How much protein do I need?

This is the second in a series on protein I’m writing this summer. Read the first post here which talks about what protein is and what it does in our body.

Now on to a question I get asked all the time: how much protein do I actually need?

The answer? It depends!

There are a few ways to determine a person’s protein needs. I’ll outline a few below, and then I will provide a summary of how I typically approach this with a patient.

Dietary reference intake tables

The Dietary Reference Intakes, or DRI, are basically a reference point set by Health Canada for macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that most people need to minimize risk for illness or disease.

For macronutrients, the DRI tables provide both a recommended intake based on a person’s body weight, and a recommended intake as a percentage of total energy intake.

Why use DRI?

These are standard recommendations for the general population, not for individuals with illness, disease, or nutritional deficiency. For most healthy individuals, meeting the recommendations set in the DRI tables will minimize risk for developing illness or disease due to nutritional factors.

Note about terminology: the DRI refers to the reference tables across all nutrients. For a specific nutrient, we refer to the recommendation as a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).

Intake based on body weight

For adult males and females, the RDA is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

Example: for a person weighing 100 kg (220 lbs):
100 x 0.8 = 80 grams of protein per day.

This is the number you’ll likely see quoted often when looking for a recommendation online and it is the minimum recommended intake for most healthy individuals.

Intake based on energy

For adult males and females, the range based on energy intake is 10-35% of total energy from protein.

Example: for a person consuming 2500 kcal: 
2500 x 10% = 250 kcal from protein. Remember that protein has 4 kcal per gram, so 250 kcal divided by 4 = 62.5 grams of protein

Now for the top of the range: 2500 x 35% = 875 kcal from protein. 875 divided by 4 = 219 grams of protein

That means for the range of 10-35%, protein intake could be 62.5 - 219 grams.

If you’ve ever “tracked your macros” or done a calculation of macronutrient requirements in relation to each other, this range is what you’ll often see, and it relies on the other two macronutrients. If one goes up, another has to go down because they have to add up to 100%, just like a pie chart.

Like digging into all these numbers and want to read about the DRIs in more detail? Link here to Health Canada’s website

Other scenarios

There are many circumstances where the above protein recommendations may not be appropriate. For individuals who are ill or injured, protein needs are typically higher. Protein needs are also higher during periods of growth and for athletes. Here are some scenarios where a person may need protein above and beyond the standard RDA:

• Illness (acute or chronic) or injury
• During lactation
• Individuals with alcohol use disorder
• Adults over the age of 65 years
• Athletes
• Malnutrition

Risks for inadequate protein intake

Sometimes protein needs are not increased but a person is still at risk of not getting enough. Individuals who experience the following may be at risk:

• Restrictive diets
• Allergies and intolerances
• Eating disorders
• Attempting intentional weight loss
• Poor appetite related to mental health or medication

So how do I make sure I get the right amount of protein?

That’s a great question!

The reality is, most people I work with are not calculating their protein needs each and every day. This would require inputting everything you eat into an app or a spreadsheet. While it can be helpful for some, a lot of the time this is just too much work.

First, aim for the RDA

If you are a generally healthy person and looking to maintain health and muscle, aiming to meet the RDA at a minimum is reasonable and acheivable. If you eat regular meals and have a varied diet, it’s likely that you are meeting the RDA already.

A practical way of looking at this is to calculate your minimum protein recommendation based on the RDA (in the above example, 80g). Then consider how many meals and snacks you eat during the day and distribute protein across these. For example:

• Breakfast – 15g
• Snack – 10g
• Lunch – 25g
• Dinner – 30g
• Total – 80g

Once you see how your protein intake could be balanced throughout the day, it can be a lot more realistic to achieve. Remember that this 80g was the RDA for our hypothetical person, so it’s a minimum number. That means if this person decided to have an extra snack or two they don’t have to worry about getting a little extra protein – it won’t hurt!

Seek out more specific guidance

If you have any health concerns or experience any challenges with eating, I still suggest eating regular meals and a varied diet, but you likely would benefit from more specific guidance. This is where a registered dietitian comes in. We look at your health history, goals, and eating experiences to come up with a recommendation. Then we can collaborate on how to meet that target in a way that works for you.

Protein is not the whole story

Don’t forget that while protein is the star of this post, protein is only part of a person’s diet. A healthy diet also includes all of the other foods that you are eating – having protein alone is not a balanced diet.

Bottom line

In general, there are two main ways to calculate protein needs for an individual with no specific health concerns using Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake tables. These numbers do not apply to individuals with illness or injury or in several other specific scenarios.

Dietitians regularly use our clinical judgement and available research to make specific recommendations for individuals based on their unique needs and concerns. If you eat a balanced diet and include a protein source with each meal, you are likely acheiving your minimum needs, but this is not always the case.

Next steps

Stay tuned for the next post! Subscribe so you don’t miss it. I’ll be covering protein sources and ways to include protein in your diet through meals and snacks.

Looking for more personalised support and guidance?

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