How Much Protein Do You Need?
Are you getting enough protein in your diet? Chances are, yes.
Although the high-protein diet craze is winding down, the typical American diet provides plenty of protein – and in most cases, more than the recommended amount. According to the Institute of Medicine, your daily diet shouldn’t contain more than 35% protein. What does this translate to? Healthy adults should aim to get a total of 0.8 g of protein per kg body weight, or about 9 grams of protein for every 20 pounds of body weight, per day. Growing children, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly, and anyone undergoing severe stress (trauma, hospitalization, surgery), disease or disability need more protein.
What are proteins and why do we need them? Proteins are the major structural components of all cells; amino acids make up the building blocks of proteins. Proteins function as enzymes, membrane carriers, and hormones.
Animal sources of protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products) are complete protein and contain all the amino acids needed to build new proteins. Other protein sources lack one or more amino acids that the body can’t make itself. These are incomplete proteins, and come from fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. (Vegetarians therefore should eat a variety of protein-containing foods each day.)
When you eat too much protein and don’t increase your exercise level, instead of building muscle mass, you take in excess calories and simply gain weight (your body will store it as fat). Moreover, your kidneys are forced to work overtime and produce a substance called ketones. This causes you to lose water (not weight) and potentially become dehydrated, weak, and have bad breath. Very high levels of dietary protein have also been correlated with increased urinary calcium excretion and thus put you at higher risk of osteoporosis. Finally, because protein requires vitamin B6 in order to be metabolized and ultimately utilized in the body, consuming excessive amounts increases the requirement for this B vitamin.
What’s the bottom line? Get a good mix of proteins. A reasonable diet consisting of a variety of foods will give you enough protein each day. Also, pay attention to the kinds of proteins you eat. For animal products, choose low-fat sources of dairy and lean cuts of meat. Beans, soy products, nuts, and whole grains offer protein without much saturated fat and with plenty of healthful fiber and micronutrients. Finally, balance carbohydrates and protein. If you cut back on highly processed carbohydrates and increase nutritious protein sources, you’ll help keep your cholesterol and blood pressure in check. You’ll also feel full longer.
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Have questions regarding this article? Ask the Nutritionist.