How many grams of protein are recommended per day?

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Answer

Most people get more than enough protein daily. In fact, the average person consumes about 50% more than the recommended daily amount. Yet we often see athletes, business executives and weight loss fanatics turning to protein powders, drinks and nutritional bars in their quest for more protein. Is this really necessary? That depends.

It is true that resistance training and endurance workouts can rapidly break down muscle protein. If you exercise heavily, you might need to up your protein intake from the RDA's recommendation of 0.8 g/kg to 1.2-1.8 g/kg.

It does also depend on your metabolic type or nutritional type which is an emerging force in nutrition and suggests how much protein, carbohydrate and fat you are used to consuming, genetically and historically. I am a mixed type meaning I ought to eat a balanced diet of protein:fat:carboyhdrates of 30%:20%:50%.

So let's compare myself with my kids using these two methods.

I eat for pleasure and health on a maintenance basis and consume about 2,500 calories based on my weight and basal metabolic rate. My 15-year old son is into body-building right now and eats around 2,000 calories. Whilst my 13-year old daughter is a sports scholar, she's a lightweight and eats about 1,500 calories. Let's say we are all mixed metabolic types.

Using the RDA method:

- me: at 0.8 g/kg x 70kg = 56 grams of protein say a day

- son: at 1.6 g/kg x 55kg = 88 grams of protein say a day

- daughter: at 0.8 g/kg x 45kg = 36 grams of protein say a day

Using the calorific approach:

- me: 2,500 calories x 30% / 4 calories per gram = 187.5 grams per day

- son: 2,000 calories x 30% / 4 calories per gram = 150 grams per day

- daughter: 1,500 calories x 30% / 4 calories per gram = 112.5 grams per day

There is quite a difference depeding on the method of calculation. Bear in mind that there are no magic foods or supplements that can replace the right training and the right diet. The foundation of any program, whether your goal is to lose weight or gain muscle, is a combination of strength training and a healthy diet that includes plenty of carbs, with a balance of protein and fat.

... and the bottom line is: if you want to gain weight, you need to consistently eat more calories than your body uses and vice versa if you want to lose weight.

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