Q. How much protein should you have each day?
A. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies are the folks who establish the government's dietary recommendations and they have two things to say on the subject of protein. First, they say you need about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to be healthy (more if you're pregnant or breast-feeding*). If you weigh 150 pounds, that comes out to about 54 grams of protein per day or around 11% of your daily calories.
But the IOM also says that adults can get up to 35% of their daily calories from protein. At 150 pounds, that's up to 175 grams of protein. Just as a point of reference, to get 50 grams of protein you'd need to eat a 5-ounce steak, 7 ounces of tuna, 12 egg whites, 3 1/2 cups of yogurt, or 25 ounces of tofu (whew!). Use the ND Nutrient Search tool to look for other protein foods.
Whether you should aim for the high or low end of the range is open to debate...and personal preference. Here are some of the things you might want to consider:
High protein or low protein?
Many experts point to the over-consumption of carbohydrates as one of the things driving our rising rates of obesity and diabetes. One of the main advantages of higher-protein diets is that they tend to be lower in carbohydrates. Plenty of people swear by "la vida low-carb" as the best way to lose weight and regulate blood sugar.
On the other hand, high-protein diets also tend to be lower in fiber and antioxidants, and higher in animal fats. They can make your kidneys work harder, accelerate bone loss, and increase your risk of colon and stomach cancers. Because carbohydrates are the best source of muscle energy during and after exercise, limiting carbohydrates can also impair athletic performance and recovery.
South Beach, the Zone Diet, Atkins, and the Paleo Diet are all popular higher-protein regimens. The Mediterranean diet is a good example of a healthy, lower-protein diet. You'll find info on all of these and more at the Diet Channel.
Here's my take on your question:
If you eat a low-protein (10% to 18%) diet, be sure to emphasize vegetables, whole fruits, beans, and legumes as your primary sources of carbohydrates and limit your intake of sugars and refined grains. If you choose a high-protein (28% to 35%) diet, also eat lots of fruits, vegetables, calcium-rich foods, and be sure to stay well hydrated. Also, if you eat a lot of meat, try not to cook it at high temperatures or over open flames, as this can create cancer-causing chemicals called HCAs.
___
*Growing children, people recovering from trauma (such as surgery or severe burns), those with certain diseases, and athletes who engage in intensive strength training all have increased protein needs.
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Posted by: Atonya | Jul 20, 2009 7:22:57 PM
My work consist of hard to mild labor and I maintain an high protein diet intake, in the beginning it was working for me, I was losing weight and now it seem Im gaining my weight back. Slowly but gaining could this have something to do with the high protein/fiber diet or the wine I drink on a daily basic.
Posted by: Diollerie | May 28, 2009 7:48:51 PM
Первоначальный выбор ключевых слов Подбор ключевых слов – это первый шаг, с которого начинается построение сайта. На момент подготовки текстов на сайт набор ключевых слов уже должен быть известен. Для определения ключевых слов прежде всего следует воспользоваться сервисами, которые предлагают сами поисковые системы.
Posted by: Angela | Apr 21, 2009 5:45:48 AM
I have been on the Body Trim diet now for about one year and have lost at least 10kg and kept it off very easily. If I eat six 100g snacks per day(3 of which are meals and include lots of vegies and/or salad), how can that be good for me if the above article states that it can cause all sorts of health problems?? It does concern me a bit. But having said that I feel really healthy and during this diet have not ever felt cravings or hunger!! I would love to have a dietician's comment on this.
Posted by: melony | Jan 2, 2009 4:27:41 PM
i have a 21 year old daughter who has severe cerebral palsy she is in a wheelchair she has not been acting normal for her lately .when we carried her to the doc they said her protein was low but she gets about 60 or 70 grams of protein a day why would her protein be low she weights 75 lbs and is about 4ft 6 in tall
Posted by: Jeff | Sep 16, 2008 12:22:35 PM
Hi,
my son is 12y/o and is 4'4" tall and has weighed 64-65# for the last 2years. He is in good shape and was in gymnastics for 4-5yrs. His doc suggested some weight gain drinks but they have done nothing. I am concerned how much protein to give him?
Posted by: Sanjai | Mar 10, 2008 5:01:37 AM
Is it necessary to have protein supplements (like Whey isolate/concentrate) only after workouts ? I workout in the mornings for about an hour and then hv around 30 g of the supplement immdtly after the workout. Can I also another round of the protein supplement later in the evening, even if I've not worked out in the evening ? I weigh around 185 lbs and I guess I need around 85 g of protein every day. I can't seem to otherwise get the daily rqmt of protein frm my normal diet what I eat.
Posted by: Jean | Nov 20, 2007 4:55:20 PM
If you have chosen to follow a high-protein diet or are interested in reading more high-protien recipes, my blog is focused on primarily this;
http://builtnutrition.blogspot.com
The micronutrient and fiber concerns on a high protein diet are not an issue if you consume adequate fruits and vegetables, which are the base of any healthy diet!
A protein bar is posted already and more will appear in the future; all of my recipes are kitchen-tested before posting!
Hope to see you there!
Posted by: Deborah Middleton | May 7, 2007 1:17:47 PM
Has the ND blog ever waded in to the "Genetically Modified" food debate. It is something I know little about and was asked recently in a poll how I felt about mandatory labeling and I couldn't provide an informed answer.
Posted by: sigrid junkermann | Mar 26, 2007 1:29:59 PM
I found a diagram representing protein requirements in the Food and Nutrition Board's Dietary Reference Intakes that include those for protein (sorry can't tell you any more which page it was on).
The histogram shows more or less a Gaussian disrtibution with a slant to the left (more people in the lower range), and an extremely long tail to the right (a few people with very high requirements). I don't have units on the chart, it is probably nitrogen (N) in relation to body weight, measured by analyzing intakes vs. excreted N, if i recall this correctly.
The lowest bin is labeled .375 (all people need at least that much), the bin with the highest number of people is labeled .675 (the median), most people are included up to 1.125, which is followed by some empty bins, but then, there are some (about 2% each of the population) who need as much as 1.325 or even 1.625.
My understanding is that that's why there is a macronutrient
distribution range for protein, and some people do well with 10-12%, while others may need twice as much or a few even more.
