How much protein do we really need?
Keep reading to find out what the best sources of protein are, how much you really need based on your diet, weight, and lifestyle, and how to spot the signs of a deficiency.
How much protein should I be eating?
Below, we’ve put together some guidance based on your body weight that you can use as a rough benchmark when thinking about how much protein you should aim to eat in a day.
- If you are a sedentary individual, 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight is the recommended amount of protein. For example, if you are 60kg, this would mean 45g
- If you are exercising regularly and your goal is fat loss, this recommended number changes to between 1.6 and 2g of protein per kilogram of body weight
- Alternatively, if you are exercising regularly and your goal is muscle gain, your goal should be to eat between 1.8 to 2g of protein per kilogram of body weight.
Please note the numbers above do not take into account factors like height, activity levels, or your body fat percentage. Use them as a rough indication of how much protein you should aim to eat, not as a strict threshold that applies to everyone.
Do I need more or less as I age?
Because we lose muscle mass naturally as we age (this is called sarcopenia), many people find they need to start consuming more protein to combat this deterioration. A great way to limit the effects of sarcopenia is to take a twofold approach whereby we increase the amount of protein we eat and introduce some additional resistance training sessions to try and maintain some extra muscle mass.
The way our body consumes protein also changes as we get older. It becomes less efficient at digesting and absorbing the valuable parts of a protein when we eat, meaning we have to eat more protein to get the same benefits as when we were younger.
Lastly, the simple act of eating can become less appealing as we get older (for a variety of reasons). The same positive and enticing thoughts we had around food when we were younger may have changed, making the act of sitting down to eat a meal feel more like a chore than something to look forward to.
What are the signs of a protein deficiency?
Protein deficiencies are relatively uncommon in the UK because of the wide availability of protein-rich foods. However, certain populations like older adults, people following restrictive diets, and those with specific medical conditions may still be at risk.
If you suspect you have a deficiency, talk to a GP about your symptoms and work on upping the amount of protein you’re getting from your diet. A good way to do this is to look at your plate and assess how much space you’re giving each macronutrient. If you’re regularly eating meals that contain more carbohydrates and fat than they do protein, adjust accordingly and up the amount of protein you’re eating.
Signs of a protein deficiency include:
- Muscle weakness and loss
- Fatigue
- Low energy levels
- Problems with your hair, skin, or nails
- Frequent infections
- Slower recovery from illness
- Mood changes
- Swelling
How much is too much?
Knowing how much protein is too much for you depends on how much physical exercise you do and what your individual goals are. If you’re doing intense resistance training sessions to build muscle, you’re going to need more protein than someone who is sedentary or someone who prefers cardiovascular workouts.
Eating significantly more than your recommended daily intake (especially over 2 grams per kilogram) can lead to potential health issues like kidney problems, bloating, constipation, dehydration, and digestive problems.
Moreover, a high-protein diet can mean less room for other essential nutrients, increasing the likelihood of you missing out on valuable macronutrient and vitamin absorption. For those with pre-existing kidney conditions or certain metabolic disorders, these risks are even higher.
Do men need more protein than women?
The NHS recommends men consume around 500 more calories per day than women. This naturally means that men should consume more protein than women.
Inside this guidance, it’s important to remember that the protein needs of an individual will vary based on factors like body weight, muscle mass, and activity levels. Gender alone doesn’t dictate how much protein you need, but because men tend to have more muscle than women, it’s recommended they eat more to sustain and repair their additional mass.
Life stages such as pregnancy and breastfeeding will increase protein requirements for women, demonstrating that ‘hard and fast’ rules aren’t always applicable and that protein intake guidance should ideally change from person to person taking into account their unique circumstances.
Should I adjust my protein intake during pregnancy?
Eating a healthy, balanced diet that’s rich in vitamins, minerals, and protein is vital for supporting you and your baby during pregnancy.
While we generally recommend adults consume around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, pregnant women are advised to increase this amount by approximately 10 grams per day to meet the growing needs of both mother and baby.
For example, someone who weighs 60kg should aim to eat around 45g of protein per day. If they’re pregnant, this figure should rise to at least 55g per day to make sure they’re meeting the increased sustenance demands of their baby.
Include a variety of high-quality protein sources like lean meats, dairy, eggs, legumes, and plant-based options to make sure you and your baby are getting all the essential amino acids you need.
What foods are high in protein?
