Protein is an important macronutrient. The “macro” part means that you must get it in larger amounts, measured in grams. Some other nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals, are also important, but you need them in lesser amounts, measured in milligrams or micrograms.
Here’s the deal about protein … We need it daily, and most people meet their basic minimum needs of protein without making too many alterations to their diet. But many people could benefit from getting more than those minimum needs, such as:
- older adults experiencing muscle loss, which is a natural progression that starts for most people in their 30s and speeds up significantly around ages 50-60 (known as sarcopenia)
- people recovering from an illness or infection, severe burns, or surgery
- physically active people and athletes who have increased wear and tear on muscles
- people trying to lose weight without losing muscle
- people trying to gain muscle mass
- someone with a malabsorption or inflammatory issue, such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, and some cancers
- someone who is pregnant (especially in the 2nd and 3rd trimester) or breastfeeding
- vegetarians and vegans who aren’t intentional about getting protein every day or who don’t get them from a variety of plant-based sources
Of course, too much of something is almost never a good thing, and the same goes for protein. Later in this post, we share how much protein is too much.
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Protein Recommendations by Age
To give you an idea of where your protein needs start, I used my dietitian training to build this chart. These numbers represent the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for protein, which is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional requirements.
Most protein charts give you recommendations for daily protein intake based on your kilograms of body weight. But I’ve converted that to pounds of body weight to make it easier to understand.
Think of it as a starting point. It’s really the low end of protein you should be aiming for.
| Age | Avg grams of protein/day | Grams by body weight (lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| Children 1-3 | 13 g | 0.5 g per pound |
| Children 4-8 | 19 g | 0.5 g per pound |
| Children 9-13 | 34 g | 0.5 g per pound |
| Teens 14-17 | 46-60 g | 0.5 g per pound |
| Adults 18-60 (sedentary) | 57-70 g | 0.36-0.44 g per pound |
| Adults 18-60 (moderately active) | 72-86 g | 0.45-0.54 g per pound |
| Adults 18-60 (highly active) | 88-112 g | 0.55-0.7g per pound |
| Pregnancy, 1st trimester | 75-100 g | 0.5 g per pound |
| Pregnancy, 2nd & 3rd trimester & first 3 months of lactation | 80-115 g | 0.55 g per pound |
| Adults 60+ | 70-90 g | 0.5g per pound |
Note that these calculations are based on averages and not specific to you. They will vary based on your weight, gender, and movement habits. I used 120 lbs as the average weight for teens, 160 lbs as the average weight for adults, and 180 lbs as the average weight for adults 60+.
To find your minimum protein requirement, multiply your weight (in pounds) by the grams in the last column for your age group.
How To Meal Plan For Your Protein Needs
Since our team of registered dietitians likes to make sure we’re getting well-rounded meals with a variety of macronutrients and food groups, we find that it’s often easiest to create our meal plans around proteins. That way, we ensure we’re getting enough protein. And it’s easy to build a healthy diet around that, adding high-fiber foods and healthy side dishes.
First, we take stock of the proteins we have on hand in our fridges and freezers. Then, we use our recipe filter to find recipes based around those proteins. From the recipes, we create our weekly shopping list. And then, depending on how much time we have, we might even go ahead and prepare some of the proteins on the weekend, which could look like making a big batch of shredded chicken or sloppy joe meat.
We aim to get 25 to 30 g of protein per meal, and we also like to make sure we’re getting protein spaced throughout the day. We’ll often opt for a high-protein breakfast (like these chai spice protein breakfast cookies) and prepare some high-protein lunches or energy balls ahead of time.
Tracking Protein Intake
“I like the Cronometer app for tracking macros, like protein. The database is built and managed by RDs rather than relying on entries submitted by users (i.e. My Fitness Pal) so the entries are complete and verified for accuracy.”
How To Get More In Your Diet
The following foods are rich sources of protein to help you meet the dietary guidelines. Animal-based foods, like meat and dairy, are excellent protein sources. And many plant-based foods, like beans and nuts, provide a lot of protein, too.
