Its recommended that most adults get at least 10% to 35% of their daily calories from protein.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishes guidelines about protein goals.
Pregnancy
Dietary needs change in pregnancy, and the amount of recommended protein increases.
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In pregnancy, it may be recommended that people eat at least 60 g of protein a day.
This could mean 20% to 25% of daily calories coming from protein sources.
The recommended amount is between 0.88 g/kg and 1.1 g/kg of protein.
Physical Activity
More physically active people may also need more daily protein.
Protein is important for creating and maintaining muscle mass.
One study suggests increased protein levels may help older adults prevent muscle loss and other common health problems.
Weight Loss
Ahigher protein dietmay help in losing or maintainingweight.
However, after weight loss, some people can’t maintain a high-protein diet for the long term.
Weight might be gained back after about a year.
Some cultures eat diets higher in protein than others.
However, even in these cases, protein still usually comprises about 40% of caloric intake.
One study looked at a diet of less than 0.8 g/kg per day for people with kidney disease.
This daily lower protein intake might slow down kidney damage.
Older adults might also be at risk for not getting enough protein because the need increases as people age.
It can also happen in younger people, but it is not common.
Inactivity and a lack of nutrients can contribute to this problem.
Preventing or treating it is important and can include increasing daily protein and calorie intake and an exercise program.
For those who include dairy and eggs in their eating plan, those are also good sources of protein.
Tracking nutrients in meals throughout the day will also help in understanding how much protein is eaten.
Keeping a food log and adding up the amount of protein and total calories can guide hitting protein goals.
Pregnant people, older adults, and athletes will want to focus on eating more daily protein.
Eating too much protein or too little over a long period could lead to some adverse effects.
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Mariotti F, Gardner CD.Dietary protein and amino acids in vegetarian diets-a review.Nutrients.
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United States Department of Agriculture.FoodData Central.
Harvard Medical School.High-protein foods: the best protein sources to include in a healthy diet.
