Let’s just get down to it. Why should we even bother focusing so much on protein?

Well, others have said this in a clear and elegant enough fashion that I will shamelessly copy and paste…ahem, quote them.

First, from the National Academy of Sports Medicine’s Certified Nutrition Coach course, the following is current as of late 2024:

Protein is arguably the most important, yet most often overlooked, of the macronutrients. It is not a primary source of energy like carbs and fats; instead, protein is what makes humans, literally. Everything from muscles and bones to microscopic cellular machines, hormones, and neurotransmitters are derived from protein. With so many bodily functions dependent on it, it is clear that practically everyone could benefit from getting a bit more in their diets.

And secondly, with an eye to supporting athletic and leisure pursuits, from CrossFit L4 coach Jocelyn Rylee’s Primer on Protein for Health Across the Lifespan:

In short, more muscle = less dead.

In short, stronger bones = less dead.

Highly nutritious whole food sources of protein from meat (as the catchall term for beef, pork, chicken, seafood, dairy, etc.) provide the essential structural elements in the diet to build the strong muscles and dense bones we need to maximize our work capacity across broad time and modal domains. Across the years of our lives, those muscles and bones we built up allow us to not just survive but thrive, tackling any adversity or taking on any adventure that comes our way well into our 80s and 90s.

My own note on the above is that yes, vegetarians and vegans can still manage to eat enough protein; it’s just a lot more work to do so, and there are a few nutritional gaps to watch for.

Getting down to brass tacks – how much protein should you eat each day?

Here’s a TLDR on protein needs by activity level to help guide you, courtesy of NASM.

Note: older adults may consider eating higher amounts of protein, and in larger quantities, due to anabolic (i.e. muscle-building) resistance as the body ages. “Early and often,” should be the mantra as we age.

To make the above actually useful, now it’s math time:

Your own weight:  _____________ kg

(if you’re used to Imperial measures, just divide your weight in pounds by 2.2)

Your chosen multiplier: ______________

= g of protein per day

(this is a minimum target, in contrast to most other macronutrient targets)

If you want more detail

Also from NASM, and current at 2024:

The total daily protein requirement depends largely on the body size, activity level or sport, and body composition goals of the individual. Therefore, it is best to recommend total daily protein intakes on a gram of protein per kilogram of bodyweight basis (Table: Protein Needs by Activity Level). In general, individuals need between 0.8 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day. Inactive persons require less protein than active persons, and those exercising with greater duration or intensity will require more protein than those exercising with less duration or intensity. Additionally, more protein is required to recover from strength training than from cardiovascular training.

The recommendation of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram body weight is a daily minimum need that may be as high as 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight in non-exercising persons based on new evidence. Exceeding the proposed dietary protein need poses few, if any, negative consequences. Consuming up to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is an acceptable goal, even for sedentary persons, and it is likely that a greater percentage of calories coming from protein will facilitate health goals.

Getting Technical: Recent developments in the methods used to determine protein needs suggest that recommendations have been underestimated by about 30 to 50%. Moreover, research on the effects of very high protein intake (3.0 to 4.4 grams per kilogram) on body composition indicate that individuals overeating protein will not experience an increase in body fat mass over time. Therefore, it is typically more prudent to make general recommendations of consuming more protein than to recommend less protein within the specified ranges, particularly when the client desires to increase lean muscle mass or maintain muscle mass while decreasing fat mass.

So there we go! You may well find maintaining adequate protein to be a real game changer, particularly if you are prone to snacking. If you need help implementing this, please do contact me.