Daily Protein Requirement

How much do you need?

Let's figure out your daily protein requirement.

If you search for a diet on the Internet, you're usually given ratios that you should follow.

Some examples might look like this:

30% Protein
30% Fats
40% Carbohydrates

If you've seen this before and don't know what to do with it, don't worry, you're not alone. For most people these figures will not help them out at all.

You probably understand what these figures represent, but you don't know what to do with them. Well, they are the amount of each macro nutrient (protein, fats, carbohydrates) that each of your meals should contain. Or, the ratios of all the food you eat per day.

So every meal you eat should be made up of 30% protein, 30% fats, and 40% carbohydrates. Got it? Ok so good luck doing anything with those numbers....

You need more information. You want to know exactly what to eat to get these ratios. Well we're going to cover your daily protein requirement here.

Now, I'm going to try and keep this very simple. Please don't think just because I have laid this out in very basic terms that I have not investigated this subject.

There are many different opinions out there and everyone seems to go off on a tangent as to why they recommend this, and why they don't like that. If you really over examine it, readers tend to get turned off and further confused. So again, we're talking about protein requirements here in basic terms.

The amount of protein suggested is in terms of your body weight. If you are overweight then investigating a fat loss program should be your main concern right now.

If you want to gain weight, then take these suggestions as a minimum protein intake, and increase your overall calories. Get more information on a weight gaining diet here.

The average person

The big wigs down at the recommended daily allowance offices have increased their protein intake recommendations to 0.55 to 0.65 grams per pound for endurance trainers and 0.65 to 0.80 grams per pound for weight trainers.

The RDA's recommendations are usually very conservative and I would take these figures as a low end recommendation. Your protein consumption should not be lower than this.

For the average lazy male the recommendations are lower. Under .4 grams per pound. If you want to build muscles, that's too low.

Your body uses protein when it needs to. If you have low levels of protein and you are exercising, your body requires nutrients that aren't there. If you don't have the adequate levels of protein in your body, your efforts at the gym are a waste.

Daily protein requirement for athletes

The rule of thumb which makes it very easy to follow is 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weigh 200 lbs, you should consume 200 grams of protein per day. That's if you're exercising regularly. Most bodybuilders should follow these guidelines.

If you're trying to add muscle, don't be scared to go over this limit. In terms of muscle gain, overeating protein is better then under eating it. So aim for 1 gram per pound, and aim high :)

Keep it simple. If you're training regularly try and get 1 gram per pound. It's that easy.

Daily protein requirement ? What should I eat?

To figure out how much protein you should eat, look at your natural whole foods first. Try and get as much of your protein from whole foods, then use supplements.

Let's say you weigh 200 pounds for simplicity.

An average 4 oz chicken breast has about 30 grams of protein. If you eat 3 of those per day, that's 90 grams of protein.

Supplement with Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein which has 24 grams per scoop. Have 2 shakes with 2 scoops per day. That's about 50 grams the first shake, and 50 grams the second shake.

So with 3 chicken breasts and 2 protein shakes you're just under 190 grams of protein. If you have some egg whites in the morning, and vegetables with your chicken you will reach the 200 mark.

This is a simple example. The easiest thing to do is find out how much natural whole food you will eat per day according to your preference and budget. Calculate how much protein you are getting from those foods. Then, use supplements to reach your exact protein requirement.

Remember if you have intense workouts don't worry about going over the 1 gram per pound rule. Unless you have a pre-existing medical condition this will not harm you.

How can supplements help with your daily protein intake?

Supplements can clearly help you reach your protein needs. I would not suggest you eat powder all day, but definitely use some sort of supplement.

Try and get most of your protein through natural foods, and use supplements to reach your exact daily protein requirement. Supplements make it very convenient and affordable to increase your protein intake to 1 gram per 1 pound. Also, the source of protein is of very high quality which is another bonus.