I structured this table to show you a basic serving size for each item — if you’re on a super high-protein diet, you may already be used to doubling these serving sizes.
| Food | Grams of protein |
|---|---|
| Chicken breast, 3 ounces | 23 g |
| Ground beef, 3 ounces | 22 g |
| Lean steak, 3 ounces | 24 g |
| Ham, 3 ounces | 25 g |
| Bacon, 2 slices | 6 g |
| Pork chop, 3 ounces | 21 g |
| Turkey breast, 3 ounces | 26 g |
| Ground turkey, 3 ounces | 23 g |
| Egg, 1 whole | 6 g |
| Salmon, 3 ounces | 21 g |
| Canned tuna, 3 ounces | 20 g |
| Shrimp, 4 ounces | 20 g |
| Dairy milk, 8 ounces | 8 g |
| Soy milk, 8 ounces | 6 g |
| Greek yogurt, ½ cup | 10 g |
| Cottage cheese, ½ cup | 12 g |
| Cheese, 1 ounce | 7 g |
| Cooked quinoa, ½ cup | 4 g |
| Cooked beans, ½ cup | 8 g |
| Cooked lentils, ½ cup | 9 g |
| Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons | 8 g |
| Almonds, 1 ounce | 7 g |
| Pumpkin seeds, 1 ounce | 10 g |
| Hemp hearts, 1 tablespoon | 3 g |
| Chia seeds, 1 tablespoon | 5 g |
| Whey protein powder, 1 scoop (30 g) | 20-25 g |
| Plant-based protein powder, 1 scoop (30 g) | 15-20 g |
Should You Consider Protein Supplements?
Maybe you’ve read through the chart of protein recommendations above and realized you’re not getting close to the amount listed for your weight and age group on a consistent basis.
And then, you read through the list of protein foods above and notice that you don’t eat many of those foods very often. If that’s the case, then you might be a good candidate for considering a protein supplement, such as a whey protein powder or plant-based protein powder.
Using protein powder to add to a smoothie or boost the protein in recipes can be a relatively simple and effective way to get more protein at meals and throughout the day. For example, you can use it to make protein muffins or protein energy balls for snacks. You can also stir protein powder into coffee, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter, orange juice, or milk.
If, on the other hand, you do already eat plenty of whole-food protein options and you are getting close to the recommended amount on a consistent basis, then a protein supplement is not necessary for you. In fact, if you already exceed your daily protein needs, then adding protein powder is just excessive and could even put you at risk of getting too much protein.
Can You Actually Get Too Much Protein?
Yes, you can get too much of almost any nutrient, and protein is no exception. Many people do benefit from getting more protein than the RDA (as listed in the chart above).
Research shows that long-term consumption of protein at 2 grams per kg of body weight per day (or 0.9 grams per lb of body weight) is safe for healthy adults. This amount is considerably high, and most people naturally take in far less than that.
The tolerable upper limit (the highest you could safely go) for healthy adults is 3.5 grams of protein for every kg of weight (or 1.6 grams of protein for every pound you weigh). To get that much extra protein, you’d have to eat a ton of food!
For example, a person who weighs 160 lbs should not exceed 256 grams of protein in a day (160 x 1.6 = 256).
Getting too much protein puts excess strain on your kidneys, causes intestinal discomfort and diarrhea, and can result in headaches, fatigue, irritability, and weight gain. Additionally, since many high protein foods are also high in total fat and saturated fat, consistently high intakes of protein can cause elevated blood lipids (think: cholesterol and triglycerides), increasing the risk of heart disease.
Planning For Weight Loss or Gain
To be clear, you can lose weight or gain weight regardless of your protein intake (or fat or carb intake, for that matter). Losing weight or gaining weight requires you to be in a calorie deficit or calorie excess, respectively.
Protein can, however, help you change your body composition. If your goal is to lose extra body fat or gain more muscle, protein can help because it:
- is very satiating, which means you feel more full and satisfied from meals with protein
- has the highest TEF (thermic effect of food) of all the macros, which means your body burns more calories as it digests protein
- contains half the calories that fat grams do, which means you can eat more protein for fewer calories, when compared gram for gram with fat
- helps maintain your lean body mass (your muscle) even when you’re in a calorie deficit
If you’re using protein to help lose body fat or gain muscle, aim for a macronutrient intake that puts you on the high end of protein, with 30-35% of your daily calories coming from protein.
