How Much Protein Do You Need?

Protein: The Building Block of Life

Protein is made up of amino acids, these are the building blocks of our bodies. Our bodies use amino acids to repair muscles, create hormones, and enzymes. Without consuming protein the human body will fail. Your life literally depends on protein, it's that important.

Although it is of great importance, people tend to take protein for granted and make it an afterthought or worse don’t think about it at all. How can something so important, something that gives you the very building blocks for you to continue to exist in your human form, be pushed to the wayside?

I believe it's a side effect of the advanced modern food and medical systems. We are surrounded by food, and modern medicine can alleviate many side effects of most diseases. These advances have made life much easier for humanity and have given us endless options of food. In this case, the solution is also the problem, people no longer have to think about what's in their food, so they don't.

Protein and Fitness

Other than just needing protein for survival, it can also be a vital tool for fitness. If you are not seeing the progress you feel like you should in the gym or you feel like your recovery is not quite where it needs to be, the culprit might be inadequate protein.

How Much Protein Do I Need?

In order to satisfy the basic protein needs for survival, the recommended amount of protein for a male is 56 grams per day and for a female, it is 46 grams per day. One cup of chopped chicken breast can contain up to 43 grams of protein.

• Chicken: Approximately 30-40 grams of protein per cup (cooked).
• Steak: Approximately 30-35 grams of protein per cup (cooked).
• Nuts: Approximately 20-30 grams of protein per cup (varies by type).
• Fish: Approximately 30-40 grams of protein per cup (cooked).
• Yogurt: Approximately 20-25 grams of protein per cup (Greek yogurt).
• Lentils: Approximately 18 grams of protein per cup (cooked).
• Eggs: Approximately 25 grams of protein per cup (scrambled).
• Beans: Approximately 15 grams of protein per cup (cooked).
• Peanut butter: Approximately 80 grams of protein per cup.

How Do I Optimize My Protein?

The base recommended level of protein was not designed for fitness enthusiasts. If you are doing activities such as athletics or weightlifting, adding more protein is likely necessary in order to achieve the best recovery possible.

Most universities and health organizations recommend using 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For someone who is 200 lbs, that would mean around 72 grams of protein per day. For high-intensity athletes, recommendations can go up to 1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Conclusion

For the average person, getting their required protein is not that hard, at least it shouldn’t be. In the modern world, it is surprisingly easy for a person to eat a full day's worth of calories and still not get the required amount of protein.

Make sure you are choosing the right foods when you eat. If you are more into fitness than the average person, be more conscientious of your protein intake. Set your target goal and adjust based on your body's response. Although I would say it's best to shoot for optimal whenever possible.

I hope you got some value from this post, thank you for reading.