What Is the Recommended Daily Protein Intake?

Author's Bio: Marcie Vaske, MS, LN, CNS

Do you ever wonder what the big hype is surrounding protein?

You may have even actually heard that eating too much protein is not even good for you. And so what does that really mean?

What that means is that for people who are eating greater than two grams of protein for every pound of body weight, it may cause some digestive upset, but it's not necessarily bad for you.

So today what I want to talk about is what is the recommended protein daily allotment? It's giving you a little bit more information about how much protein you should be eating.

I'm going to answer the question of what is a recommended daily intake of protein? Protein isn't just for bodybuilders. We need it for our metabolism. We need it for muscle growth and maintenance. We need it for our energy and even our immune system and our hormones. Protein is so critical because we need it in nearly every body system. So how much protein do you really need?

So before we go any further today, my name is Marcie Vaske and I'm a functional licensed nutritionist with Oswald Digestive Clinic. At Oswald Digestive Clinic, we see a lot of clients who struggle with gut health and a myriad of other health issues. And of course, we talk about protein in every single appointment.

But I'm going to link our website here where you can easily make an initial appointment if you're struggling with gut health or even someone. I'm also going to link our free guide, which is Five Ways to Improve Your Gut Health.

So let's break it down today and discuss how much protein you really need.

[Video Transcript Below Video - it is the same information]

Protein's Role in Building and Repairing Tissues

But first, I want to touch on why protein is so important and just a few key points. Number one, protein builds and repairs. Tissues. Protein is the building block of our hair, our skin, even our internal organs. So if you're healing from an injury, you need protein. If you're healing from a workout or exercise, weight training, you need protein. Bottom line protein helps to repair and build our muscle as well as maintain tissues.

Immune System and Hormonal Support from Protein

Another amazing function of protein that it helps to keep our immune system strong and our hormones. Proteins are used to create enzymes that create a chemical reaction that supports our hormones like insulin and our thyroid hormones, as well as supporting our immune cells. So without enough protein, each of those systems weaken and we will feel sick or just run down.

Protein for Energy, Satiety, and Stable Blood Sugar

Another great thing about protein is that it helps to keep us energized and also to help keep us more satiated after meals. Protein is amazing at stabilizing our blood sugar and keeping us feeling fuller longer. It also helps to provide more stable weight, keeping more stable muscle during any type of weight loss. And so this is a key nutrient for any weight management and energy protein can really make a difference.

How Protein Supports Mood and Focus

Protein also supports our mood and our focus supporting our neurotransmitters. As we make 95% of those neurotransmitters in our intestinal tract, we eat the protein, they break down into amino acids and those feed our mood boosting chemicals.

Recommended Daily Intake of Protein

So now we understand just a few of the major benefits of protein. So how much do you need in a day? There's different recommendations, and I'll just start with the one that is a general guideline that has been put in place.

The very minimum amount of protein you should eat in a day is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. So for example, 150 pound person would need the minimum amount of 54 grams of protein a day, but key word here is minimum, and that's the catch. Most people need much more protein in a day than that generalized minimum amount.

So most people, especially as if you're training, weight training, your work year, have any kind of health condition, you're active in general, should be getting much more. So here we can make an easy calculation by saying, getting 1 gram of protein per body weight. So for example, if you're 150 pounds, you want to get 150 grams of protein. That's going to help support all of those physical benefits that we talked about in addition to all the repairing, especially if you're very active, your weight training or you have health conditions that you need to support.

All of those different, the healing of course I talked about, and even if you're dealing with mental health and getting enough protein, at least 1 gram per body weight is going to help support those more sufficiently.

Creative High-Protein Meal and Snack Ideas

Now, you might be listening to that and thinking, holy buckets, that's a lot of protein and it is. Getting that much protein in a day is going to feel like a lot, and so we have to become creative with how we do this. We can eat as much chicken and beef and pork or eggs, for example, but over time, eating that much protein, we can get kind of bored with it. But really thinking about how much this is benefiting you will help you stay motivated to get enough protein in. And so easy ways to get some protein in outside of just animal protein could even be like a Greek yogurt with some protein powder mixed into it.

So a Greek yogurt and about a cup is going to be 12 to 15 grams of protein right there, plus a scoop of protein powder could be anywhere from 20 to 30 grams depending on the kind that you get. So now we're already reaching that allotment for one meal around 30-35 grams per meal, and it'll all be dependent on how much you need in a day. But sometimes getting in these easier type proteins are you feel like they're easy to digest. It doesn't sit in your stomach as long, and it's just easier to hit that target per day.

Also, recognizing that you don't have to eat all of that protein in one sitting, right? For many people, we eat at least three times a day, so that amount of protein is going to be broken up into three meals. You can also add 'em into your snacks, so now the amounts you're going to eat at your meal can be a little bit less.

Supporting Gut Health While Increasing Protein Intake

Now you're going to have it in a snack, and so however, it helps you get your protein in per day. You just kind of have to figure out what feels good. And at the clinic, so many of my clients struggle with getting enough protein. It is something that, especially with people with poor gut health, sometimes it's just really hard to digest.

So we work on how to digest that better come up with creative ways to get enough protein in so that they're able to support the healing process that needs to be done so they can get on the other side of having poor gut health.

Protein and Mental Health: A Personal Experience

Lastly, I'm a true believer in protein. I always have been, but one thing that really kind of sticks out in my mind is over the years I've had some anxiety in my life, and I've even talked about this on our channel. However, when I started eating enough protein, what I really realized was how much calmer I felt. So I always know if I'm not quite eating how much protein I want to eat a day, I feel a little more angsty. And this is something that has always pushed me to continue to eat enough protein.

Also all the workout that I do, or that if you are working out or weight training, if you're not eating enough protein, then all that work you're spending the time in the gym isn't for naught, but you're not utilizing it the best way you could be. So sometimes we have to find the motivation to get enough protein in, and I hope that this video helped give you a little bit of information about how important protein in is our life, understanding that there are a lot of myths around protein, and then just some simple ways to add it in.

Thanks for watching.

If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic.  We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.

Or you can just start by downloading our FREE GUIDE: 5 WAYS TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH