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Protein Demands: A Dietitian’s Guide for Everyone

Find out where you fit in

Our interest in protein has rocketed in recent decades. One of the fascinating things about protein is how our personal circumstances and life-stage can dictate our demands for the nutrient.

We need protein for physical performance, illness recovery, hunger control, and to keep healthy into our older age.

But most importantly, protein consists of the amino acids essential for human life.

I recently read and applauded Dr. David L. Katz and Mark Bittman’s post on protein and felt compelled to share it. If you missed it, in short, the article is an overview of plant-based diets. How they can help the planet, improve our vitamin and mineral intake, and sustain our protein needs — and not only for the so-called “average person”, stating:

“This message extends even into the realm of world-class athleticism (ask Kyrie Irving), including competitive bodybuilding”.

Their discussion seems compelling. So, I decided to put my dietitian hat on and answer the question, “What scenarios change our protein demands and what foods can we eat to help meet our needs?”

Let’s find out.

Protein demands

Protein recommendations differ by nation, so, for the purpose of this exercise, let’s start with The World Health Organisation Guidelines — a daily intake of 0.75 grams (g) per kilogram (kg) of body weight.

Imagine a generally healthy person. Their exercise levels are close to the guidelines, they have no medical conditions, and weigh-in at 70kg (or 165.5lbs). Using the simple calculation: 70 x 0.75…

• That’s 52.5g protein they need each day.

Picture someone else, same weight, but aged 65 years or older. Their recommended protein requirements are 1–1.2g per kilogram, to prevent muscle wasting and malnutrition.

• That’s 70–84g protein they need each day.

A third person comes along, same weight, 70kg. But sadly, they have a sudden or long term illness (maybe even COVID-19).

Because of the extra demands on the body’s organs and immune system, daily protein requirements bump up to 1.2–1.5g per kilogram (or higher, depending on the illness)

• That’s 84–105g protein they need each day.

When you watch the Olympics, you‘ll find track and field athletes aplenty. Let’s just say that these “machines” are busier than most. To keep their muscles maintained for maximum performance, their daily protein requirements shoot up to 1.6–2.4g per kilogram.

• Still assuming they are 70kg (or 165.5lbs), that’s 112–168g protein they need each day.

These four people are all the same weight, but their situation; certainly not.

The protein demands between the first person and the track and field athlete clearly reflect the startling divergence. The competitor needs about three times more protein compared to the generally healthy person.

Athletes are few and far between. But the likelihood is, at some time in your life, you’ll be in the same shoes as the first three people. So, reflecting on our circumstances can help us make simple changes to the way we eat. If you convert your body weight to kilograms, you can easily calculate your protein requirements using the steps above.

A word of caution about diet tinkering to help manage a medical condition though — calling on the support of a dietitian would be wise as nutrition goes far beyond protein.

Protein-rich foods

Below are ten commonly consumed animal protein sources:

1. Beef (rump steak) = 31g protein; 0g fibre.
2. Chicken (breast) = 32g protein; 0g fibre.
3. Eggs (from hens; boiled) = 12.5g protein; 0g fibre.
4. Lamb (breast) = 26.7g protein; 0g fibre.
5. Pork (steaks) = 32.4g protein; 0g fibre.
6. Prawns (meat only, no shell or head) = 22.6g protein; 0g fibre.
7. Smoked Mackerel = 18.7g protein; 0g fibre.
8. Smoked Salmon = 25.4g protein; 0g fibre.
9. Tuna fish (canned)= 23.5g protein; 0g fibre.
10. Venison = 35.6g protein; 0g fibre.

Note: Above are average figures of 100g lean foods when cooked. Animals have higher concentrations of protein depending on the cut of the meat (e.g., lean beef mince stewed is 24.7g protein while roasted topside beef is 36.2g protein).

For comparison, let’s take a look at ten plant protein sources:

1. Aduki beans = 9.3g protein; 5.5g fibre.
2. Black gram (Vigna Mungo) = 7.8g protein; *N fibre.
3. Chick peas = 8.4g protein; 4.3g fibre.
4. Lentils = 7.6g protein; 1.9g fibre.
5. Peanuts = 25.6g protein; 6.2g fibre.
6. Peanut butter = 22.6g protein; 5.4g fibre.
7. Pumkins seeds = 24.4g protein; 5.3g fibre.
8. Red kidney beans = 8.4g protein; 6.7g fibre.
9. Soya beans = 14g protein; 6.1g fibre.
10. Tofu = 23.5g protein; *N fibre.

Note: Values are of raw nuts and seeds. All other foods are cooked (boiled). For example, dried chickpeas have 21.9g protein per 100g, but boiled has 8.4g protein. Why? Because the beans absorb water during cooking, making them heavier. *The nutrient is present in significant quantities, but there is no reliable information on the amount.

