Recommended Protein Intake Per Day

Eating a balanced diet has many benefits and it is absolutely essential for living a long and healthy life. Out of all the nutrients that our body requires, proteins are perhaps the most well-known and most consumed of all. Many people feel that only athletes and bodybuilders require a daily intake of protein, but this is far from the truth. Since protein is widely present in a variety of food sources, to consume the right amount is not an insurmountable task.

Advantages of Daily Protein Intake
Proteins are after all, the basic building blocks of the human body. There are around 20 different types of amino acids that are present in proteins, and these amino acids enable proteins to help in the building up of muscles, tissues, hair, skin, nails and blood. After water, proteins are the most dominant substance present in the human body. This factor makes it absolutely essential for us to follow the daily recommended protein intake.

Out of the 20 amino acids that constitute proteins, 8 are not produced naturally by the body. They require some external supplements and food sources in order to be created, and as a result these 8 amino acids are known as essential amino acids. Along with the other 12 types of amino acids, these 8 essential amino acids aid in the process of synthesis of proteins in the body. What this means is that if these essential amino acids are not supplied to the body, proteins will be unable to build muscle and aid in the repair of any wear and tear of the body. This makes it necessary for us to maintain the daily recommended intake of proteins in our body.

Calculating Your Recommended Protein Intake
Here is a fairly simple method for you. There are primarily two steps involved for you to carry out this procedure.

Step 1: Calculate your weight in kg. You can do this by finding your weight in pounds and then dividing it by 2.2.
Step 2: Multiply your weight in kg with a number between 0.8 - 1.8. The resultant figure will give you your recommended protein intake in grams.

For example, say a person weighs 160 pounds. This translates to about 72.5 kg (160/2.2). Now multiplying this number with 1.2, we get 87. What this means is that the daily intake of protein for this person should be 87 grams.

The tricky part is deciding what figure should be chosen between 0.8 and 1.8. If you are in good health and lead a stress free life, you should choose the lowest number possible, that is 0.8, to calculate your daily protein intake. The more stressed out you are, the higher the number you should choose. If you are pregnant, or are training under extreme conditions of weightlifting or endurance, or if you are recovering from an illness, you must choose a higher number for calculating the value.

Sources of Protein
Now that you are aware of how much protein your body will require on a daily basis, you must also know the sources of these proteins. The following foods are the best sources of proteins for you.

• Eggs
• Milk
• Soya milk
• Tofu
• Yogurt
• Fish
• Cheese
• Roast beef
• Roast chicken
• Sausages
• Bacon
• Ham
• Corned beef
• Meat paste
• Barley
• Brown rice
• Oatmeal
• Rye
• Wheat
• Mushrooms
• Bananas
• Lentils

The following table will give you a brief overview about how many grams of proteins are deemed sufficient for children, women and men of different ages.

Children		Women		Men
Age	Protein Intake (grams)	Age	Protein Intake (grams)	Age	Protein Intake (grams)
1-3	23	11-14	46	11-14	45
4-6	30	15-18	46	15-18	56
7-10	34	19-22	44	19-22	56
		Over 23	44	Over 23	56
		Pregnant	35

It goes without saying that people with special needs of proteins have a higher amount of recommended protein intake for one day. Athletes, active adults, weightlifters, senior citizens and people recovering from an illness or an injury will mandatorily require a higher daily intake of proteins than other people.