The switches you make can affect your nutrition, for better or for worse. One more thing: If you increase protein, dietary arithmetic demands that you eat less of other things to keep your daily calorie intake steady.
Aim for protein sources low in saturated fat and processed carbohydrates and rich in many nutrients. It’s also important to consider the protein "package" - the fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that invariably come along with protein. The table below provides some healthier sources of protein. For one, don’t read "get more protein" as "eat more meat." Beef, poultry, and pork (as well as milk, cheese, and eggs) can certainly provide high-quality protein, but so can many plant foods - including whole grains, beans and other legumes, nuts, and vegetables. The value of high-protein diets for weight loss or cardiovascular health, for example, remains controversial.īefore you start ramping up your daily protein intake, there are a few important things to consider. Research on how much protein is the optimal amount to eat for good health is ongoing, and is far from settled. For example, the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize the importance of eating healthier protein rich foods rather than concentrating on specific amounts of daily protein. However, over the last several years, the public health message has shifted away from desired percentages of protein, fats and carbohydrates. Some studies described in the summit reports suggest that protein is more effective if you space it out over the day’s meals and snacks, rather than loading up at dinner like many Americans do.īased on the totality of the research presented at the summit, Rodriguez estimates that taking in up to twice the RDA of protein "is a safe and good range to aim for." This equates roughly to 15% to 25% of total daily calories, although it could be above or below this range depending on your age, sex, and activity level. The potential benefits of higher daily protein intake, these researchers argue, include preserving muscle strength despite aging and maintaining a lean, fat-burning physique. In fact, the reports suggest that Americans may eat too little protein, not too much. The Protein Summit reports in AJCN argue that 16% is anything but excessive. In comparison, the average American consumes around 16% of his or her daily calories in the form of protein, from both plant and animal sources.
Protein: Is more better?įor a relatively active adult, a daily protein intake to meet the RDA would supply as little as 10% of his or her total daily calories. The summit was organized and sponsored by beef, egg, and other animal-based food industry groups, but it also generated a set of scientific reports that were independently published a special supplement to the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN). Rodriguez was among more than 40 nutrition scientists who gathered in Washington, D.C., for a "Protein Summit" to discuss research on protein and human health. "People in general think we all eat too much protein." "There’s a misunderstanding not only among the public, but also somewhat in our profession about the RDA," says Nancy Rodriguez, a registered dietitian and professor of nutritional science at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. For a 50-year-old woman who weighs 140 pounds woman and who is sedentary (doesn’t exercise), that translates into 53 grams of protein a day.īut use of the RDA to determine how much protein you need daily has actually caused a lot of confusion. To determine your daily protein intake, you can multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36, or use this online protein calculator. In a sense, it’s the minimum amount you need to keep from getting sick - not the specific amount you are supposed to eat every day. The RDA is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional requirements. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. But the message the rest of us often get is that our daily protein intake is too high. It’s common for athletes and bodybuilders to wolf down extra protein to bulk up. You need it to put meat on your bones and to make hair, blood, connective tissue, antibodies, enzymes, and more. The very origin of the word - from the Greek protos, meaning "first" - reflects protein’s top-shelf status in human nutrition.
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