Not all foods contain the same amount of protein.
A quick way to find the amount of protein in a food is to take a look at the back of the packaging it comes in. Here you should find a list of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, or proteins) that are in the food. They’ll be listed along with a weight and a percentage, showing you how much and how much of the food as a percentage is protein.
Whole sources of protein (where protein is the primary macronutrient) include eggs, beef, tofu, fish, chicken, turkey, and cottage cheese.
It’s also important to note that the quality of a protein source can vary based on digestibility and the availability of amino acids inside the food. The higher the amount of protein the body can effectively use for maintenance and growth, the better the quality of the protein.
Eggs, meat, fish, whey, and soya score very high when it comes to quality, making them great sources of protein that we should prioritise where possible.
Do plant-based diets include enough protein?
Yes, they do.
All amino acids are available from foods you’d eat if you followed a vegan or plant-based diet. If you are vegan, you may have to eat a more diverse range of fruits, plants, and vegetables to access all the amino acids your body needs.
Meat and dairy products provide easy access to a diverse array of amino acids, whereas people who follow a plant-based or vegan diet often find they need to consume a far broader range of plants, fruits, and vegetables to access them.
If you’re unsure about what plant-based foods to prioritise for protein intake, take a look at some of the ‘complete’ protein (foods which contain all nine essential amino acids) foods below:
- Quinoa
- Soy products
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Edamame
- Soy milk
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
- Spirulina
Do I need more protein if I exercise a lot?
You might do.
Protein is important for people who exercise because it’s essential for repairing damaged muscle after a workout. Unless you’re doing a lot of intense exercise, you’re probably getting enough of it from your diet alone (provided you’re eating a diet that’s rich in whole foods and good sources of protein).
If you regularly feel tired, sluggish, or you experience DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after every workout, it might be worth experimenting with a higher protein intake to see if this helps.
If you’re unsure whether or not your exercise routine warrants a higher protein intake, work out how much you’re currently eating using the body mass calculation further up the page. This will help you work out if you’re in a deficit or a surplus without taking exercise into account. From there, you can adjust your intake accordingly if you feel your exercise routine warrants it.
Is protein essential for building muscle?
Protein is essential for helping to repair a muscle when it’s been damaged, which is exactly what happens when we exercise.
It’s even more important if you’re lifting weights with an eye on building muscle, because to grow a muscle, you need to do microscopic damage to the fibres that form it. Protein helps repair these small tears after exercise which is part of the process that results in developing additional muscle mass over time.
How to build muscle effectively
In order to build muscle, two things need to happen:
- Make sure you are eating enough protein to sustain training and muscle growth
- Engage in regular resistance training that incorporates a progressive overload over time
There’s no need to overcomplicate this process with complex training plans and confusing dietary advice. At the heart of it, make sure you’re training regularly at a sustainable pace that pushes you, and prioritise your protein intake as part of a healthy diet.
If you’re unsure about where to get started with resistance training, consider working with a personal trainer to learn the basics. From there, you can build and adapt your training routine around exercises that work for you.
Should I be using protein shakes?
Shakes and powders are a fast and efficient way to supplement your protein intake if you’re in a hurry or if you aren’t able to get enough protein from the food you’re eating. They’re not necessary for most people, as the majority of us are able to get enough protein from our diet.
They’re primarily used by athletes and people who exercise a lot because intense physical activity demands more protein to repair damaged muscle after a workout. While using them will do no harm, it’s sensible to assess whether or not they’re right for you, as they mean you’re consuming excess protein and spending money on a product you don’t actually need.
You can do this by calculating how much protein you’re currently getting in your diet and seeing if that’s enough. If it is, you don’t need to use protein shakes. If you’re underneath what you should be eating, protein shakes may be a good way to reach your minimum amount for the day.
Lastly, remember that protein shakes are not a substitute for whole foods and organic sources of protein. While powders are a great way to supplement a diet that requires additional protein, they should never be viewed as a primary or sole source on their own.
Does this advice change for weight loss?
If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit, where you eat fewer calories than you burn throughout the day.
Inside a deficit, make sure you’re eating a high percentage of protein as this will help your body burn fat rather than muscle. While we often associate cardiovascular exercise and calorie burning with weight loss, resistance training is a great way to complement any weight loss program because it helps maintain or even build muscle during the fat loss process.
Last updated Tuesday 3 September 2024
First published on Tuesday 3 September 2024