How Many Grams of Protein Per Day Do I Need

With people becoming more and more health conscious these days, they do not want to take any risk with the kind of diet that they are taking. People these days want to know precisely how many grams of protein per day or how much of carbohydrates, fats, etc., should they include in their daily diet. When it come to the protein requirement of the body, it varies from individual to individual. A lot of it has to do with the kind of lifestyle a person is leading i.e. active or sedentary. It also on the kind of fitness goals he has; he wants to lose weight or build muscles or gain weight, etc. So for all those people who are very serious about their fitness and who want to know exactly how many grams of protein is healthy on a daily basis, below are some easy ways to calculate it.

Protein Per Day for Men and Women

According to the Institute of Medicine, USA, the recommended grams of protein per day for women and men both is 0.8 gram per day per kg of the body mass. To take an example, if the weight of a person is 60 kg, then his recommended protein intake per day would be 60 kg * 0.8 grams, which comes to 48 grams per day. The protein requirement is calculated on the basis of the kind of lifestyle a person is leading. If its sedentary, then this formula is the perfect way to arrive at the protein requirement, however, if the person is into exercising or weight training, then the recommended daily protein intake has to be increased.

For all those who are heavily into exercising and want to know how much protein is needed per day to build muscles, it is recommended that the protein intake can be increased to anywhere between 1.2 to 1.8 grams per kg of body weight. Researches have shown that engaging in strenuous workout routines leads to breaking down of the muscle proteins. So to compensate that exercisers need to increase their protein intake. However, it's a myth that to build muscles, one needs to eat more than the double of the recommended protein intake. Ideally, protein intake should never exceed 1.8 grams per kg per day even for those who are heavily into weight training.

It is often seen that people who want to lose weight are often recommended a high protein diet. The main reason behind this being that protein rich foods keep the stomach full for a very long time and they are very less in calories compared to the foods rich in carbohydrate and fats. Even when on a high protein diet, care should be taken to keep the grams of protein to lose weight within 1.8 per kilogram of the body mass, per day.

Foods Rich in Proteins

In order to fulfill the daily protein requirement of the body, foods which are considered to be good sources of protein should be included in the diet. Some of the high protein foods are lean meats, chicken, beef, turkey, egg white, tuna fish, salmon, shrimp, nuts, beans, milk, yogurt, tofu, cheese, ham, bacon, lentils, mushrooms, oatmeal, wheat, brown rice, rye and cornmeal. Some of the vegetables rich in proteins are broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, potatoes, tomatoes, onions and asparagus. Fruits rich in proteins are avocados, bananas, watermelons, papaya and peach. Besides these natural sources of proteins, there are various types of protein supplements available in the form of bars, shakes and powder, which work equally well in fulfilling the protein requirement of the body, especially for exercisers who are into weight training.

A healthy diet is the one which is the right mix of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Eating too much protein and lesser carbohydrates and fats can be detrimental to the health. So, every one, whether one is into heavy exercising or not, should aim for a balanced diet, to enjoy good health and everlasting fitness.