omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for health.

Deficiency

Unlike fat and glucose, our body has little capacity to store protein. If you were to stop eating protein, your body would start to break down muscle. Protein deficiency is rare in developed countries. However, it can happen if you're not eating enough food every day.

Overconsumption

On the flip side, it is possible to overeat protein. Some people believe that excess protein is excreted in the urine. However, only part of the protein is excreted. Another part of the protein is converted to glucose for energy or stored as fat.

So if you eat too much protein—and too many calories as a result—you risk gaining weight from excess calories. If you eat more protein than you need but still have your calories balanced, then you will not gain weight, even with the additional protein.

If your calorie goal stays on track, but you get more protein than you need, you are may not be getting enough carbohydrates or fat for your body to function correctly. In addition, excessive protein intake can be strenuous on the kidneys. People with certain types of kidney diseases need to manage how much protein they eat.

The key to proper nutrition is achieving the appropriate balance of macronutrients. Eating large amounts of protein can lead to dehydration, even in elite athletes. So if you follow a high protein diet, it’s important to drink extra water.

Best Sources of Protein

Protein comes from plant and animal sources, and you can meet your protein needs with either type of protein. Plant sources are typically not considered complete proteins since they lack all of the essential amino acids. For this reason, eating a wide variety of plant-based proteins that cover all of the amino acids you need is important.

Meat and Seafood

Lean meats, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, and dairy products are excellent protein sources. Each provides all of the essential amino acids along with many other nutrients such as iron, B vitamins, and zinc, which are primarily found in animal foods.

Coldwater fish such as salmon, tuna, and herring make good protein choices because they're also rich in omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are almost exclusively found in seafood and essential for health.

A chicken drumstick with leg, thigh, and back, (258g) contains 62g of protein. A 6-ounce serving of salmon contains 34g of protein. Eggs contain about

Plant-Based Protein  

Some vegetables like spinach and kale contain a small amount of protein. Whole grains, such as quinoa are also a good source of protein (1 cup contains about 8 grams of protein).

Keep your plant proteins healthy by choosing recipes and cooking methods that preserve their nutritional benefits. For example, use tofu in place of meat in a stir-fry, add nuts or seeds to a dinner salad, or use dry beans like kidney, navy, or black beans as your primary protein source for a few meals. You can also supplement plant-based protein with soy protein powders.

How to Get Enough Protein

Here are a few tips to get more protein in your healthy diet.

  • Serve scrambled eggs and spinach for breakfast.
  • Choose turkey bacon or sausages that are lower in fat. Better yet, look for brands with reduced sodium.
  • Add seeds or chopped nuts on top of a veggie side dish.
  • Snack on a handful of almonds.
  • Buy lean cuts of meat and serve them with lots of dark green and colorful veggies.
  • Eat more fish. Choose baked or poached fish.
  • Serve baked or roasted chicken instead of fried chicken.
  • Make a stir-fry with chicken or tofu and fresh veggies.
  • Consume a post-workout drink. You can also invest in a shaker bottle to help make your own.

Keep in mind that one serving of protein usually comprises 3 to 5 ounces of meat, poultry, or fish; one egg; 1.5 ounces of cheese; or about 12 walnuts.

You can also use other methods to consume the right portion size. A serving of meat, poultry, or fish is about the size of the palm of your hand. A serving of cheese is the same size as two dice. Keep in mind that these servings vary based on hunger, weight, age, activity level, and other factors.

Protein Guidelines for Special Populations

Many sources that suggest protein guidelines provide numbers for adult men and women. But there are certain populations that may need more or less protein to manage a medical condition or facilitate growth.

  • Pregnant and lactating people need more protein than people who are not pregnant (0.88 grams to 1.1 grams per kilogram of body weight per day).
  • Older adults (people over 65 years old) may need more protein than middle-aged adults (1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day).
  • People with liver or kidney disease need to decrease protein intake (0.6 grams to 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day).

Consult a doctor or dietitian to determine your ideal daily protein goal.

10 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  3. Vitale K, Getzin A. Nutrition and supplement update for the endurance athlete: review and recommendations. Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1289. doi:10.3390/nu11061289

  4. Ko GJ, Rhee CM, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Joshi S. The Effects of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health and LongevityJ Am Soc Nephrol. 2020;31(8):1667-1679. doi:10.1681/ASN.2020010028

  5. American Heart Association. Eating fish for heart health.

  6. USDA FoodData Central. Chicken, broilers or fryers, leg, meat and skin, cooked, roasted.

  7. USDA FoodData Central. Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, raw.

  8. Elango R, Ball R. Protein and amino acid requirements during pregnancy. Adv Nutr. 2016;7(4):839S-844S. doi:10.3945/an.115.011817

  9. Deer R, Volpi E. Protein intake and muscle function in older adults. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015;18(3):248-53. doi:10.1097/MCO.0000000000000162

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Additional Reading

By Laura Dolson
Laura Dolson is a health and food writer who develops low-carb and gluten-free recipes for home cooks.