For someone following a 1,700 calorie/day diet (a calorie deficit for most people) to lose weight while maintaining muscle, this would look like:
- 30-35% protein (510-595 calories or 128-148 grams of protein)
- 15-25% fat (255-425 calories or 28-47 grams of total fat)
- 40-50% carbohydrate (680-850 calories or 170-212 grams of total carb)
For someone following a 3,000 calorie/day diet (a calorie excess for most people) to gain weight while they build muscle, this would look like:
- 30-35% protein (900-1,050 calories or 225-262 grams of protein)
- 15-25% fat (450-750 calories or 50-83 grams of total fat)
- 40-50% carbohydrate (1,200-1,500 calories or 300-375 grams of total carb)
How do protein needs change if you have a certain health condition?
It can be beneficial to increase protein if you have certain health conditions, such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, and some cancers that affect nutrient absorption. Pregnancy and breastfeeding also require higher protein intakes.
Also, protein needs increase while you’re healing from surgery, an infection, or severe burns.
If you have kidney disease, your protein needs may increase or decrease depending on the severity and stage. In this case, it’s best to work with a local dietitian who can give you some guidelines.
Should I consume mostly “complete” proteins?
Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids, some that your body can make on its own and some that you can only get from food (called essential amino acids). Protein-rich foods that contain all 9 essential amino acids are considered complete proteins.
Complete proteins come from animal sources (think fish, chicken, meat, dairy products, and eggs). While those are great protein choices, it’s a myth that you should only eat complete proteins. Getting some of your protein from plant sources (think beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains) is also beneficial because you’re getting a wider mix of nutrients along with them, including important fiber and antioxidants.
I have dietary restrictions that make getting more protein hard. What should I do?
Focus on the protein foods that are already in your diet, and increase your portions of those. You may want to consider adding a diet-appropriate protein bar or use a whey protein or plant-based protein to help increase your intake.
If you’re vegan, build meals around beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, nut butter, tofu, and soy milk. Also, consider adding a vegan protein powder to get enough dietary protein.
Why is protein essential for muscle development?
Amino acids, the building blocks of your body’s tissues, are what make up proteins. Your body uses amino acids to grow and repair tissue, including muscle tissue. You also need amino acids to produce energy and build immune functions. Muscle proteins are continuously being broken down and rebuilt, which is why you need protein every day.
Are some forms of protein easier to digest than others?
In terms of metabolism, your body does break down the amino acids from animal-based proteins faster than it breaks down the amino acids in plant-based foods. But that doesn’t mean you should choose one over the other. The best way to ensure you’re getting a wide range of nutrients and all the amino acids is to eat both animal-based and plant-based proteins.
How common is a protein deficiency?
An estimated one billion people worldwide don’t get adequate protein, but protein deficiency is very rare in the U.S. and other developed countries. Severe protein deficiency, known as muscle wasting and kwashiorkor, occurs most often in children in developing countries suffering from famine and imbalanced diets (which leads to widespread malnutrition).
Even though protein deficiency is not common, many people have low protein intakes and could benefit from more protein. Some signs of low protein are:
– Strong food cravings
– Chronic weakness and fatigue
– Loss of muscle
– Problems maintaining healthy skin, hair, and nails
– A lot of sicknesses, poor immunity, and slow healing
– Bones that fracture easily
25 Make-Ahead High-Protein Breakfasts
Of all our meals, we find that it’s hardest to get a significant amount of protein at breakfast. That’s definitely because breakfast falls during the busiest time of the day, as we’re trying to get kids off to school and activities. And also because a lot of breakfast foods, like cereal, bagels, and toast, don’t contain much protein at all.
That’s why we put together a new ebook that solves these problems. Every recipe in the book can be made ahead of time and each one contains 14 to 25 grams of protein per serving, which gets us well on our way to meeting our daily protein goals.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Hi there! is the protein chart based on cooked or raw?
The chart of foods is based on a cooked version of those foods.
Thank you for the super informative article. Appreciate the charts you created as well. It’s helpful to have a snapshot of the many protein sources and their respective amounts provided. Appreciate you all for the work you do!
We’re so glad to hear this was helpful, Robyn! Thank you for being here!
Thank you so much for the comprehensive article! Everything I was looking for regarding protein is right here. 🙂
We appreciate the feedback Peggy! Thank you!