Animal Proteins vs Plant Proteins

When rounding off the examples above, animal proteins average 26g, and plant proteins 15g. Remember, this is per 100 grams, but a meat serving often weighs more:

• Grilled beef rump steak 5oz (102g) = 31.6g protein; 8oz (163g) = 50.5g.

On the other hand, plant sources tend to be smaller portions:

• Boiled red kidney beans, 1 tablespoons (35g) = 3g protein; 3 tablespoons (105g) = 8.8g protein.

To equal the protein of the 5oz beef rump steak, we need:

• Nearly 11 tablespoons (376g) of red kidney beans for 31.6g protein. Keep in mind, red kidney beans from a whole can weighs 240g.

You can see the practical challenges when the goal is to match protein density between plant and animal sources. Then again, do we need to match them?

Nuts, seeds and tofu contain the most protein of the plant sources.

Their average protein is 24.5g, similar to the 26g from meat sources (per 100g). That’s as close as it gets. The general healthy person has daily protein requirements of 45–60g protein a day, so, it’s plausible to turn to plant sources without compromising our protein demands. Especially when the occasional animal protein source remains part of our weekly eating habits.

Indeed, research tells us that most Western diets rich in animal sources, exceed daily protein needs.

If, like others, the ethics of meat-eating is a concern and you’re considering upping the plant-based foods, then there are helpful people at hand.

Dietetics student, Kristen Eleanor has five high protein plant-based recipes that are delicious. If you fancy something sweeter, Alyssa Atkinson’s desserts are high protein tasty vegan offerings.

Perhaps you’re considering meat-free days, but going dairy-free is a step too far? Take this far-from-artistic picture of an omelette I ate last week (If you want to appreciate the irony in that sentence, this article is for you).

Omelette recipe total protein = 29g.

• 2 hen eggs; protein = 12.5g.
• 50 millilitres skimmed milk; protein = 1.75g.
• 25g cheddar cheese; protein = 6.4g.
• 5–8 button mushrooms (125g; steam fried); protein = 3g.
• 1 whole medium sized onion (150g; steam fried); protein = 3.5g.
• Baby spinach leaves (50g; small handful); protein = 1g.
• 125g tinned tomatoes; protein = 1.25g.

Eating an omelette like the one above would mean most people (especially females under 65 years old) exceed half of their daily protein demands in one sitting.

So, given a couple of extra meals and small snacks to get the next 20-30g, achieving protein demands from plant sources can be simple. Especially if you’re open to trying salads like this one.

Correcting protein intake gone wrong

When we’re upping our exercise and weight resistance training, protein demands increase. You know this. The challenge is meeting protein demands and avoiding overconsumption that could lead to fat gains rather than muscle.

Research has unveiled that bodybuilders in the 1980s-90s consumed 0.8–4.3g protein per kilogram body weight (Note: no higher than 3.1g is recommended).

• Again, assuming they are 70kg (likely to be heavier!), that’s 56–301g protein eaten each day (Note: 217g would be the maximum recommended).

Many bodybuilders were exceeding protein demands by 84g a day! This is a crude demonstration of protein over consumption when “bulking-up”.

Let’s imagine you’re exercising at recommended guidelines, and you decide to add an hour of weight resistance training 2–4 times a week. In this scenario, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends 1.4g-2.0g protein per kilogram of body weight each day. Assuming you’re 70kg, your baseline protein demands are 52.5g a day.

• That means increasing your daily protein intake to a range of 98–140g.

For most resistance exercise training, it would help to have the lower-end of 1.4–1.6g protein per kg body weight — according to a scientific review.

A simple way to meet these increased protein demands would be to include a single 20–25g protein supplement after the workout and snack on nuts (max 100g) during the day. Whey protein and plant-based supplements are popular, but both are only beneficial when an exercise regime is maintained.

What about rest days? Do we still need more protein? Well, it depends.

As long as the 2–4 times a week training is maintained then, yes. If you have just one rest day, sometimes two, and hardly ever three in a row, then, yes.

That means being flexible with your routine while maintaining the mindset to aim for four training sessions each week. Why? Keeping to a higher protein intake on rest days is not only helpful for muscle growth but also appetite control. The risk is, if protein demands are not maintained, then hunger could drive general overeating and compromise your goals.

Final Thoughts

This article is not a deep dive into the essential amino acids. It does not discuss protein quality, timing and distribution. Instead, it’s a simple guide with numerous links for further information. The straightforward examples help demonstrate how our protein demands can change. The lists of protein-rich foods offer suitable food choices ‘at a glance’.

Perhaps you feel encouraged to try some plant-based protein sources, like others. Perhaps not. Either way, my hope is that you keep this article in mind when considering your protein demands for health and well being. For you, and the people in your life.

“Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well.” Michael Pollan

*** There are no affiliate ads or sponsorships hyperlinked. This article, designed for educational purposes, is regarding adults’ protein requirements, not children***