WELLNESS EDIT | No. 39 |
Protein:
How Much You Need and Why More Isn’t Always Better
Protein is having a moment. From high-protein yogurt and cereal to bars, powders and shakes, getting more protein has become one of nutrition’s biggest selling points.
By Zoë Louise Wilson RDN | CDN
Many people still struggle to eat enough protein. At the same time, social media has helped push protein in the opposite direction, with daily intakes of 100, 120 or even 150 grams increasingly presented as desirable targets.
Protein is essential, but continually loading up on more than your body needs isn’t necessarily better. Your body still has to metabolize the excess.
The question is not how much protein you can fit into your day, but how much your body actually needs.
01
What Is Protein?
Most of us know that amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and some are already familiar names. Lysine appears widely in supplements, leucine features frequently in sports nutrition, and tryptophan plays a role in the production of serotonin.
There are 20 standard amino acids are commonly found in human proteins. Nine of these are essential, meaning they are essential in our diet because the body cannot make enough of them itself. These are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.
Protein supplies the essential amino acids the body needs to function, including maintaining and repairing muscle and other tissues and producing enzymes, hormones and antibodies. Hair and nails are largely made from the protein keratin, so inadequate protein intake can also affect hair growth and nail health.
Where those essential amino acids come from also matters. Different foods provide different amounts and combinations of amino acids, which is where the terms complete and incomplete protein come in.
02
What Is a Complete Protein?
A complete protein provides all nine essential amino acids the body needs but cannot make in sufficient amounts itself. Most complete proteins come from animal foods, including fish, poultry, meat, eggs and dairy. A smaller number of plant foods are also complete protein sources. Soy is one of the most notable, which means soy foods including tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy milk can provide all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is another plant-based example.
03
What Is an Incomplete Protein?
An incomplete protein does not provide all nine essential amino acids in the amounts the body needs. Some may be missing, while others may be present in amounts too small to adequately meet the body’s needs. Many plant foods, including beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and grains, fall into this category.
That doesn’t make them poor sources of protein. Eating a variety of plant foods throughout the day helps provide the full range of essential amino acids the body needs, without having to carefully combine specific foods at every meal.
04
How Much Protein Do You Need?
For the average healthy adult, the established Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. In clinical dietetic practice, 0.8 to 1 gram per kilogram provides a useful working range for many healthy adults.
Protein requirements can change with regular or intensive exercise, pregnancy, illness, recovery and other individual circumstances. Here, we’re focusing on the average healthy adult going about everyday life.
Working Out Your Daily Protein Needs
One kilogram equals approximately 2.2 pounds. To convert your weight:
Your weight in pounds ÷ 2.2 = your weight in kilograms
Then multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.8 to 1 g.
For someone weighing 150 pounds:
150 ÷ 2.2 = approximately 68 kg
68 × 0.8 g = approximately 54 g protein
68 × 1 g = 68 g protein
That gives someone weighing 150 pounds an everyday range of approximately 54 to 68 grams of protein a day.
05
What Your Daily Protein Target Looks Like
Once you have an idea of how much protein you need, the next step is working out where it comes from. For most people, everyday food should do most of the work.
Eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, fish, chicken, meat, beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, nuts and seeds can all contribute protein across the day. You don’t need every meal to be exceptionally high in protein, and you don’t need every snack to come with a protein claim on the label.
This is where the current enthusiasm for protein can become misleading. A bar advertising 20 grams of protein may look like an obvious healthy choice, but the number on the front tells you very little about the food as a whole. Added sugar, saturated fat, sodium, calories and the overall ingredient list still matter.
That doesn’t mean protein bars, shakes or high-protein products don’t have a place. Convenience matters too. A protein bar when you’re traveling, between meetings or simply need something quick can be genuinely useful. The problem is when these products begin replacing ordinary food simply because a large protein number makes them appear nutritionally superior.
06
What about Protein Powders?
Protein powders can be a useful and convenient addition, particularly when meeting your protein needs through food isn’t always practical. Choose them carefully, however. A scoop of protein powder isn’t necessarily just protein.
Depending on the product, you may also be getting added vitamins and minerals, herbal ingredients, sweeteners or stimulants such as caffeine. Quality and purity matter too. Independent testing has found heavy metals, including lead, in some protein powders, and contamination and undeclared ingredients remain legitimate concerns with dietary supplements.
This doesn’t mean protein powders are inherently unsafe. It means the product you choose matters. Read the entire label, not just the grams of protein on the front, and look for reputable independent third-party testing that verifies both what is in the product and what shouldn’t be there.
“A scoop of
protein powder
isn’t necessarily
just protein.”
Look beyond the protein number. Check the full ingredient list, what else has been added and whether the product has been independently tested.
Calculate Your Daily Protein Needs
The USDA’s Dietary Reference Intake Calculator will calculate daily nutrient recommendations for you, including your daily protein needs based on established dietary reference values.
A FINAL THOUGHT
Protein is essential, but more isn’t automatically better. Your body is a finely balanced system, and protein is only one part of what it needs to function well. Aim to meet your needs through a varied diet rather than continually pushing the number higher.
Be equally discerning about where your health information comes from. TikTok and Instagram can be useful places to discover ideas, but popularity is not a qualification, and a recommendation that makes sense for one person may make very little sense for another. As with supplements, simply adding more of something because it is considered beneficial can miss the bigger picture.
EAT WELL | THINK WELL
